Halušky - National dish of Slovakia

Halusky is one of the national dishes of Slovakia. It is a small dumpling similar to the Italian gnocchi or I would even say the German spatzle. The cooking process in the latter is especially similar. So Halusky, typically a potato dumpling served in a cream sauce topped with crispy bacon or Pancetta. There are several recipes each differing on a few minor points. Although extremely heavy it is delicious!

The base of the cream sauce uses a special cheese known as Bryndza, this is an essential component and difficult to substitute. The following description comes to you thanks to "University of Pittsburgh" and the help of a friend:) since it is such an important part of this dish I thought I would add it.

“Traditional bryndza is sharp, salty, grayish, grated and pin-rolled, crumbly, semi-spreadable 100% sheep cheese. There is no close equivalent in taste and texture among sheep, cow, or goat cheeses. Most modern commercially available bryndza is milder, bleached creamy white, and two of its three varieties can legally contain up to 49% cow cheese. The European Commission registered the latter as Slovenská bryndza on its food list of Protected Geographical Indications on 16 July 2008.

Although the European Protected Geographical Indications treat it and the bryndza of the Polish Podhale region adjacent to northern Slovakia as separate products, the traditional variety differs little. It stems from the Wallachian shepherding culture that gradually spread counter-clockwise from the south-east along the main ridge of the Carpathians and had reached their western ranges in the Slovak majority counties by the 15th century.”