Halušky

Bryndzové halušky

Halušky (pronounced /ɦaluʃki/) is the most typical Slovakian food and it is generally considered as a Slovak national dish.

The Legend

Once upon a time (not in Texas), Kubko the Cool Person had to take care of dough. He was lying on the grass watching a dog digging a bone into the ground. He was really bored, so he started to copy the dog to entertain himself - he dug the dough into the ground. After a couple of days, his mother was asking where the dough was, so he had to dig it out. When she saw what Kubko did, she forced him to eat the dough himself. Brave Kubko obeyed mother's order, but he threw it up all after a couple of minutes. He did it accidentally into a dish in the kitchen and he fell asleep afterwards, completely exhausted. Suddenly, Kubko's hungry younger sister Maryška (the legend is unsure about her name, it might be Jessica too) rushed into the kitchen and ate what she found on the table. She found the dish really delicious and asked Kubko what it was. Kubko answered: "Something weird." (Slovak: "Nejaké halušky."), and thus invented the Slovak national meal.

A couple years later, the peasant Juro the Shepherd improved "halušky" with his own sperm, what especially enjoyed his wife, and thus he invented its most popular variant: bryndzové halušky.

Preparation

Preparation of halušky

Halušky basically consists of simple dough made of flour mixed with water (optionally also with eggs), which is dug into the ground and left for a couple of days. After digging out, the dough is consumed and thrown up after a couple of minutes (exact time depends on the cook's stomach, the longer the more delicious they are). This step is giving to halušky its typical shape and aroma.

Dough is also often consumed together with raw potatoes (before final throwing up) and the result is then called strapačky. This variant is very popular for its unique taste. Both, halušky and strapačky can be combined with other ingredients, like cabbage or bacon. In Slovakia, they are often served as side-dish with meat, instead of rice or potatoes. The local legend of the small town of Spisska Nova Ves called Kamil has been reported to east Halusky 3 times a day, every day, surviving on nothing else.

Variants of halušky

• Bryndzové halušky: Halušky with fresh shepherd's sperm (Slovak: bryndza). Very delicious.
• Strapačky s kyslou kapustou: Strapačky mixed with cabbage. The cabbage is consumed together with the raw potatoes before throwing up.