Recipe Beans and Pasta Soup

Waterzooi is a classic stew of Flanders. Its name is Dutch, ‘zooien’ meaning ‘to boil’. It is sometimes called Gentse Waterzooi (in Dutch) which refers to the city of Ghent. The original recipe is made of fish, either freshwater or sea, though today chicken waterzooi is more common. The most accepted theory is that rivers of Ghent became too polluted and the fish disappeared. The stew is made of the fish or chicken, vegetables including carrots, leeks and potatoes, herbs, eggs, cream and butter and usually serbed as a soup with a baquette to sop up the liquid.

Hrudka is a traditional meal of Eastern Slovakia and it’s an essential part of the Easter table. Eggs were considered the symbol of life and fertility and because of that, food made of eggs was served especially during Easter (celebrated in spring), when nature wakes up after winter rest.

Strudel, štrudl, štrudla and štrukli – these are the names given by our neighbors in Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to this sweet dream of light pastry and its juicy filling. But in English, the only word which has made it into common use is the German “Strudel”. That is a powerful signal of just how famous the Viennese Apfelstrudel has now become internationally. But it’s all too easily forgotten that this fine pastry once traveled an extensive route from Arabia via the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, before becoming resident in Vienna. However, the long journey was worth it!

Leskovac took its name long ago from its famed hazelnut woods, lešnik being the Serbian word for hazelnut. Today it is better know for its red peppers. The people of Leskovac speak a dialect of Serbian which preserves many features of the Old Church Slavonic language and even many Serbs find the local difficult to understand. Ajvar is known throughout the land and beyond as the name for a preparation of roast peppers, preserved in jars for use throughout the winter. Leskovac is also known for its fantastic barbecue meats: you’ll probably arrive in the town by car or bus, but once there you must try the Leskovac Train;(leskovački voz), an assortment of grilled meats which arrive at the table one after another like wagons. Nor should you overlook Leskovačka Mućkalica, a spicy medley of peppers and grilled meats, much prized among gourmets for its spicy flavour.