Slovenian cuisine

Slovenian cuisine

There is no such thing as a single, uniform, distinct Slovenian cuisine. In the opinion of some experts[who?], there are more than 40 distinct cuisines in a country, whose main distinguishing feature is a great variety and diversity of land formation, climate, wind movements, humidity, terrain and history.

In the northeast there is the expanse of the Pannonian plain, in the east, the green and hilly Lower Carniola region, in the south the Karst and the Adriatic coastline, in the north-west the Alps, the marshes and the wine producing hills of Styria. All these factors influenced the development of the great variety and range represented by Slovenian cooking. To give some examples: crabs are found only in the rivers of Inner Carniola, pršut (Karst leg ham) can be dried only by the winds of the Karst and the coast.

In addition, Slovenia is a borderland country. It borders on four states with established and distinct national cuisines, namely Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. Slovenian cuisine is divided into town, farmhouse, cottage, castle, parsonage, and monastic Slovenian cuisine. The first Slovenian cookbook was published in Slovenian by Valentin Vodnik in 1799. Many Slovenian dishes are hard to digest. They are often based on the use of animal fat; ocvirki, zaseka, bacon, lard, drippings, mushrooms, pork, flour-based dishes, potatoes, beans, butter, cream and eggs. For example: 24 eggs go into Gorenjska prata.

Contents

Foods and dishes

Soups are a relatively recent invention in Slovenian cuisine, but there are over 100. Earlier there were various kinds of porridge, stew and one-pot meals. The most common soups without meat were lean and plain. A typical dish is aleluja, a soup made from turnip peels and a well-known dish during fasting. The most common meat soups are beef and chicken soup. Meat-based soups are served only on Sundays and feast days; more frequently in more prosperous country or city households. Slovenians are familiar with all kinds of meat, but it is generally served only on Sundays and feast days. Pork was popular and common everywhere in Slovenia. Poultry also often featured. There is a wide variety of meats in different parts of Slovenia. In White Carniola and the Slovenian Littoral they eat mutton and goat. On St. Martin's Day people feast on roasted goose, duck, turkey, and chicken. In Lower Carniola and Inner Carniola, they eat roasted dormouse, quail and even hedgehog. Until the great crab plague in the 19th century, crab was a source of income and often on the menu in Lower Carniola and Inner Carniola.

Dandelion is Slovenian wild lettuce, which has been gathered in the fields for centuries. Even today dandelion and potato salad is highly valued. Since it can be picked only for a short time in early spring, much is made of it. Families go on dandelion-picking expeditions, and pick enough for a whole week. In the Middle Ages people ate acorns and other forest fruits, particularly in times of famine. Chestnuts were valued, and served as basis for many outstanding dishes. Walnuts and hazelnuts are used in cakes and desserts. Wild strawberries, loganberries, blackberries, blueberries were a rich source of vitamins. Mushrooms have always been popular, and Slovenians liked picking and eating them. There are many varieties. Honey was used to a considerable extent. Medenjaki, which come in different shapes are honey cakes, which are most commonly heart-shaped and are often used as gifts.

Traditional Slovenian Dishes

Ajdovi žganci with cracklings

Soups and stews

Vegetarian dishes

Meat dishes

Desserts and pastries

Prekmurska or međimurska gibanica

Drinks

  • Brinjevec
  • Češnjevec (cherry brandy)
  • Cviček (Slovenian wine from Dolenjska region)
  • Kislo mleko (sour milk)
  • Šabesa
  • Slivovka, Slivovica
  • Tolkovec
  • Tropinovec
  • Pinjenec (kefir)

References

  1. ^ Traditional slovenian cookery. Adamlje Slavko, 1997. Mladinska knjiga. ISBN 86-11-15044-99
  2. ^ Taste Slovenia. Bogataj Janez, 2007. Rokus Gifts. ISBN 978-961-6531-39-9
  3. ^ Taste Slovenia. Bogataj Janez, 2007. Rokus Gifts. ISBN 978-961-6531-39-9
  4. ^ Molokhovets, Elena. Classic Russian Cooking. Indiana University Press, 1998. Page 331.
  5. ^ (Croatian) Međimurska gibanica (recept na coolinarika.com)

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cuisine of the Mediterranean — Mediterranean cuisine is the food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea.Whether this is a useful category is disputed: The idea of the ‘standard Mediterranean diet’ ... is a modern construction of food writers and publicists in Western Europe …   Wikipedia

  • Italian cuisine — This article is part of the series …   Wikipedia

  • European cuisine — French bread Italian pasta …   Wikipedia

  • Mediterranean cuisine — This article is about food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea. For the dietary recommendation made popular by C. Walter Willett in the 1990s, see Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean cuisine is the food from the cultures adjacent to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Eastern European cuisine — is the cuisine of Eastern Europe.Since the cuisine of a country is strongly influenced by its climate, however, the term is of limited usefulness. While Eastern German cuisine, Polish cuisine and Russian cuisine show many similarities, they… …   Wikipedia

  • Croatian cuisine — Part of a series on the Culture of Croatia Timeline …   Wikipedia

  • List of Slovenian films — A plaque commemorating first Slovene film recording made in 1905 by Karol Grossmann in Ljutomer A list of notable films produced in Slovenia. The country declared its independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. Before this date, Slovene… …   Wikipedia

  • Nut roll — Not to be confused with Strudel or Pearson s Salted Nut Roll. Orehnjača variation of Nut Roll A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough (usually using milk) that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from… …   Wikipedia

  • Global cuisines — See also: Cuisine Hyderabadi Biryani, an Indian meat and rice dish …   Wikipedia

  • Prekmurska gibanica — Prekmurska or međimurska gibanica Prekmurska gibanica (prekmurian layer cake) or Međimurska gibanica[1] (Medjimurian layer cake) is a layered cake, originating in the region of Prekmurje, Slovenia[2 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”