Poppy Seed Noodles (Rezance s Makom)
Ingredients: noodles (fettuccine width), ground poppy seeds, sugar, butter
Prep Time: 30 minutes
I grew up eating poppy seed noodles (rezance s makom). These are quite similar to šúlance s makom (poppy seed dough rolls, from šúlať, to roll). Those are frequently eaten on Christmas. See, in Slovak heritage, poppies are a sign of wealth. It’s customary to wish someone to have peňazí ako maku, money like poppies. This is why we eat so many dishes topped with poppy seeds.
Start by cooking noodles (rezance). Home-made noodles work the best, but if you don’t feel like all the trouble, just grab some wide, fettuccine-like pasta. Bring slightly salted water to boil. Cook until done. Noodles (just like any pasta) will float to the top when cooked. But of course, you can just taste one or two. Strain them and rinse off with cold water.
Place noodles in a pot in which you melted some butter (maslo). Stir in a mixture of ground poppy seeds (mak) and sugar (cukor). That’s it. Very easy and very tasty. Enjoy!
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I grew up with this too! Just found an obscure but beautiful poppy seed grinder (Beacon) and just made this tonight! My kids love it! I named my daughter after her Great Grandmother Bozenka…yay! Wish my parents taught us Slovak…cheers, and love the site! Lorr
I wish my parents taught me English
I am going to make this poppy seed noodles. Have had it in my mind for ages. Can’t wait when ready.
good luck
It’s a Christmas dish in some families in Poland:) They would usually ad raisins and nuts and honey instead of sugar. We make poppy seed cake or poppy seed doughnuts instead.
Ohhhh… rezance s makom, or makove halusky – it just makes me drool again… mak is addictive
My grandmother made these except she made homemade thick egg noodles, so it wasn’t a thick covering…just nice bites of the poppy seed. Delicious!
mnam! My host family made this last year, and we sprinkled powdered sugar on top.
I’m enjoying this blog– the recipes, Slovak lessons, everything! Dakujem!
My husband uses oil instead of butter but you can’t tell the diff. I am trying to learn to cook like his mama and him do but it is not easy. Thank you for having things like this for me to research with.
Mom from Bratislava was visiting me here in California, and brought two bags of grounded poppy seeds… yeaay. I am going to make rezance s makom tomorrow. Can’t wait. First I wanted to bake “makovnik”, but it takes too much. Nudle s makem budou rychle a skvele. Dekuji za recept!
we sometimes have pasta with toasted breadcrumbs melted with butter and sugar to make sweet breadcrumbs. also we use this breadcrumb mixture on dumplings made from potatoe and filled with jam.
Hi Tricia, thank you for all your comments!
I was a exchange student in slovakia in the mid 90′s. I the first time I had this in school I fell in love with it. I crave for some good slovak food and this site will help alot more on what things are that I can’t remeber what they are called.
I do love it I do make it .I live in UK but my father was from Slovakia I do it with walnut &Cottage Cheese
My mother used to make the SULANCE. There is hardly a substitute for that – as the contrast between the potato dough, thick and substantial, and the sweet, buttery taste of the ground poppy seed, is incomparable… When my mother died, I took few things back from Slovakia (process, after 6 years STILL NOT FINISHED!), but one of them was a poppy seed mill…
My son (who was born in California) – his first 2 languages I taught him was Slovak and German (for his father). It took him 2 weeks to learn English @ 2.5 y. of age – in front of Sesame Street while I translated all 3 languages. Don’t EVER let anybody tell you that it can’t be done! Slovak was voted the MOST DIFFICULT LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD by independent linguists in Paris – so, to go from there – just a little effort from your side. And dishes like Makove Sulance are a wonderful persuasive tool!