Bryndzové halušky

The story

Bryndzové halušky is Slovakia's national dish: small, soft potato dumplings tossed with bryndza, a tangy, spreadable sheep's cheese, and topped with crisp bacon. The cheese is the heart of it. Ján Vagač began producing bryndza in Detva, central Slovakia, in 1787, and since 2008 Slovenská bryndza has been protected by the European Union as a product of Slovakia's mountain areas, made from sheep's cheese or a blend of sheep's and cow's cheese. The dumplings are made by grating raw potatoes, mixing them with flour, salt and often an egg, and pressing the dough straight into boiling water through a perforated board. Katarína Wagnerová of Spišské Podhradie, whose recipe appeared on the Slovak site Zľavomat, adds melted butter to the bryndza and serves sour milk alongside; other cooks stir in sour cream. Since 1995 the village of Turecká in the Veľká Fatra mountains has hosted a yearly championship in cooking and eating the dish, where teams race through three kilograms of halušky. It is filling, homely food rather than a formal plate, which suits a relaxed dinner at home. Slovaks often drink sour milk or žinčica, a sheep's whey drink, alongside; buttermilk or kefir is the closest match in the US.