I was thinking food from Slovenia might be very similar to food from Slovakia (the previous country in this challenge), because for some reason I thought they were right next to each other. However, they are actually separated by Austria and Hungary, so even though there are some similarities, the dishes were different enough that this did not feel like a repeat of my last country. Not that I would necessarily be complaining!
Slovenia is a Central European country, bordering Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea.
The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with evidence of human habitation dating back over 250,000 years. Over the centuries, Slovenia has been a part of many different states, such as the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Republic of Venice, and the Habsburg Empire, to name just a few.
In 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed, and in 1929, it became known as Yugoslavia. In 1946, after World War II, Slovenia was established as a republic in the Socialist Federation of Yugoslavia. Then, in 1991, Slovenia became an independent sovereign state.
Slovenia has a high-income economy, though it is highly dependent on foreign trade.
What Do People Eat in Slovenia?
Slovenian meals are often based on staples such as potatoes, cabbage (or sauerkraut), or meat—popular choices include pork and poultry. Other common ingredients include those that are easily found in the region, such as mushrooms, dandelion, walnuts, chestnuts, berries, dairy, and honey.
Various porridges, stews, and other one-pot meals were common early on, but soups are relatively new to Slovenia and they quickly became popular.
Slovenia has a variety of food products that are highly regulated in Europe, ensuring that they must come from a specific region. This is like champagne having to come from the Champagne region of France—if it comes from somewhere else, it cannot be labeled as ‘champagne’. In Slovenia, some protected products include Prekmurje ham, Karst prosciutto, and Bovec cheese, all named after their region of origin.
What I Made
- Ajdovi Žganci (Buckwheat Porridge)
- Belokranjska Pogača (Flatbread with Caraway Seeds)
- Ričet (Ham and Barley Soup)
- Idrijski Žlikrofi (Potato Dumplings)
- Bakalca (Lamb Stew)
- Štruklji (Farmer’s Cheese Dumplings)
- Walnut Potica (Walnut-Filled Sweet Bread)
Scroll down to read about other popular Slovenian dishes I didn’t make!
Ajdovi Žganci (Buckwheat Porridge)
This is a strong contender for Slovenia’s national dish (they don’t actually have an official one as of now). It’s a porridge-type dish made from buckwheat flour and water, often served with bacon on top and sauerkraut and sausage on the side.
To begin, I toasted buckwheat flour in a dry pan for a few minutes. Then, I boiled water in a saucepan and poured in the flour. I let it sit until it became one big dumpling. I tried to do as the recipe suggested and make a hole in the middle with a wooden spoon, so that the water could pour into the middle. But it wasn’t working very well. I was only making a quarter of the recipe, so it’s very possible this is why I struggled here. I covered the pot and let the buckwheat cook, but I added a little more water since I was worried it would burn. I also realized at this point that the recipe never says when to add the salt (which is in the ingredients list) so I sprinkled it on at this point.
Next, I was meant to pour the cooking water into a jug, but I didn’t really have any left since it had all been absorbed by the flour. So I just stirred my porridge until I got what looked like the right consistency.
I served this with crispy bacon, sauerkraut, and pork sausages. When I ate everything together, it tasted pretty good. But I didn’t like the porridge much on its own, or even just with the bacon on top. I’m also not sure why mine is so dark compared to most of the photos I found online. I did add a little more water, and maybe I just have a different kind of buckwheat flour.
This recipe is from Jerne J Kitchen.
Belokranjska Pogača (Flatbread with Caraway Seeds)
I love bread, and this focaccia-like version topped with caraway seeds sounded delicious so I knew I had to try it.
I began by adding warm milk and a little sugar to a bowl. Then, I sprinkled active dry yeast over the top. After the yeast began to foam, I added it to a bowl with all-purpose flour and salt, and kneaded until I had a soft dough. I added the dough to a greased bowl and let it rise, covered, for about 30 minutes.
I shaped the dough into a disc and scored it to make a kind of grid pattern. Then, I whisked an egg with some milk and a little oil, and brushed that over the top. I followed with a sprinkle of sea salt and caraway seeds.
I baked the dough for about 25 minutes, until it was golden. Then I let it cool for a bit before cutting.
This was some delicious bread! I ate it with ričet (next dish). I liked how it came together quickly (for a bread recipe) and still tasted great.
The recipe I used is from Slovenian Kitchen.
Ričet (Ham and Barley Soup)
This is a simple soup made with barley, ham, and vegetables. It would be best to make this with a bone-in piece of ham that can be simmered a while to make stock, but I used ham steaks instead. The recipe just called for a ‘piece of smoked ham’, and I didn’t read it in depth before I went shopping. So I didn’t work out I got the wrong ham until I was ready to cook.
I also used pearl barley, which I think is different than the kind used in this recipe since it calls for the barley to be soaked for 2 hours and then cooked. Pearl barley cooks in only 25 minutes or so and requires no soaking.
I began by sautéing onion, carrot, and celery in butter. Then, I added garlic and chicken stock in lieu of ham stock. I added pearl barley, and a few minutes later, I added potatoes. Once the potatoes and barley were just about cooked, I added diced ham. After a few more minutes, the soup was ready. I think I was meant to add parsley here, but although the recipe included parsley in the ingredients list, the directions never said when to add it. By the time I realized I hadn’t included it at all, I’d already eaten!
