The Alphabet of the Flavors of Slovenia

Janez Bogataj

The Alphabet of the Flavors of Slovenia

Janez Bogataj

The Alphabet of the Flavors of Slovenia Texts Prof. Janez Bogataj, PhD Design Edi Berk / KROG Photography Tomo Jeseničnik Editor Manica Ferenc Translation Maja Višenjak Limon Proof–reading David Limon Published by Založba Družina, d. o. o.

For the publisher Tone Rode Graphic Pree–press KROG, Ljubljana Printed in Slovenia 1st Edition Print–run 500 copies Ljubljana 2016 Full information about the books published

by Družina can be found on the following website: www.druzina.si The photographs in this book are from the archives of the Slovenian Tourist Board and the publisher Rokus Klett. We thank both for their permission to publish these photographs.

CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 641.56(497.4)(083.12) 392.8(497.4)(091) BOGATAJ, Janez, 1947Abeceda okusov Slovenije / [besedilo] Janez Bogataj ; [fotografije Tomo Jeseničnik]. - 1. izd. - Ljubljana : Družina, 2016 ISBN 978-961-04-0347-0 285722624

The Flavors of Slovenia from A to Ž Ajdova kaša (Buckwheat kasha) Buckwheat kasha with mushrooms Belokranjska pogača (Bela krajina flat bread) Cvrča and cvrtje (Omelette) Goriška brda omelette Čompe (Potatoes) Potatoes with curd cheese Dražgoški kruhek (Dražgoše honey bread) Erpica (Flat bread [with cracklings]) Furež or koline (Pig slaughter) Prekmurske koline and Prekmurje ham Buckwheat blood sausages Sausages in the Goriška brda Goriška blood sausage Gibanica Prleška gibanica (Prlekija pastry) Prekmurska gibanica (Prekmurje layerd pastry) Hubánca Goriška brda hubánca Idrijski žlikrofi z bákalco (Idrija-style žlikrofi with mutton ragout) Jota (Vipava-style, Karst-style, Istria-Style) Karst-style jota Kranjska klobasa, (Carniolan sausage), tasty since 1896 Loška smojka (Škofja Loka turnip) Med (Honey) Nákelda Ocvirkove pogačice (Crackling tartlets) Potica Potica dough Tarragon potica

8 11 12 15 16 20 23 24 27 28 32 36 38 41 42 45 46 49 50 56 59 60 64 67 68 74 78 80 84 88 90 93

A 5 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

Where the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Pannonian Plain and the Balkans meet

94 97 98 101 102 105 106 108 111 111 113 114 116 119 120 124 128

The culinary regions of Slovenia Dishes from The Alphabet of the Flavors of Slovenia Sources and literature

132 133 134

A 7 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

Ribe (Fish) Soča trout in buckwheat or corn flour Sir (Cheese) Tolminc Bovec cheese Nanos cheese Bohinj môhant Štruklji Filo pastry for štruklji Tarragon štruklji Curd cheese štruklji Tünka and tunka Ubrnjenik Luče ubrnjenik Vrtanek (Plaited bread) Zafrk(n)jača Žganci

Where the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Pannonian Plain and the Balkans meet

A THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

8

The countries of the European Union in particular, as well as others around the world, are striving to present their cuisines and gastronomies in different ways. This, of course, is not a coincidence but the consequence of wide interest in local and regional cuisines. Through the different dishes and drinks, methods of preparation and ingredients, we can learn about the life of individuals, families, communities, the inhabitants of villages, valleys and regions, or countries as a whole. This is why gastronomy now represents one of the main motivations for travellers and their tourist endeavours. Of course, gastronomy also wishes to provide appropriate nutrition for everyone, meeting healthy eating guidelines, encouraging the use of local and regional ingredients, as well as seasonal fruit and vegetables throughout the year. Increasingly, people are turning to their culinary cultural heritage.

Not because it has been tried and tested, but because of familiar “models� that offer starting points for new, creative efforts in the field. There are some who turn their noses up at

culinary heritage and its simplicity. They are all too quick to associate it with banality and backwardness, which they themselves or their predecessors have tried to break away from and, above all, to forget.

Now we are finally realising that simple is in no way banal and that the elegance of food does not necessarily depend on its sumptuousness. We are developing a respectful attitude to food and nutritious raw materials, while the kitchen and cooking increasingly signify a special form of freedom in connection with specific natural environments and the changes in them.

Thus it is no surprise that the number of food and cookery books is growing. This is not only the result of television programmes and the increasing presence of this content in other media, but mostly of the messages and the mission of these books, which help to shape people’s ideals, including those that they might perhaps never achieve, master or realise through everyday cooking.

In addition to general cookery books, among the different ways of introducing local and regional cuisines are books that present culinary ABCs. It would be difficult to agree with the claim that

under the same name, and one and the same dish with different names. This is the essence of the food diversity of Slovenia, which is also not immune to various modern global food innovations that are basically stupid. Needless to say, negative developments cannot be opposed by bureaucratic prohibitions, but through general awareness of people-friendly forms and ways of eating. We must always ask ourselves whether we know the origin of the ingredients and foods we use. It is necessary to think where the food is bought. Is it in shopping centres of one kind or another or at farmers’ markets?

We must also ask ourselves how often we cook at home and we should forget the famous arguments that after a long working day there is no time for cooking.

And finally, the most important thing: we must talk as much as possible about food and its ingredients, dishes and drinks.

Food and drink can be an excellent material embodiment of our mutual relationships and communication. Hopefully, this book will serve as an instigator.

