Bratislava: SiltaNews – News Desk
The state-run company Lesy SR has opened its first shop in Bratislava, offering products ranging from spruce tip syrup to venison, fish and honey. The shop, located on SNP Square in the city centre, is intended as a test of whether people in the capital are interested in traditional forestry delicacies.
Lesy SR introduced its own brand in 2020 and also runs an e-shop. The new brick-and-mortar shop in Bratislava, Lesnícke Pochúťky (Forestry Delicacies), may help bring its products to a wider audience. The company already operates two other outlets, in Topoľčianky, western Slovakia, and at the tree nursery in Liptovský Hrádok, west-northern Slovakia, while its central-Slovak Banská Bystrica branch currently serves as a collection point for online orders.
Inside the compact shop, customers can discover products from across Slovakia, many of them unique and unavailable elsewhere. “Spruce tip syrup, gathered by women working in the deep forests of Orava; venison from state hunting grounds, which makes an excellent alternative to beef; and rainbow trout from the Smolenice ponds,” listed Laura Tettingerová of Lesy SR’s communications department as cited in bratislavskenoviny.sk. For those less confident in preparing game, the shop offers cookbooks and even a small reading corner for browsing.
In the first days after opening, sausages proved the most popular items – including venison salami with porcini mushrooms and venison fuet, which combines both tender and dry textures. “Venison is healthy, lean and easy to digest, and it is cheaper than beef. For example, a kilo of roe deer fillet costs €22,” Tettingerová explained.
For beginners, she recommends roe deer or venison steaks. Those unwilling to cut the meat themselves can purchase pre-prepared roe deer trimmings, suitable for goulash or medallions. Venison fillet and sauerkraut soup are also available tinned as ready-made meals, while new products include venison pâtés, some paired with cranberries.
Other forest products on offer include fir essential oil, used to ease respiratory inflammation, as well as dried pulp made from rosehips, cranberries and blueberries. The pulp can be soaked overnight, blended and seasoned with pepper, salt and cream to make a sauce for game dishes. Rosehip oil is also available as a cosmetic product, sourced through the “Rosehip Harvest with Lesy SR” project, which involves local schools. Game is complemented by wine. Lesy SR cultivates four hectares of vineyards in Topoľčianky, where its Gewürztraminer (Tramín červený) recently won recognition at the Vienále Topoľčianky wine competition.
