SLOVENIAN CUISINE
Slovenian cuisine is diversely influenced by its many neighbouring countries of Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. You can easily join a food tour when visiting Ljubljana to learn about the history of Slovenian Cuisine as well as taste some of the most traditional dishes with a local. During our 4 night stay in Ljubljana, we tried a few traditional Slovenian dishes such as Strujkliji, Bograc, Idrijski Zlikrofi and Klobaso (Prazen Krompir). We also tasted the famous traditional Slovenian 7 layer cake, Prekmurska Gibanica, and a popular deep-fried flatbread called Flancat. Take a look at our video to see just how delicious these dishes were!
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TRADITIONAL SLOVENIAN DISHES
Carniolan Sausage
A typical Slovenian fatty pork sausage seasoned with garlic and pepper.
Kranjska Klobasa
This traditional Slovenian smoked sausage is said to have to contain the exact ingredient proportions of 68% pork, 20% bacon,12% beef and added garlic and spices.
Bograč
A type of goulash that varies according to region, but with paprika as a key ingredient. Prekmurski Bograč is a thick goulash with three different types of meat, tomatoes, potato, mushrooms and pepper. Kamnik Bograč is traditionally made with venison.
Kraški Pršut
This is the Slovenian Karst Prosciutto, air-dried pork thigh, that goes perfectly with a glass of Karst.
Žganci
A simple and popular Slovenian food made from buckwheat flour and topped with cracknels. They are typically served with sour milk, mushroom soup, chicken stew or cabbage.
Pogača
Vaguely similar to Italian focaccia, this yeasted flatbread is very specific when it comes to its size, thickness and the size of the small squares this circular bread is divided into. The flatbread is seasoned with olive oil and herbs, coated with an egg wash and topped with coarse salt and cumin seeds.
Buckwheat Dumplings
Buckwheat is an absolute staple in Slovenia as it can be planted on such small areas of land. Buckwheat grows quickly and its flowers attract honey-producing bees. You will find buckwheat dumplings served in many ways, but the most traditional is with veal.
Štruklji
You can find a wide variety of Štruklji, varying from savoury to sweet. They are prepared from different types of dough, rolled up and filled with various fillings. They can be either steamed or baked. Savoury ones may contain a creamy cheese filling with tarragon and the most traditional sweet version contains apple, walnuts and poppy seeds.
Idrijski Žlikrofi
These little soft pasta pockets are the Slovenian version of the Italian Ravioli, but with a very distinctive shape. They are traditionally stuffed with mashed potato, onion and spices or bacon and lard. We tried these in Ljubljana and they were delicious!
Pražen Krompir
Although the name translates to roast potatoes, the potatoes are actually boiled and peeled before being sautéed with onions and often adding some chopped up sausage (klobasa) to form a semi-smashed potato dish that is simply delicious.
SLOVENIAN DESSERTS
Prekmurska Gibanica
This Slovenian Layered Pastry is an absolute must-have! This multilayered cake is a juicy and delicious combination of flaky layers of pastry with cottage cheese, walnuts, apples and poppy seeds. It is the ultimate Slovenian dessert and we recommend you try it at the Nebotičnik Skyscraper building in Ljubljana.
Bled Cream Cake (Kremna Rezina)
Bled cream cake is decadent: a thick layer of vanilla custard cream and an ever so slightly thinner layer of whipped cream sandwiched between two layers of crispy and flakey butter dough crust and topped with icing sugar. If you can, taste this when visiting Lake Bled!
Štruklji
You can find a wide variety of Štruklji, varying from savoury to sweet. They are prepared from different types of dough, rolled up and filled with various fillings. They can be either steamed or baked. Savoury ones may contain a creamy cheese filling with tarragon and the most traditional sweet version contains apple, walnuts and poppy seeds.
Potica
Potica is the general name for a typical Slovenian type of dessert made from dough and various fillings. There are more than 80 different fillings which include tarragon, poppy seeds, and walnuts.
Flancat
This may be the Slovenian take on a typical American doughnut or churro. It's basically a deep-fried shaped pastry that is soft and crispy and coated with icing sugar.
Slovenian Honey
Not a dessert as such, but with more than10 000 beekeepers who produce over 2 000 tons of honey annually, honey definitely deserves a mention! Beekeeping is not only an important part of Slovenia’s economy it is also one of their oldest traditional crafts. Slovenia's native bee, the Carniolan bee, is even a protected species. So be sure to taste some Slovenian honey!
SLOVENIA MAY HAVE THE BEST ICE-CREAM IN LJUBLJANA
While we're on the topic of desserts, we simply have to mention that Slovenia may just have some of the best ice-cream in the world, and you can find this out for yourself in the capital city of Ljubljana.
We did our very best to taste as many different ice-cream flavours from as many ice-cream shops in Ljubljana as we could possibly manage. These varied from the simple flavours of vanilla and chocolate all the way to the rather exotic 'fior di latte with sage'! We visited the most famous stores of Gelateria Romantika, Cacao, Vigò and Lolita's, as well as a few small lesser-known vendors along narrow hidden alleys! Even though you might not want to eat quite as much ice-cream as we did, be sure to pop into Gelateria Romantika if you're in search of unique flavours. You will absolutely not go wrong with an ice-cream from Cacao which also has some incredible flavour combinations such as their 'white chocolate and pistachio cream swirl' and 'dark chocolate with pear and ginger', not to mention their 'peanut cream' flavour! Needless to say, ice-cream may have played a large part in our newfound love for Ljubljana!