I thought this turned out pretty well, but I would like to try making it again with the proper ham and with the parsley.
The recipe I used is from Slovenian Kitchen.
Idrijski Žlikrofi (Potato Dumplings)
These little dumplings are made from pasta dough filled with a potato and bacon mixture. I love dumplings and I love potato so I knew this would be good.
I made the dough by combining flour, eggs, water, and a little oil. I kneaded the dough until it was smooth, then let it rest.
While the dough was resting, I made the filling. I boiled potatoes and mashed them with salt, pepper, butter, marjoram, chives, and sautéed onion and bacon.
I rolled out the dough, then placed little balls of the potato mixture along the edge. I rolled the dough over them and used my finger to press down the dough between each one. Then, I cut the dough and pinched the edges of each dumpling together to seal. There’s meant to be a depression on the top of each one; I was successful here on a few of my dumplings.
Once assembled, I boiled my dumplings and served them with bakalca, my next dish. This is a popular combination in Slovenia and it was delicious!
I stored most of the dumplings I made in the freezer for future dishes. I love having things like this on hand for nights I don’t feel like cooking.
This recipe is from Kendov Dvorec.
Bakalca (Lamb Stew)
Bakalca is a lamb stew, often served with potato dumplings. I’m always happy for an opportunity to cook lamb as it’s probably my favorite meat.
I began by browning the lamb (I used boneless lamb leg, cut into bite-sized pieces) in oil. Then, I removed it from the pot and added chopped onion. After a few minutes, I added carrot, salt, thyme, savory, bay leaves, and pepper. I continued cooking for a little longer, then returned the lamb to the pot along with some white wine. I added enough water to just cover the rest of the ingredients, and let it cook for half an hour or so. Then, I added canned diced tomatoes and simmered for a while longer.
This came out really well, though I think I would have preferred to reduce the liquid a bit. Since my lamb was fairly lean, I didn’t want to cook it for too long, or else I would have simmered this longer. Maybe one day I will have easy access to lamb shoulder, which would be better for a dish like this.
This was delicious and went well with the dumplings.
The recipe I used is from Total Slovenia News.
Štruklji (Farmer’s Cheese Dumplings)
Štruklji are dumplings made by rolling a very thin dough around a farmer’s cheese mixture. They seem to usually be served as a sweet dish with buttered bread crumbs and maybe a fruit compote, but they are considered a main meal. I kept mine simple and just made the štruklji.
For the dough, I combined flour, warm water, oil, vinegar, and a little salt. I kneaded the dough until it was smooth, then let it rest for about an hour.
Meanwhile, I prepared the filling. I mashed cottage cheese (in place of farmer’s cheese) in a bowl, then added eggs, sour cream, and a little sugar.
I stretched my dough out until it was as thin as possible. Then, I spread my cottage cheese mixture over it and rolled it up. I wrapped it in cheesecloth (the recipe said to use a cloth napkin and that was the closest I had) and tied the ends with kitchen string.
I brought water to a simmer, then I dropped in my wrapped štruklji, covered the pan, and let it cook for about 30 minutes.
I let it rest for a short while before unwrapping. The cheesecloth stuck a bit, but I was able to unwrap my štruklji without too much of a disaster. Then, I just had to slice the roll to make the individual dumplings.
I thought these were alright, but I’d prefer them with something sweet on top (which to be fair, was included in the recipe I was using). I may make these again one day when I have more time and make the toppings.
The recipe I used is from Slovenian Kitchen (but a different site to the previous Slovenian Kitchen I referenced!)
Walnut Potica (Walnut-Filled Sweet Bread)
Potica is made from a sweet, yeasted dough, wrapped around a filling. I decided to make a walnut potica, which is one of the most popular versions.
I began by making the dough. I added active dry yeast to lukewarm milk and let it sit for a bit. Then, I combined it with sugar, butter, lemon zest, vanilla, a little rum, and some egg yolks. I poured this mixture into a bowl with all-purpose flour and a little salt, and kneaded it until I had a smooth, soft dough. I transferred the dough to a greased bowl and let it rest, covered, for about an hour.
To make the filling, I ground up a bunch of walnuts in my food processor. I brought heavy cream, sugar, and honey to a simmer in a pan, and poured the mixture over the walnuts. Then, I beat egg whites to create stiff peaks, and folded them into the walnut mixture.
I rolled out my rested dough and spread the walnut mixture over it. Then, I rolled up the dough, brought the ends together, and put it into a greased bundt pan. I brushed the dough with an egg wash, then baked it for around an hour.
Once the potica had cooled a bit, I turned it out of the pan and sliced it. I was meant to dust it with powdered sugar but I forgot. However, this still turned out to be very good!
This recipe is from Slovenian Kitchen (same Slovenian Kitchen as the previous dish).
Other Popular Slovenian Dishes
- Matevž – mashed beans and potatoes, often seasoned with garlic and topped with crispy pork and/or onions.
- Jota – sauerkraut and bean stew, usually includes bacon as well.
- Prekmurska gibanica – a cake made from many layers of pastry and fillings, including poppy seeds, walnuts, cottage cheese, and apples.
Final Thoughts
All the food from Slovenia I tried this week was very good, but my favorite dish was the idrijski žlikrofi paired with the bakalca.
Next time, I will be cooking food from the Solomon Islands.