Polish Vs. Slovak Hałuski: What's The Difference?

There's nothing more satisfying and comforting than homemade dumplings so maybe that's why so many countries have their own version of the delicious doughy treat. They are also a hugely versatile food that can be stuffed with everything from meat, vegetables, and cheese to topped with sauces, bacon, and sour cream. Like so many regional dishes in Europe there are similarities between different countries' recipes. In particular, the foods of Slovakia and neighbor Poland have many things in common, such as Poland's pierogi and Slovak's pirohy (both are stuffed dumplings).

Why do the foods from the two countries have so many commonalities? Both countries' food draws heavily from their Slavic heritage. While the two countries have similar dishes, Cookindocs says that Slovak cuisine tends to draw more influence from other area countries, such as Hungary and Austria, and also the flavors have more depth than Poland's food.

There is one major difference between Poland's hałuski compared to Slovak's hałuski: Poland's version is an entrée while Slovak's is an ingredient in an entrée. Spruce Eats has two recipes, one for hałuski from each country. The Polish version calls for egg noodles, butter, cabbage, and onion. In Slovakia, hałuski refers to dumplings made from potato dough that is more similar to German spaetzle. 

For the Jo Cooks version of the recipe, egg noodles are used in the dish that is topped with bacon.  The version of hałuski made with egg noodles and sauteed cabbage and butter is so craveable, per Jo Cooks, that it is a household staple in Poland. Most often a vegetarian dish, Polish Classic Cooking says that hałuski is often eaten during Lent, although at other times of the year, kielbasa or bacon are common additions. The Slovak recipes for hałuski requires a few additional steps in order to make the hałuski dumplings. A family recipe for hałuski on All Recipes advises to make the dough out of four small potatoes that have been cooked and then pureed before being mixed with flour, eggs, baking powder, and salt to form a dough. The dough must then be boiled to form hałuski dumplings. After that, add crumbled bacon and cheese on top.