Marikľa and otherRomafood (source: Courtesy of Divé Maky)
INTERNATIONAL Romani Day, April 8, will be marked in Slovakia by – among other events – the first year of the Gipsy Food Festival, in which selected restaurants and pubs in Bratislava will offer delicacies typical of Roma gastronomy.
“Traditional Roma meals are falling into oblivion, but Roma cuisine is one that is varied and bears traces of all the countries through which this nation travelled in the past,” said Vladislava Dolníková of the organising civic association, Divé Maky / Wild Poppies. Frugal but filling – and tasty – Roma dishes are made mainly from flour, potatoes, pulses, milk products, tripe and smoked meat products. Names like pašvare, goja, chumer with buky, and marikľa (i.e. roast ribs, pork tripe with potatoes or peeled barley, noodles with liver, and batter-cake) add to the exotic flavour of the food.
“People love food festivals, and so we hope that the premiere year will be a pleasant event for all gourmets,” Miriam Mahajová, the programme coordinator of the festival said, inviting people to taste the meals on offer. So far, four Bratislava restaurants have signed up to serve Roma food between April 8 and 14: El Gaucho, San Marten, Pohoda tea, coffee & bar and Štefánka. The proceeds from sales of the meals will go to the Divé Maky scholarship programme, which focuses on educating the young Roma generation by supporting talented children from marginalised or socially disadvantaged families. Updates and more information, including some recipes, can be found at www.divemaky.sk.
