Different food is available on the coast than among the Alpine peaks. The flavours of the Pannonian Plain are different to those of the Karst. Everywhere you go, you will discover how nature and culture have always been combined here on a plate with distinctive local dishes.
Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik
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LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
This dish is never cut, but broken up by hand; it is salted and sprinkled with caraway. This delicious flatbread has a European traditional specialities guaranteed designation.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
Flour dumplings filled with potatoes, onions, pork crackling, and seasoning are a typical dish once enjoyed by miners in Idrija from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. They are prepared with a sauce called ‘bákalca’ made from ram or hare meat, buttered or with goulash.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
A humorous, perhaps even ironic name for a dish once enjoyed by workers at the former town port on the River Ljubljanica in the 17th century. This dish consists of fried chicken thighs and wings, and its name is connected with the most common and widespread dish called ‘žganci’ (mush), which was often a symbol of poverty and even survival.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
In the 19th century, the Ljubljana lunch became a staple in people’s lives. Some locals prepared these dishes at home, while others started frequenting ‘gostilnas’ (traditional restaurants) near the city on the weekends. This type of lunch is still enjoyed today, and it often represents the classic picture of family life on weekends.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
The abundance of frogs living in Ljubljana's surrounding area was the basis for this delicious dish. Frog legs were once breaded and pan-fried or baked. They are still a delicacy in this city, and they continue to be served at the Pri Žabarju ‘gostilna’ (traditional restaurant).
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
The symbol of Slovenian cuisine is a roll cake made with various fillings; it is currently being considered for ‘traditional specialities guaranteed’ protection from the European Commission. This original dessert, which has been taken to all parts of the world by Slovenian immigrants, is a true ambassador of Slovenia. The first mentions of this dessert, which was once mostly eaten on holidays, date back to the 16th century. Various sweet and savoury fillings are used in the ‘potica’ cake to adapt it to various seasons of the year and holidays. The most widespread and popular is the Slovenian ‘potica’ cake with walnut filling, while ‘potica’ cakes with walnut and raisin filling, with raisin filling, with tarragon filling, and with tarragon and ‘skuta’ curd cheese filling are also protected.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
As the story goes, a cook created an incredible dessert to impress the daughter of the lord of the Ljubljana Castle so she would marry him. During the wedding feast, only this cake was eaten for seven days and seven nights, and it is still one of the main delicacies served in Ljubljana.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
These decorated cheese buns made from the remains of curd are traditional gifts given by herdsmen from the Velika Planina plateau to their girlfriends, female friends, and wives after they came down from summer pasture on the Kamnik mountain pastures. They would give them two buns of cheese, which symbolised female breasts.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
Lamb's lettuce seasoned with oil and vinegar in a symmetrical arrangement, accompanied by finely chopped hard-boiled eggs, pickled beets, and an entire head of cauliflower. This salad with a pleasant appearance is made according to a recipe from the first cookbook written in Slovenian, published by Valentin Vodnik in 1799
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
Cooked barley mush with vegetables and smoked pork is a famous dish served in the ‘gostilna’ (traditional restaurant) on top of Šmarna Gora Hill (669 m), a popular day-trip destination on the outskirts of Ljubljana. In general, ‘ričet’ or ‘ječmen’ is considered to be one of the most widespread dishes in Slovenia.
LJUBLJANA & CENTRAL SLOVENIA
These dumplings made from filo or leavened dough with various fillings, cooked in boiling water, baked or steamed, have been a staple in Ljubljana's cuisine since the 17th century. In the culinary culture of modern Slovenia, ‘štruklji’ dumplings are one of the most recognisable dishes. They are made with some 80 different sweet or savoury fillings.
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