 CULTURE |
After almost 900 years of Hungarian domination, a National Revival in 1848 commenced with the creation of the Slovak literary language by Ludovit Stur, a Slovak philosopher and patriot. This enabled the emergence of a Slovak national consciousness. One of the leading artists in the revival was poet Pavol Orsagh Hviezdoslav, whose works have been translated into several languages. Slovakia's architectural wonders include the Gothic St, James Church in Levoca with the highest gothic altar in the world, and the magnificent Renaissance buildings in Bardejov. Andy Warhol, the painter and author of Campbell's soup picture is of Slovak origin. Traditional Slovak folk instruments include the fujara (a 2m/6.5ft-long flute), the gajdy (bagpipes) and the konkovka (a strident shepherd's flute). Folk songs helped preserve the Slovak language during Hungarian rule.
An aspect of Slovak nationalism is pride in their language. Slovak language and grammar are said to be one of the most difficult in the world. All Slovaks understand Czech and as a visitor you won't be taken to task for mixing Czech with Slovak, but any effort to communicate in the local language will be appreciated. Although many people working in tourism have a good knowledge of English, only very few people speak anything other than Slovak in rural Slovakia.
URL LINK: Slovak
language
The reintroduction of a market economy in the early 1990s produced a sharp increase in unemployment, a high rate of inflation, and therefore a decline in living standards for many Slovak families.
However, most households are relatively well equipped with consumer goods, such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and automobiles. Most urban residents live in high-rise buildings; many also own small cottages in the countryside. In rural areas, single-family homes predominate.
| Cuisine |
Traditional Slovak eating and drinking habits date
back to the old Slavic period influenced later by
Hungarian, Austrian and German cuisine. Slovak food
is based on many different kinds of soups, gruel,
boiled and stewed vegetables, roast and smoked meats
and dairy products. Vegetarians will not find their
paradise in the Slovak national cuisine. The style
of cooking varies from region to region. Slovak
specialties include salted and sweetened dishes
made with flour, including dumplings. One such dish
is the popular bryndzove halusky (small potato dumplings
made with goats cheese). |
Although the Slovaks do not consume as much as their Czech cousins, the tradition of beer brewing has strong roots in the country. Dozens of brands, mainly from local micro- breweries, can be found across the land. Most established stock brands are made within the locality. But Slovaks are known as wine rather than beer drinkers. Even though viticulture is not one of the most significant branches of Slovak agriculture, it has its importance. It is known for its rich traditions and particularly high quality wines coming from several vineyard regions. Wine growing and winemaking are also of historic importance for Slovaks and Slovakia. About 2 thousand years ago the ancient Romans brought wine growing to the region. At that time wine, wine growing and winemaking were very popular and also highly respected.
There are three main wine regions in Slovakia: a large region in the southwest, on the Hungarian plane, a small region between Bratislava and Trnava and an eastern Tokay region near Mala Trna.
Among distinguished Slovak spirits, the most favorite is a plum brandy called Slivovica, aged for 3 years in oak barrels. Another leading brandy is a genuine juniper brandy called Borovicka, which has a taste similar to that of dry gin. The quality of Slovak brandies varies from poor to excellent. The best brandies are well matured, rich in aroma, and excellent in taste.
 Try these original Slovak meals: |
Bryndzove halusky - Small potatoe dumplings with Goat cheese
Ingredients: 2-3 Potatoes, Flour 4-5 tbsp, Salt, 1 egg
Instructions: Peel potatoes and finely shred them. Add egg and flour. Make a dough that is not too tough but not to watery. You may use more or less flour or add a little bit of water if it is too tough. Add 1 tsp of salt. Boil water w 2 tbsp of salt. Use a teaspoon to drop a little bit of the dough into the boiling water. Be sure the water is always boiling. When halusky are cooked they will float on top of the water, Pick them out with a strainer. If you don't find bryndza (a type of goats cheese), you can use 1 package of Feta Cheese and 3/4 of a pack of cream cheese, and 3-4 tbsp of milk. Heat everything together. Mixing all the time. When it starts to boil, remove from the heat. Cut up little pieces of bacon and fry them. Serve halusky with the cheese sauce and sprinkled with the bacon pieces on top.
Babovka (also called Pound Cake)
Ingredients: 5 eggs, 250 grams powdered sugar, 250 grams backing flour (regular, not self rising), 150 ml vegetable oil, 150 ml hot water, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. vanilla - if desired for taste, 1 tbs. cocoa powder, Butter or shortening to grease pan.
Instructions: Separate egg whites from yolks. Set the whites aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix yolks with sugar. Add slowly oil, then hot water. Mix in flour and backing powder. Beat egg whites alone in another bowl until they expand about 3 to 4 times. Use an electric mixer on high speed for this. Add these egg whites to the batter. Mix by hand. Add vanilla if desired. Pour half into greased round angel-cake pan. Mix the cocoa into the remaining half and pour on top of the first layer in the pan. Do not mix together. Bake for 45 minutes. Check with toothpick (toothpick will not have mixture on it if the cake is done) by poking it into the cake. Sprinkle finished cake with icing powder. You can also add raisins or nuts to the original batter or pour chocolate on top of the finished cake. |
