Bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with sheep cheese)
The national dish: small potato dumplings with soft sheep cheese and fried bacon.
With care: in a safer version
Ingredients
- potatoes
- flour
- salt
- bryndza sheep cheese
- bacon
- kefir or buttermilk (to drink)
How it is prepared
Grated potato is mixed with flour and dropped in small pieces into boiling water; the hot dumplings are tossed with cheese.
Food safety with low immunity
- Soft, mould-ripened and market cheeses may be unpasteurised. Choose packaged cheese labelled pasteurised, or use cheese melted in a hot dish.
- Unpasteurised milk and fermented drinks made from it are considered risky with low immunity.
- Avoid dry-cured or cold-smoked sausage and ham with low immunity, or heat them in the dish until steaming.
How to prepare it during treatment
Choose only bryndza labelled as made from pasteurised milk and heat it well with the hot dumplings. Fry the bacon fully; drink pasteurised kefir or buttermilk.
Your diet during treatment is agreed with your doctor. Sample 7-day menu for the treatment period →
Storage
Keep raw dumplings frozen and cook them from frozen. Refrigerate cooked leftovers and eat them within a day.
Reheating
Return to boiling water or steam until hot right through.
Symptoms it may suit
- Low appetite. Gives a lot of energy and protein in a small portion — can help when appetite is low.
- Weight loss. Energy-dense and easy to enrich (oil, cheese, yoghurt) — can help with weight loss.
These are general observations: what suits you can change from day to day.
Treatment phases
- Before treatmentmay suit
- During a coursemay suit
- Low counts (neutropenia)Only in the safer version and if your team agreesmay suit
- Between coursesmay suit
- After treatmentmay suit
Phase notes are general. During low counts, follow only your care team’s food rules.
If you have other conditions
- Stomach and gut. Contains dairy. With lactose intolerance or bowel problems, discuss suitability with your team.
- High blood pressure, Heart disease, Kidney disease. Often salty (stock, salty cheese, sausage, pickles). With high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, discuss salt limits with your team.
- Heart disease, Obesity, Liver disease, Stomach and gut. Can be fatty. With heart, liver or digestive disease, or excess weight, discuss fat content and portions with your team.
- Autoimmune disease, Stomach and gut. Contains wheat (gluten). With coeliac disease and some autoimmune conditions, discuss it with your team.
- Heart disease, High blood pressure, Kidney disease. Contains processed meat (sausage, bacon, ham). With heart disease, high blood pressure or kidney disease, discuss it with your team.
Nutrition (per 100 g)
Nutrition figures from a reliable source have not been added for this dish yet.
More from this cuisine
Related topics
Food safetyNeutropenic diet (low-microbial diet)PasteurisedCore cooking temperatureLeftoversCross-contamination
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Safer Food Choices for People With Weakened Immune Systems
- FoodSafety.gov (U.S. HHS). Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food Safety for Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, and Autoimmune Diseases
- Food Standards Agency (UK). Chilling
- World Health Organization (WHO). Five keys to safer food manual
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Food Safety During Cancer Treatment
- National Cancer Institute (NCI). Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment
- BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 2019. Neutropenic diets to prevent cancer infections: updated systematic review and meta-analysis
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). FoodData Central — Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS)