Syrek (hrudka)

The story

Syrek looks like a round farmhouse cheese, but it is made from eggs and milk. Cooks in eastern Slovakia stir the two over gentle heat until they separate into soft curds, then tie the curds in cloth and hang the bundle until it drains into a firm ball that slices like bread. It is known as syrek or hrudka. The Slovak tourism board lists it as a traditional dish of eastern Slovakia and an essential part of the Easter basket. On Holy Saturday, families in towns such as Bardejov carry decorated wicker baskets of paska, smoked ham, sausages, eggs and syrek to church to be blessed. Noviny.sk reported from Bardejov that the blessed food should ideally be the first eaten after the long Lenten fast, and Marek Kreheľ, the parish dean there, said that what matters most is for the family to meet. In a social-media vote run by the packaging-recovery group ENVI-PAK, Slovaks placed hrudka fourth among Easter foods, after eggs, smoked meat and beets. In 2027 the blessing falls on Saturday, March 27, so make syrek on Good Friday or early Saturday. Serve it cold in thin slices with boiled smoked ham, grated horseradish, beets and Easter bread.