Slovak Tapas Night

Slovak Tapas Night, which took place on March 20, 2014, was the first “National Night” of a Nation2Nation ongoing series. It was a perfect opportunity to learn more about Slovak culture through tasting some of the traditional Slovak food and watching a short gag about Slovak culture performed by ESN Košice team members. Erasmus students could also test their knowledge about Slovakia in a detailed quiz, and their opportunity was rewarded by a nice prize.

As far as the food goes Erasmus students could try some cocktail snacks with different toppings, such as sausage, meat paté, vegetarian mix, and bryndza (sheep cheese), a Slovak specialty, which was Number 1 of the evening. There was a wide range of main dishes, some of them for those having a sweet tooth - steamed buns with a chocolate filling and dumplings with jam. The biggest hit of the evening, however, were bryndzové halušky (sheep cheese potato dumplings), which is a Slovak national dish. If you came later, you missed out big times because they were gone in a heartbeat.

After all food was gone and everybody had their stomachs full, ESN members provided a little bit of entertainment in the form of a gag introducing Slovak traditions and culture. This sketch depicted a traditional custom when a guest is offered a piece of bread and salt, which is a welcome greeting ceremony and a sign of hospitality not only in Slovakia, but also in many European cultures. Our ESN actors also let everyone know that ice-hockey is one of the most popular sports here. Slovakia is also known for its beautiful nature. Especially the High Tatras is a place to go to experience the essence of Slovak nature to the fullest.

We finished the evening with a short quiz about Slovakia. There were several teams more or less divided by nationalities which were competing against each other. Everybody wanted to win and they tried very hard and were eager to beat other teams. Even tough questions would not discourage them. At the end a mixed Italian-Turkish team was the one with the most knowledge about Slovakia and won.

Slovak Tapas Night was a great opportunity how to get to know something little about the country, taste its cuisine and befriend other Erasmus students. It was an evening full of fun, with awesome food, and even more awesome people.

A final remark to the current Erasmus students in Košice: “If you couldn´t come to this one, make sure you make it next time because every event organized by ESN Košice is an unforgettable experience thanks to which you can say that you made the most of your stay in Slovakia.”

author: Janka Koptová, ESN Košice member

photo: Mária Sásová, ESN Košice member