Food & Drink

The delicious cuisine of Slovakia is wholesome and hearty in nature, high in fat, and comforting as anything. Plan to enjoy many delicious meals with a beer or a beautiful glass of Slovakian wine. The food focuses on dairy products (cheeses, sour cream, and ice cream), meats, cabbage as a staple, and onions and garlic are used in many dishes.

The neighbouring nations of Hungary and Austria have had influences on the food in Slovakia. Lunch is often the biggest meal of the day, with a lighter meal served for dinner.

The national dish is Bryndzove halusky – home-cooked dumplings filled with sheep cheese and salty bacon. Fried sheep cheese, of gooey Edam Swiss or Gouda, served with mayonnaise or tartar sauce is a popular street food. Zemiakovc placky and lokse are different varieties of crispy potato pancakes fried with garlic and flour. These are eaten as a side with many meals. Mutton with sour and salty sauerkraut is a popular dish flavoured with prunes, mushrooms, and apples.

If you like warm soups, there are a few good ones. Goulash is a rustic meat soup/stew made of beef, paprika, marjoram, and potatoes, with a dark red sauce. Kapustnica, or sauerkraut soup combines sour cabbage and smoked pork sausage and dried mushrooms. Chicken noodle soup is also popular.

For dessert, you’ll discover sulance,  potato dough turnovers filled with plum jam or covered in a poppy seed spread. And Sisky are fried dumplings with orange jam.

There are six distinct wine regions with long histories and unique terriers and grape varieties including Tojak, Nitra, and the Small Carpathian region. Some say the Little Carpathians region in the west produces the best white wine in the country including a Riesling, while Aszu is a Tokaj wine – sweet, fruity, and delicious.

Beer is popular too, especially pale lagers, with producing brands like Mustaz Zlaty Bazant, Corgon, Saris, Smadny Mnich, and Topvar. Opre cider is a classic natural Slovak beverage made from apples, raspberries, blueberries, and sometimes pears. It’s believed to be the oldest cider maker in the country.

Tipping 10% is appreciated in Slovakia, and the drinking age is 18.