Slovak Republic Currency

Slovakia has a phrase which perfectly describes the national cuisine. Trochu Všetko: a little bit of everything. This is how food has developed in the Slovak Republic. The culinary influences here originate from the Eastern European nations of Hungary and Czechoslovakia as well as from Turkey, a result of the empires' wars over the region over the last millennium.

In Bratislava, most of the restaurants very much feel as if they have clung on to the nation's varied and colourful past. Some evoke the Communist era whilst some step back further in time to the kind of Medieval Europe many people perceive only to exist in history books: dark, candellit, wood beamed and with open fires. All the while, diners can appreciate the century-old splendour of the Old Town.

The national dish, Bryndžové halušky, is what much of the country's traditional cuisine is themed around. The dish was popular with shepherds across the country and involves potato dumplings, sheep's cheese and often bacon. In typical Eastern European style, the food is often quite heavy (although not by the standards of Poland or even the Czech Republic).