Demikát: Traditional Slovak Bryndza Soup

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Summary: Demikát – a warming Slovak soup of bryndza (sheep cheese), potatoes and bacon, thickened with a little flour and finished with sour cream. Ready in about 50 minutes, serves 6.

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Category: American Soups, American Slovak Cuisine

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Quick overview

  • Dish: Demikát: Traditional Slovak Bryndza Soup
  • Category: American Soups, American Slovak Cuisine
  • Cuisine: Slovak
  • Main ingredient: Bryndza, 10½ oz, soft and crumbly
  • Guide: 12 Most Famous Slovak Dishes: Traditional Recipes from Slovak Cuisine
  • Total time: 50 minutes (20 min prep + 30 min cooking)
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Servings: 6 (Portion weight: 11 fl oz)
  • Key technique: Thickening with a flour roux, folding bryndza into a hot broth
  • Preparation types: Boiling, simmering
  • Dietary info & allergens: Contains milk, gluten, eggs (if using egg noodles). Not suitable for gluten-free, lactose-free, or vegan diets.
  • Suitable for: Winter suppers, casual lunches, first course of a Slovak meal
  • Nutrition per serving: 386 kcal, Protein: 15 g, Fat: 21 g, Carbohydrates: 35 g
  • Storage: 3 days in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer (without cream)
  • Pairing: Dark lager, Blaufränkisch, rye bread
  • In short: A bryndza soup that eats like a meal – potatoes, bacon and tangy sheep cheese in a single bowl.
  • Last updated: September 22, 2026

WAGUU says: “Demikát is what Slovaks eat when the weather turns and the pantry is nearly empty – potatoes, bryndza, bacon, done.”

Key facts

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Temperature: Gentle simmer (about 200 °F)
Servings: 6

At a glance

Demikát is a simple, tangy bryndza soup from central Slovakia. Potatoes give it body, bacon gives it smoke, and bryndza gives it its sharp, salty character. A light roux thickens the broth so it coats a spoon.

Ingredients

Base servings: 6 servings • Portion weight: 11 fl oz

Ingredient Amount Quality
Bryndza (Slovak sheep cheese) 10½ oz Soft, crumbly, room temperature
Yukon Gold or red potatoes 2¼ lb Peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
Thick-cut bacon 5⅓ oz Cut into ½-inch strips
Brown onion 1 pc Medium, finely chopped
All-purpose flour 2 tbsp For the roux
Pork lard or unsalted butter 2 tbsp For the roux
Garlic 2 cloves Crushed
Dried marjoram 1 tsp Rubbed between the fingers
Bay leaf 1 pc Dried
Water or light vegetable stock 6⅓ cups Hot
Fine sea salt ½ tsp Adjust to taste – bryndza is salty
Black pepper, freshly ground ½ tsp Coarse grind
Full-fat sour cream (18–20 %) 3½ oz For serving
Fresh chives ⅓ oz Finely chopped

Skip to detailed method

Why you will love this recipe

  • Filling but simple: A handful of everyday ingredients make a soup that eats like a meal.
  • Fast once the potatoes are chopped: From chopping to table in 30 minutes.
  • Freezer-friendly: Make a double batch and freeze in portions. Add the sour cream only when serving.

Why it works: Bryndza is salty, tangy and slightly crumbly. When it is folded into a hot potato broth, it softens and dissolves into a creamy, slightly grainy texture that gives the soup its body. A light roux made from flour and lard thickens the broth without making it heavy. Potatoes cook down slightly and release starch, which helps the soup hold together.

Recipe overview

Prep: 20 min | Cooking: 30 min | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 6 | Type: Soup | Origin: Slovak

Detailed method

Total progress: 0 % done

Phase 1: Frying the bacon and onion – 5 min

Equipment: Large pot (4½ quarts), wooden spoon

1. Heat the lard or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry for 3 minutes until it begins to brown and release its fat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until soft and translucent. Do not let the onion brown.

