with pork being the most popular by a substantial margin. Among poultry, chicken is most common, although duck, goose, and turkey are also well established. Game meats, especially boar, rabbit, and venison, are also widely available throughout the year. Lamb and goat are also available, but for the most part are not very popular. The consumption of horse meat is generally frowned upon. Grilled meat is not common in Slovakia. Instead, meat is either breaded and fried in oil (schnitzel), or cooked and served in sauce. Hungarian influences in Slovak cuisine can be seen in popular stews and goulashes. However, these have been given Slovak touches. Chicken paprikash is typically served with halušky and Hungarian goulash (spicy beef stew) is served with slices of a large bread-like steamed dumpling. Local sausage types include , a blood sausage, and (traditionally called ), a sausage with rice containing any and all parts of a butchered pig. Traditional sweets and cookies Usually baked at Christmas time, but also all year long, Slovak traditional sweets are usually home baked and harder to find in stores. (steamed dumplings with various fillings (jam, plum, curd, poppy) topped with poppy seeds, sugar, butter, sour cream, breadcrumbs or nuts, similar to Austrian Germknödel, and Chinese Baozi buns) (coconut meringue cookies with walnuts and creamy filling) (bread pudding) (two layers of cookie-like round tarts "glued" with marmalade and poured with powdered sugar) (rice pudding) (sweet walnut roll) (poppy seed roll) (rolls of leavened dough filled with ground poppy seed or walnut, filling determines the shape) (two layers of cookie-like round tarts filled with chocolate cream and half-dipped in dark chocolate) (honey based cookies, similar to gingerbread) (ginger flavoured biscuits) ("bear paws" - walnut/cocoa based cookies) or , a traditional cake baked on a rotating spit over open fire Main daily meal Traditionally the main meal of the day is lunch, eaten around noon. However, changing work routine has altered this in the recent decades; today, many Slovaks have their main meal in the evening. Lunch in Slovakia usually consists of soup and a main course. It is customary in Slovakia to bring a bottle of wine or other alcohol as a gift if one is invited to visit someone's home. Books on Slovak cuisine Ján Babilon: , 1870 Vojtech Španko . Osveta, Martin, 1977, 4.vydanie 1982 František Kotrba: , Dona, Anna Demrovská: , Knižné centrum, 2007, Ľudmila Dullová: ,