SEVERAL distinctive traditional Slovak products were honoured as well as joyously sampled in mid-September at Gazdovský dvor, a farmyard in Turá Lúka that is part of the town of Myjava in western Slovakia near the Czech border. The Day of Plums included a conference for experts, theatre performances and much sampling of slivovica, Slovakia’s traditional plum brandy, as well as plum marmalade. The festival was even opened by the screening of a film made by student Šimon Horn called Slivovica – sila tradície (the power of tradition).
The day-long event on September 17 at the Traditional Culture Centre in Myjava featured an expert discussion in the morning in which participants exchanged information about methods of growing original species as well as newer varieties of plums, learned about diseases and pests and heard an expert assessment of the outlook for growing this traditional fruit in the region’s hilly hamlets called kopanice.
Throughout the day the serious business was relieved by light-hearted theatre performed by the Theatre Ensemble of J.M. Hurban from Brezová pod Bradlom with the theme of slivovica, Viera Feriancová of the cultural centre told the TASR newswire.
“An accompanying afternoon event to the Day of Plums was tasting of brandy in the barn of Gazdovský dvor that was prepared by the Association of Hobby Gardeners from Turá Lúka as well as the traditional cooking of marmalade by the Kýčer folk ensemble, also from Turá Lúka,” Feriancová said, adding that the prepared plum delicacies were also sold during the event.