National Dish Slovakia: Bryndzové Halušky (Recipe)
In this article
Bryndzové Halušky is potato dumplings with sheep’s cheese and bacon, and the cheese is the point. Bryndza is a soft, sharp, salty sheep’s cheese from the Slovak highlands with protected EU status, and nothing else quite substitutes for it.
About Bryndzove Halusky
The dumplings are made from raw grated potato and flour, pushed through a perforated board into boiling water. They are soft, slightly sticky, and cook in a minute. Bryndza is stirred through while they are hot so it melts into a sauce, and crisp bacon goes on top.
Slovakia holds an annual halušky-making competition. It is taken seriously.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 250 g floury potatoes
- 100 g plain wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 150 g bryndza (Slovak sheep’s cheese)
- 80 g diced bacon
- Salt, to taste
Shopping for the ingredients
Bryndza is sold in Slovak, Czech and Polish shops. A soft young feta mashed with a little soured cream is the nearest substitute and is not as good. Use floury potatoes and grate them finely, almost to a purée.
Preparing the dish
Grate the potatoes finely and do not squeeze out all the liquid; some of it binds the dough. Work quickly, because raw grated potato greys within minutes. The dough should be thick enough to hold on a spoon but still drop off it.
Step-by-step instructions
- Peel the potatoes, grate them finely and squeeze out some of the liquid.
- Combine the grated potato with the flour, egg and a pinch of salt to form a thick, sticky dough.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and, using a halušky maker or a coarse grater, drop small pieces of dough into the boiling water.
- Cook the halušky until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes, then lift them out and drain well.
- Meanwhile, fry the diced bacon in a pan until crisp.
- Toss the hot halušky with the crumbled bryndza so it melts into a sauce, top with the bacon and its fat, and serve at once.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
A gluten-free flour blend works in the dough. Lactose-free is difficult, since bryndza is the dish; the strapačky version with sauerkraut instead of cheese is the dairy-free Slovak alternative and is a real dish.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Leave off the bacon and it is vegetarian. Strapačky, halušky with sauerkraut and onion, is vegan when made without lard and is genuinely good. Bryndzové pirohy is the filled dumpling version.
More tips and tricks
Work fast once the potatoes are grated. Add the bryndza off the heat and toss rather than stirring, so it melts without going stringy. And pour the hot bacon fat over the top; that is part of the dish, not an excess.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
A spoonful of soured cream loosens the cheese sauce. Sheep’s milk žinčica is drunk alongside. More bacon is never questioned in Slovakia.
Ingredient substitutions
Feta with soured cream approximates bryndza. Any smoked bacon. A coarse grater or a colander replaces the halušky board.
Drink pairing ideas
Žinčica, the whey drink, is the traditional pairing in the mountains. A cold Slovak lager. Borovička, the juniper spirit, afterwards.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it immediately in a warm bowl, bacon and fat over the top. It cools fast and the cheese sets, so this is not a dish to plate slowly. Nothing else on the plate.
A bit of history
Bryndza comes from the Wallachian shepherds who moved along the Carpathians from the fourteenth century, bringing sheep and cheesemaking with them. The cheese has protected geographical status and the dish built on it is the country’s most recognisable. It anchors Slovak cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Bryndzove Halusky
Bryndzové halušky is potato dumplings tossed with sharp sheep’s cheese and topped with crisp bacon. Work fast with the grated potato, add the cheese off the heat, and serve at once.
