Much has been said about Western European food, but finding information about the traditional meals of Central and Eastern Europe is a little more difficult. While planning my trip to Slovakia I tried to do some research into what food I’d be eating (and, of course about the beer), but I wasn’t very successful. However, four months in Bratislava has given me enough time to find Slovakia’s unmissable foods.

1. Bryndzové Halušky

Wikipedia translates it as “potato dumplings with bryndza sheep cheese and bacon”. Halušky is the potato dumpling, which is similar to Italian gnocchi, and bryndza is a soft (and tasty) sheep’s cheese which is originally from Slovakia and is a typical flavour here. If you prefer, in some restaurants you can ask for the bacon bits to be replaced with fried squares of sausage instead. Around €3.50.

Bryndzové Halušky

2. Vypražany Syr

The very first time that we went for fast food in Bratislava my girlfriend ordered vypražany syr and I thought it was fried chicken. But I was wrong. Literally “fried cheese”, it’s just that; fried cheese, commonly accompanied by chips (hranolky) and tatarská omácka (tartare sauce). Be aware that if you ask for mayonnaise in Slovakia, you’ll probably get tartare sauce instead. From €3.50. Note that in most restaurants the listed price of vypražany syr is just for the cheese, and the hranolky will be charged separately.

3. Kapustnica

Kapustnica

This one caught my attention during my research before coming and hasn’t disappointed me. It’s a sauerkraut soup with sausages, mushrooms, pork and black pepper; in some restaurants they add a dollop of cream on top. It’s my favourite meal and it’s easy to prepare at home as well. Around €1.80. It’s traditionally eaten with bread, which is not included in the price.

4. Lokše

Once again I was confused by its appearance and thought that this was a type of pancake. It’s quite similar to a pancake, but the batter is made from potatoes and it’s fried without oil. Lokše can be used as a substitute for bread to accompany soups or it can be eaten like a pancake, but instead of maple syrup or Nutella the most typical (and tasty) topping is a mix of sauerkraut and bacon. From €1.50 for three pieces.

5. Kofola

Kofola

Slovakia is one of the few countries where Coca Cola is not the main soft drink. Kofola is the king of the soft drinks here, and I confess that I don’t miss Coca Cola at all. It’s a cola drink as well, but quite different to Coke; it has a slight citrus flavour and is a lot less sweet (it has 30% less sugar, in fact). It also has more caffeine than Coke. Around €1 for a 2L bottle in markets and €1 for a half-litre glass in pubs.

6. Beer

Oh, the beer. The two (good) main beer brands in Slovakia are Zlatý Bažant and Šariš. The first one is the most common in Bratislava, and the other is popular in the east of Slovakia (and, sadly, hard to find in Bratislava). My favorite is the Šariš Tmavé, which is a great dark beer.

A little vocabulary: pivo means beer, svetlé means lager (literally “light”) and tmavé means dark. Capované pivo is draught beer, obviously more tasty than flaškové pivo, bottled beer. Prices? From €1 for a half-litre glass (velké) in most pubs. Around €0.80 for a bottle of the same size in markets.

Slovak food isn’t as well-known as dishes from its western neighbours, but this small Eastern European country has a variety of specialities that are as cheap as they are tasty.