Škvarkové pagáče

The story

Škvarkové pagáče are flaky, savory yeast scones made with ground pork cracklings, and they are a product of the pig slaughter. Lubos of the English-language site Slovak Cooking writes that cracklings (škvarky or oškvarky) are typically made during the annual pig slaughter, when his family turns the whole animal into sausage, bacon and other products and renders the fat into lard; the crisp bits left after rendering the fat are kept for topping halušky and pirohy, and a reader adds that they go into savory škvarkové pagáče. The news site Startitup lists the cracklings pagáč among Slovakia's distinctive dishes and notes that some people eat it for breakfast. Recipes on the portal Varecha.sk include one by Patrik Lednár, chef of the Alizé restaurant and club in Bratislava, and one by a home baker. Both work half as much ground cracklings as flour into a dough of milk, yeast and egg; the chef adds sour cream, and the home baker brushes the tops with egg, adds whole caraway and bakes them at 350°F for 20 minutes. Serve pagáče warm with wine, beer or a bowl of soup. Bake the dough the day you finish folding, or keep it chilled overnight and bake in the morning.