VKB: The bacon is golden and the fat is glossy in the pan. The onion is soft, translucent, and smells sweet – not browned.

Phase 2: Making the roux – 3 min

Equipment: Wooden spoon, pot

2. Sprinkle the flour over the bacon and onion. Stir constantly for 1 minute – the flour should absorb the fat and turn pale gold. Do not let it brown, or the soup will be darker and slightly bitter. Add the crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

VKB: The flour has absorbed the fat and forms a smooth paste. No dry flour visible. The mixture smells of toasted grain and garlic.

Before you continue:

Pour the hot water in slowly, one ladle at a time, whisking constantly. If you add it all at once, the roux will go lumpy and thin.

Phase 3: Simmering with potatoes – 18 min

Equipment: Pot, lid

3. Add the hot water or stock one ladle at a time, whisking after each addition. Add the cubed potatoes, bay leaf, marjoram, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 18 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Stir occasionally.

VKB: A knife slides easily into a potato cube. The soup has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon.

Phase 4: Adding bryndza – 3 min

Equipment: Wooden spoon, small bowl

4. Take the pot off the heat. Ladle a cup of hot broth into a small bowl and mix it with the bryndza to loosen it. Pour the bryndza mixture back into the pot and stir. Do not boil after adding bryndza – it will split. Taste and season with a little salt only if needed.

VKB: The soup is creamy and slightly grainy from the bryndza. It smells tangy and salty, with a hint of garlic and marjoram.

Before you continue:

Taste before you salt. Bryndza and bacon together are already quite salty. Add salt only if the soup tastes flat.

Phase 5: Resting – 2 min

Equipment: Lid

5. Cover the pot and leave the soup to rest for 2 minutes off the heat. This lets the bryndza melt fully and the flavors come together.

VKB: The broth is balanced – tangy, salty, slightly smoky. No single element dominates.

Phase 6: Serving – 2 min

Equipment: Warm bowls, spoon

6. Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Add a spoon of sour cream to each and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve with dark rye bread.

VKB: The soup is steaming hot, the sour cream is swirling in, and the chives add a fresh green note.

Required equipment

Item Ideal size Alternative Risk
Heavy-based pot 4½ quarts Enameled cast iron Dutch oven A thin pot scorches the roux
Wooden spoon 12-inch Silicone spatula A metal spoon scratches the base and reacts with the acidic bryndza
Ladle 4-oz Small measuring cup Adding liquid too fast makes lumps in the roux

Shopping list

Nutritional profile

Values per 1 serving (11 fl oz, includes sour cream). Calculated from average nutritional values of the ingredients.

Nutrient Per 100 g Per 1 serving Per 6 servings
Energy 117 kcal 386 kcal 2316 kcal
Fat 6.4 g 21 g 126 g
of which saturates 3.0 g 10 g 60 g
Carbohydrates 10.6 g 35 g 210 g
of which sugars 1.5 g 5 g 30 g
Protein 4.6 g 15 g 90 g
Salt 1.1 g 3.6 g 21.6 g

Reference intake of an average adult (8400 kJ / 2000 kcal).

WAGUU Pro level

  • Pro standard: Verified recipe with exact proportions and visual checkpoints.
  • Tip 1: Bring the bryndza to room temperature before you add it. Cold bryndza will not dissolve smoothly into the hot broth.
  • Tip 2: Use Yukon Gold or red potatoes that hold their shape. Russet potatoes dissolve and turn the soup cloudy.
  • Tip 3: Never boil the soup after the bryndza is added. High heat causes dairy proteins to coagulate and split.
  • Tip 4: Add a little chopped fresh dill along with the chives for a fresher note – traditional in some regions of Slovakia.

Scientific background

Bryndza is a lactic-fermented sheep cheese, which means its proteins have already been partially broken down by acid and enzymes. This makes it easier to melt into a hot broth than fresh cheese. When the bryndza meets the hot potato broth, its fat and protein dissolve into the liquid, giving a creamy but slightly grainy texture. The flour roux stabilizes this mixture because its gelatinized starch molecules coat the fat droplets and stop them from merging. This is why the soup does not separate even without added cream. Adding sour cream at the table enriches the flavor but is not essential for the texture.

