Recipe Speck Flavoured Dumplings

Vlaamse Stoofvlees, beef stew cooked in beer has long been part of the culinary heritage of Flanders, and it is still one of the most popular stews. Through the ages, the recipe has varied, and every mother passes on her secret to her children. Some like to add liver or kidneys to the beef, which certainly gives the stew a more distinctive flavor.

In the 18th century, sheep cheese manufacturers were established in Slovakia: the first one was in 1787 in Detva, and the second one in Zvolenská Slatina in 1797, which is still operating nowadays. Demikát, together with sheep cheese gnocchi, is another Slovak traditional dish, for the preparation of which this type of cheese is used.

The borders between today’s Austria and its southern neighbours are particularly dissipating in Carinthia. Instead of drizzling with melted butter, here the famous ‘Kasnudel’ are topped with melted Sasaka: the word comes from the Slovenian language and simply means finely-diced bacon or a type of lardons. Besides being a wonderfully spicy spread for bread, it also figures prominently in Styrian cuisine, proving that the colorful culinary merry-go-round in the former territories of the Habsburg Monarchy is still vibrant today.

The reason why the Hotel “Sacher” is as popular as Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace is not its luxury accommodation, but the Sachertorte. Its fame has spread well beyond Austria and it is also the basis for this Gugelhupf recipe.