Eastern European cuisine is an amalgamation of the natural resources of the region. There is plenty of fish, ham and smoked sausages soaked in smell of native juniper woods on the platter. In addition, generous doses of cream and cheese are used to accentuate the flavour.

To tantalise the tastebuds, Eros hotel is organising ‘Quartet of Euopean Delights’, a culinary festival that will present dishes from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Rupublic.
“The cuisine from the East European countries has not been greatly explored in India and is relatively new to our palate,” says Julian Ayers, general manager, Eros Hotel.
Typical meals in Poland are very hearty and often contain a lot of meat. “I will be using the best Polish seasonal products like great meat, fish, vegetables and create modern variations of the traditional, sometimes even forgotten tastes,” says chef Robert Trzópek from Poland.
“Most of the dishes are seasoned with herbs and lots of spices like herbs and spices used; such as marjoram, dill, caraway seeds, parsley, or pepper,” adds Trzopek.
From the famous goulash to the traditional dumplings, guests will able to taste the authentic dishes of the region. Also to top it all, nine special beers from Czech Republic will be up for tasting!
Chef Marek Brezina of Slovakia says, “Slovakian dishes are heavy on meat (especially pork), potatoes, dumplings, thick sauces and cheeses. I would be dishing out sheep cheese dumplings, potato pancakes stuffed with cabbage, gnocchi and variety of sweet dishes,” says chef Marek. Slovaks believe in having heavy lunches and soups for dinner.
The mixing of different varieties of meat is a traditional feature of the Hungarian cuisine. Goulash, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbages or fatányéros can combine beef and pork, and sometimes mutton. Hungarian food is considered to be spicy owing to use of hot paprika.
“I would love to cook Hungarian mushroom goulash or a goose liver dish that can be washed down with Tokaji Aszu wine. We use a variety of cheeses in our cuisine,” says chef Casaba Horváth
Just like the neighbours, Czechs also use a lot of meat in their cuisine. In addition, Czechs are also known for their sweet tooth and make fabulous, rich desserts. Chef Michal Jerábek from Czech Republic will complete the quartet.

ZANDER the puree with fennel and chunky Chocolate
Ingredients
Fennel: 200 g
Extra virgin olive oil: 80 g
Salt 3 pinches
Dark chocolate: 100 g
Cocoa powder: 1 tablespoon
Water: 300 ml
Xante (thickening powder): 1.5 g
Vinegar 60g
Jerez Cayenne pepper: a pinch
Freeze-dried orange leaves: 3-4

To prepare the dish, we need to make a fennel puree. For the puree, cut the fennel fish into thin slices. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add the fennel and three pinches of salt. Fry over low heat until the fennel is tender and forms into a puree, not allowing to caramelize. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to it and keep it aside.
An extremely important part of this dish is the dressing of chocolate. Melt the dark chocolate in a water bath, add cocoa, water, oil, xante and vinegar. Mix all.
Fry some Cayenne pepper in olive oil over low heat, so that it gets some colour. Transfer it on the plate, with fennel puree and pour the chocolate dressing. To decorate add the freeze-dried orange leaves and serve.