Slovak Cuisine

Slovak cuisine is the food tradition of Slovakia, and it varies slightly from region to region. It grew out of village life, when most households were nearly self-sufficient and had very limited access to imported food or to modern ways of preserving it, so it came to rest on staples that survive hot summers and cold winters: wheat, potatoes, milk and milk products, pork, sauerkraut and onion. Bread, dumplings and noodles are made from wheat, and potatoes are boiled or processed into potato dough. Milk becomes butter, cream, sour cream, buttermilk and many cheeses, among them the sheep's milk cheese bryndza. Animal fats and butter, rather than oils, were used for cooking, and spices were not widely used. It borrowed from neighbouring cuisines and lent to them in turn.