National cuisine of Slovenia for gourmets

Slovenian national dishes cannot be called widely known. An average European can barely name at least one Slovenian dish. Nevertheless, the cuisine of Slovenia, the country of clean springs, is rich, authentic, and diverse. It was influenced by the cuisines of neighboring countries such as Hungary, Austria, Croatia, and Italy, creating an amazing and unique blend. There are more than a thousand Slovenian dishes. Slovenian traditional welcome bread Pogača is a large, up to 4-centimeter thick, grid cake with whipped eggs and seasonings. This bread is traditionally torn by hands. Locals often eat salads with the addition of dandelions.

"Kranjska klobasa" is small pork sausages typically served with mustard. They may be quite simple or contain a variety of fillings like bacon or pepper. “Bujta repa” is a thick soup, a very common hot dish of pork, sour turnip, and millet porridge. Slovenians also love “Pršut”, salted and dried ham, thinly sliced and usually eaten with olives. It is believed that cold autumn winds give the meat a special, unique taste. As for meat dishes, Slovenes eat fried chicken, “Ričet"- meat and vegetable stew, and “Zlikrofi” - dumplings with pork and onions.

"Prekmurska Gibanica" is one of the most popular desserts in Slovenia, a multi-layered cake with biscuits, poppy seeds, cottage cheese, apples, and walnuts. In every home it is cooked in its own way, adding different ingredients. Another common dessert, “Kremšnita” is a tender and fatty cake filled with custard cream. “Potica” is baked from all sorts of dough and filled with whatever your heart desires: nuts, cheese, poppy seeds, sometimes even pork. Delicious “Krofi” filled with apricot jam is a round bun that looks like a donut. "Štrukli" is Slovenian dumplings filled with ground walnuts. They are often eaten with honey. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Before the winter holidays, Slovenes clean their houses and prepare traditional festive dishes. At the festive table, it is customary to eat pork because "it always pushes your forward with its snout". A necessary attribute is fried potatoes with bacon. Sweet milk Christmas bred "poprytnik" symbolizes health. In the old days, pieces of this bread were given to animals and buried at the edges of fields. Fruit bread is another festive specialty made from dried fruit and yeast dough.

Slovenians are very fond of pumpkin oil produced mainly in the eastern part of the country, which is often added to soups and salads to impart an incomparable nutty flavor. It can have a variety of colors, from light and transparent to dark. “Polenta” is a kind of bread made from corn flour boiled in salted water with added fat. Locals drink Austrian beers and Italian wines, drinks of international brands like Coca-Cola, as well as a variety of local and imported juices, coffee, teas, and dairy drinks.

Slovenia has enough places where you can have a good meal. Špajza Restaurant in Ljubljana attracts visitors with the home cuisine, a cozy atmosphere, and a beautiful garden, in the shade of which it is nice to have lunch and drink wine in the warm season. It serves seafood specialties, fragrant bread, and fresh salads. "Pri Mari" family restaurant in Piran resort offers seafood dishes prepared from fresh ingredients according to old recipes. Small luxury Julijana Restaurant in Bled offers the best international dishes. It is frequented by many world celebrities.

In Slovenia, lunch is considered the main meal of the day. Slovenians follow western dining etiquette. This means that the knife and fork should be held in the right and left hand respectively, hands should be visible above the table. Being late for formal and informal events is not accepted. Slovenians like to meet for a dinner to chat with old friends or get to know each other better. During business meetings with colleagues, one should not start talking about business until a Slovenian partner mentions them. It is normal to leave 10-15% of the restaurant bill as a tip. The inviter is expected to pay.