Mexican Chefs Learn to Make Traditional Strudel | Slovak Tour Ep. 2
If you want to truly get to know a country, it is not enough to simply taste its food. Sometimes, you need to try making it with your own hands.
In the second episode of the Slovak Tour series, our Mexican chefs Brian Navarro, Hector Rosales and Roberto Romero took on the challenge of preparing traditional hand-stretched strudel. This time, they were not just sitting at the table – they had dough, fillings and a technique ahead of them that has been passed down from generation to generation in Slovakia.
Traditional strudel looks simple. Until you have to make it yourself.
The preparation started with the dough, where the right consistency and enough resting time are essential. The dough is then worked so that it becomes elastic and can be stretched as thinly as possible.
And it was precisely the hand-stretching of the dough that became one of the biggest challenges.
The dough is gradually stretched over a large tablecloth until it forms a very thin layer. What looks effortless in the hands of an experienced person actually requires precision, sensitivity and years of practice.
Our chefs were able to try a technique that is completely different from many of the methods they normally use in the kitchen.
Poppy seed or cottage cheese?
Once the dough was stretched, it was time for two traditional versions – poppy seed strudel and cottage cheese strudel.
Each had a different flavor and character, giving our chefs the chance to experience not only the preparation of the dough itself, but also two classic versions of strudel.
After baking, of course, came the most important part – the tasting.
The cottage cheese version was among their favorites. The chefs especially appreciated its juiciness, the warm crispy pastry and the overall balance of flavors.
And perhaps the final result tasted even better because this time, they had made the strudel themselves.
A recipe that takes years to learn
But this visit was not only about the recipe.
Our host learned how to make strudel from her mother-in-law, and they baked together for around 45 years.
This is exactly how many traditional recipes used to be passed on – through cooking together, observing and learning from experience. Not everything can be written down in a recipe. Sometimes, the most important part is the instinct that comes only with years of practice.
Traditional Slovak folk costumes were also part of the visit, along with a conversation about why it is important to preserve folklore and local traditions for future generations.
In Slovakia, folk costumes, dialects and customs can vary from village to village, which makes Slovak culture remarkably diverse.
Discovering Slovakia beyond restaurant tables
The second episode of Slovak Tour showed Brian, Hector and Roberto another side of Slovak gastronomy.
Not the kind you discover simply by ordering a dish in a restaurant, but the homemade side – built on traditional recipes, experience and the people who continue to keep them alive.
And that is exactly what Slovak Tour is about. Discovering Slovakia through its flavors, its people and the stories behind its dishes.
If you want to see how our Mexican chefs handled the hand-stretched dough, which strudel they liked the most and what the whole visit looked like, watch Slovak Tour Ep. 2 on our YouTube channel. YouTube kanáli.
