Slovakia

Slovak cooking is hearty and mountain-shaped, famous for bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with sheep cheese and bacon). Cabbage, pork, potatoes, and dairy anchor a comforting Central European table.

Bryndzove halusky is highland food, from the salas and koliba of the sheep-grazing centre of the country rather than from the cities. Slovenska bryndza, the soft sheep's cheese it depends on, holds EU protected status; the traditional drink beside it is zincica, the whey left from making that cheese; and the village of Turecka hosts an annual world championship in eating it.

The rest of the year is cabbage and pork. Kapustnica, sauerkraut soup with smoked meat and dried mushrooms, is the Christmas Eve dish; potatoes turn up as dumplings, pancakes and in the soup; and the sheep's-milk tradition means fresh and smoked cheeses appear where other Central European kitchens would reach for cream.

Crisp, garlicky griddled pancakes of grated raw potato scented with marjoram, fried until lacy and golden.