Fine Dining – Professional techniques

  • Plate composition: Serve in a wide, shallow bowl with the potatoes and bacon arranged in the center and the broth ladled around them.
  • Texture contrast: Add a scatter of fried rye bread croutons for a crisp element against the soft soup.
  • Temperature contrast: Serve the soup very hot and a small quenelle of cold sour cream on top.
  • Aromatic additions: A few caraway seeds in the broth add a Slovak note and improve digestibility.

Sensory radar

  • Appearance: Pale, creamy broth with visible cubes of potato, strips of bacon and a swirl of sour cream.
  • Aroma: Salty sheep cheese, smoked bacon, garlic and marjoram.
  • Taste: Tangy from the bryndza, smoky from the bacon, and slightly sweet from the potato.
  • Texture: Thick and smooth with soft potato and a slight grainy texture from the bryndza.

Pairing

  • BEER: A dark lager or a wheat beer. The carbonation lifts the richness.
  • WINE: Dry Riesling or Blaufränkisch.
  • SOFT DRINK: Cold buttermilk or žinčica (sheep whey).

Variations of preparation

  • With egg noodles: Add 3½ oz of fine egg noodles in the last 5 minutes of cooking. A more filling version.
  • Vegetarian: Skip the bacon. Use 2 tbsp of butter and a smoked paprika to replace the smoke flavor.

Allergens and dietary information

Contains: Milk (bryndza, sour cream), gluten (all-purpose flour, bread), eggs (if using noodles) • Gluten: Yes • Not suitable for: Celiac disease, lactose intolerance, vegan diets

Suitable for

Winter suppers, casual lunches, first course of a Slovak Sunday lunch, batch cooking for the freezer.

Substitution catalogue

  • Bryndza: Feta mixed with full-fat ricotta (50:50) – adjust the salt carefully.
  • Yukon Gold potatoes: Any yellow-flesh variety works well.
  • Pork lard: Unsalted butter or a neutral oil.

FAQ

Can I make demikát ahead of time?

Yes, but add the bryndza only when you reheat. Make the potato base in advance, cool, refrigerate, and finish with bryndza just before serving.

Why did my soup split?

You boiled it after adding bryndza or sour cream. Keep the soup below a simmer once dairy is added.

Can I freeze demikát?

Freeze the potato base only – without bryndza and sour cream. Add the dairy when reheating.

Is demikát the same as bryndzová polievka?

They are closely related. Demikát is the older, more traditional name and often refers to the version thickened with a roux. Modern bryndzová polievka is sometimes lighter.

WAGUU Petr advises: Cooking for 6 or more?

6–8 people: Double the recipe and use a larger pot (6 quarts). Add the bryndza in two or three additions, tasting between each. • 10+ people: Prepare the base a day ahead, refrigerate, and finish with bryndza just before serving. Have a second pot of hot water ready to adjust consistency.

Sides and serving

Serving: Serve with dark rye bread or Slovak bread rolls. A spoon of sour cream and a scatter of fresh chives on top. Some regions add a hard-boiled egg cut in half.

Storage and reheating

Fridge: 3 days • Freezer: 2 months (base only, without bryndza and cream) • Reheating: Gently on the stovetop. Do not boil after adding dairy.

Author: WAGUU Petr & Team • Published: 22 Sep 2026

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Most common mistakes

  1. Boiling after adding bryndza – The dairy proteins coagulate and the soup splits.
  2. Adding cold bryndza to the broth – It will not dissolve smoothly. Bring it to room temperature first.
  3. Browning the roux – A dark roux turns the soup gray and slightly bitter. Keep it pale gold.
  4. Using starchy potatoes – They dissolve and turn the broth cloudy and gluey.

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