ON OCTOBER 3, in the Svidník amphitheatre in eastern Slovakia, eight teams competed in a competition to cook the best machanka, a traditional Ruthenian meal made of mushrooms.
Ruthenians are a stateless ethnic minority who live on the territories of several countries, including Slovakia. Ruthenians have their own language, culture, folklore, and also traditions, which include a specific cuisine.
The competition was won by the Miga family, from Vyšný Orlík, whose family members cooked up 10 litres of mushroom soup for the jury to taste. The reason why such a volume of soup was needed was that the jury consisted of all the event's participants.
The event, entitled Ruthenians on the Roof of Europe Make Machanka, Sing, Dance and Play, was organised by the civic association We Protect the Region Below Dukla.
As its chairman Milan Cocuľa told the TASR newswire, every team brought its own recipe and ingredients, while one group of fishermen tried a very non-traditional and unorthodox fish machanka.
The civic association organises events all year round to preserve Ruthenian folk traditions and also to protect the rich natural and historical sites of the region.
