Traditional Slovenian Cuisine

To compliment learning a foreign language, the knowledge of culture and interesting facts of a country can be useful and entertaining. For this reason I will introduce you to traditional Slovenian food.

A Slovenian Cuisine Taster

Slovenian cuisine has been influenced by neighboring countries, including some dishes we have adopted and made our own. The most famous Slovenian food include potica, prekmurska gibanica, idrijski žlikrofi, sirovi štruklji, belokranjska pogača, jota, matevž, bograč, blejska kremna rezina (kremšnita), krofi, cmoki, ajdovi žganci, and more. Some Slovenian dishes can be translated in a way that describes them, but others cannot be translated literally. For example, potica, a nut roll, is a Slovenian festive pastry, made with many different fillings, such as walnuts, poopy seeds, coconut and tarragon. It is very popular.

Ajdovi žganci is another typical Slovenian dish. It is made of buchwheat flour and water. The word žganci comes from the word žgati, meaning to burn. They can be served with cracklings or with milk, and are usually served as a side dish.

Idrijski žlikrofi are similar to Italian ravioli. They originate from Idrija. They are made from dough with potato filling.

Matevž is a side dish made of beans and potatoes, and is usually eaten with sauerkraut. It is a typical dish of the Dolenjska region. Matevž is also a Slovenian male name, the difference is that a dish matevž is written lowercase.

Prekmurska gibanica is a dessert from the Prekmurje region. In English it would be called Prekmurian layered cake with poopy seeds, walnuts, apples, and cottage cheese filling. It is really filling, but delicious. It is best eaten warm.

Štruklji are made of dough with different fillings. I prefer sirovi štruklji (cheese dumplings), which are filled with cottage cheese. Štruklji can be baked or cooked. The preparation is quite difficult. Our grandmas knew how to prepare them very well, but nowadays not many people would be able to prepare them on their own.

These dishes are quite old, but they are still very popular. I have to say that I am not so keen on preparing these dishes because they require a lot of time and cullinary skills, but they are delicious, and you can get them in any traditional Slovenian restaurant. Some can be bought frozen at bakeries or grocery stores, too.

Nowadays, as in many places around the world, Slovenian cuisine is a mixture of different cuisines of the world. It could roughly be said that the most typical association with Slovenian cuisine would be meat and potatoes, but that’s just a stereotype. More and more people are aware of the importance of a healthy diet and include more fresh ingredients in their food, such as fruits and vegetables.

Here you can find a full list of traditional Slovenian food.

Dober tek! 🙂