Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Šopský salát

Continuing with cool hot-weather dining from Prague, šopský salát is a great and easy option. Now before anyone protests that šopský salát isn't Czech, well no, technically it is not a traditional Czech salad, but it has been popular for decades, and in the past you could find it on just about any Czech restaurant's menu. I looked it up, and according to Wikipedia, it was invented in the 1960s in Bulgaria as part of a tourist promotion, and the English name is Shopska salad. Well, the thing is, this salad became extremely popular throughout the Balkans and Central Europe, so while its origin is not Czech, it definitely became part of Czech cuisine.
According to Wikipedia, it's made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion/scallions, raw or roasted peppers, sirene (white brine cheese), and parsley. The vegetables are diced and salted, then dressed with sunflower or olive oil, plus optionally vinegar (I am sure I have always had it with vinegar!) and then the cheese is added on top.
The description provided by Wikipedia seems a little vague given that one ought to be able to track down the original version of this recipe. However, it's not necessary to have the original version to enjoy some form of this salad. The version I have been making without any recourse to a recipe simply involves chopping up some cucumber, bell pepper, and tomato into a bowl, pouring some crumbled feta cheese on top, then adding olive oil and balsamic vinegar plus some salt and freshly ground pepper, and mixing the concoction with my fork. Due to the juicy tomatoes, there will be juice in the bottom of the bowl after the salad is gone, but it's tasty on its own assuming you didn't go way overboard on the vinegar. And while usually I find feta cheese somewhat too salty for my taste, in this salad you can use quite a bit and even add salt without making it unpleasantly salty. If you are on a low-salt diet, then of course you wouldn't add any salt, just go with the cheese.
In any case, it's quick, easy, and really good.

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