Traditional Easter hrudka was cooked by our grandmothers from eggs and milk. Nowadays, Sabinovská hrudka increasingly appears in Easter baskets. It is made from cow's milk and tastes great. The store manager of Milk-Agro in Snina, Mrs. Ľubica Bubáncová, told us about it and Easter customs.
What is usually put in Easter baskets in this region?
In the baskets, you will find sausages, ham, eggs, decorated eggs, and paskas. Also beetroot, salt, and butter. And, of course, egg hrudka. But increasingly, Sabinovská hrudka appears alongside it. Maybe because many cows were kept in this area, and people are used to homemade so-called "kľaganý syr" – cheese from cow's milk. I come from Košice, but even my mother-in-law used to make kľaganý cheese, which she nicely shaped. And I know it was good if it "crunched" under the teeth. This Sabinovská hrudka is exactly like that.
So it was customary to put cow hrudka in the basket before?
Yes, at Easter, hrudka is also put in baskets for blessing. People buy it by whole boxes, two boxes, even six or seven.
But they buy it not only before holidays...
Hrudka sells well all year round, and sales increase year by year. But before holidays, it is enormous. I order a lot, sometimes I worry if it will sell, but in the end, there is always too little. In March, we sold 330 kg of hrudka, with about 90 kg on the last day before the holidays. Only pure white ones are sold now; flavored ones are no longer produced. Instead, we have another product – Sabinov cheese of Balkan type, which is saltier and excellent for spring salads.
Do customers also respond to recipes?
Recently, there was a recipe for fried hrudka in Customer News. I tried it too, and it is very tasty. Sometimes customers come directly with a recipe and say: "I need exactly these ingredients for your recipe." It's nice and really pleasing.
And how do other Sabi products sell here?
Everything sells here. Our Sabinov dairy products sell very well. People praise the yogurts a lot. Good prices also play a role. So, regarding overall sales, Sabi products lead.