B 9 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

such books are to a large extent only promotional, rather than offering adequate general culinary surveys. This claim holds up only at first glance. Although the letters of the alphabet do dictate the selection, the authors still try to single out the most fundamental foods, dishes and drinks. They thus illustrate the special features of and differences between the cuisines of individual areas, regions and countries. The dishes presented in this book are thus a dictionary and an encyclopaedia of a number of typical dishes of Slovenia, a country positioned at the meeting point of the Mediterranean, the Alps and the Pannonian Plain and, since the end of World War I and particularly WWII, also the Balkans. This is reflected in Slovenia’s gastronomy and cuisine, as well as in the composition of meals, table manners, etiquette in general, and so on. The ingredients, dishes and drinks presented here are connected to different periods of development or they are the result of more modern creative endeavours. While talking about the ABC of Slovene cuisine, it is worth mentioning that it is characterised by having a number of different dishes

The Flavors of Slovenia from A to Ĺ˝

Ajdova kaša / Buckwheat kasha [aydova kasha]

A THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

12

It is probably no coincidence that the culinary and gastronomic alphabet of Slovenia begins with ajda (buckwheat). This cultivar with dense reddish or white flowers was brought to Europe in the 12th century by the Crusaders and was in German named after the pagan China, from which it had been brought (the German word Heide means pagan). In Slovene lands it is first mentioned in the first half of the 15th century, as pagana, i.e. pagan grains. Buckwheat was one of the grains that our ancestors adopted very quickly. The right natural conditions for its growth and the opportunities it offers for the production of different dishes is also shown by its old dialect name in the Gorenjska region, which is the same as the word for “food”. Its popularity is also illustrated by a tale about a Kurent (a Slovene Shrovetide character) who saved a Slovene from a deluge. The latter promised that he and his successors would always respect and nurture two plants: buckwheat and the vine. The man’s sons settled in different parts of the land, lived on buckwheat and honoured wine, remembering the Kurent. Buckwheat altered the crop rotation system and had a very strong influence on

changed eating habits. Buckwheat grain is ground for flour and when it is husked the result is buckwheat kasha.

In addition to buckwheat kasha, barley and millet kasha are also frequently used in the preparation of tasty dishes. The popularity of such dishes is reflected in two sayings: kaša – mati naša (kasha – our mother) and kaša – otroška paša (kasha – children’s pasture). Buckwheat kasha is boiled or baked in different ways, with bacon, fried shallots and carrots, vegetables, beans, various herbs, curd cheese and apples, sausage stuffing, prunes, sour turnip or leeks. Among the many dishes that involve buckwheat kasha, we must mention buckwheat kasha with mushrooms, which is considered a dish with the most harmoniously assembled flavours.

Ajdova kaša z gobami / Buckwheat kasha with mushrooms

1000 g buckwheat kasha 500 g fresh mushrooms 80 g lard 1 chopped onion salt parsley leaves pepper sour cream

1. Cook the buckwheat kasha in salted water.

2. Fry the onions and the thinly sliced mushrooms in the lard.

3. Towards the end of frying, add the chopped parsley and then mix in the cooked and drained kasha and pepper and dress it with sour cream.

A 15 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Belokranjska pogača / [belokranska pogacha]

Bela krajina flat bread

B THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

16

Bela krajina flat bread is protected as a guaranteed traditional speciality. Its origin is unknown, but it can be said with certainty that it is the result of the intercultural influences brought to the Bela krajina region over the ages by the Uskoks, refugees from the Balkans, who fled from the Turks in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Bela Krajina flat bread is a round, originally unleavened bread from 3 to 4 cm thick, spread with beaten egg and sprinkled with cumin seeds and largegrain salt. The surface of the dough is criss-crossed with a

knife before baking, which serves as both ornamentation and a “guideline” for eating, i.e. the bread is to be broken into individual small squares. This detail attests to the elevated manner of consuming this bread, which has always been baked and served for different, usually festive purposes. This golden bread is typically served as a greeting to guests upon their arrival.

Belokranjska pogača / Bela krajina flat bread

500 g very fine white flour 3 tsp white flour 300 ml tepid water 2 tsp salt 20 g yeast ½ tsp sugar 1 pinch cumin 1 egg 1. Crumble the yeast into a cup, add 3 teaspoons of white flour, 50 ml of tepid water, the sugar and mix well. Wait for the yeast to rise and more than double its volume.

2. Into a bowl large enough for kneading put the fine flour, the tepid water and the risen yeast. Knead into a smooth dough that is not too stiff for about 10 minutes, so that an indentation made with a finger immediately disappears.

3. Let the dough rise in the bowl covered with a cloth until its volume doubles.

4. Tip the risen dough into a round, oiled baking tin and stretch it with your hands to a diameter of approximately 30 cm. The edge of the dough should not be touching the edge of the baking tin and should always be thinner than the middle.

5. Using a knife, make a pattern of squares, cutting right through the dough. Brush with a beaten egg, into which you have mixed the cumin seeds. Then sprinkle with a pinch of large grained sea salt or fleur de sel.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in an oven heated to 220 ºC. The bread should turn golden brown, its height should be between 3 and 4 cm in the middle and between 1 and 2 cm at the edges.

Serve warm.

B 19 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Cvrča in cvrtje / Omelette Cvrča [tsvrcha] and cvrtje [tsvrtye]

C THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

20

Eggs and the diversity of Mediterranean herbs and spices are the foundation of the delicious omelettes made in the Goriška brda hills, the Slovene part of Istria and some other areas of western Slovenia. They are called cvrče or frtálje, fritáje, cvrčki. The plainest are made in the Goriška brda, where they consist of beaten eggs to which a small amount of flour, milk and salt is added. The smooth mixture is fried in hot fat. Some people eat them sweet. This dish came to Slovenia from the neighbouring Italy, but over the years, Slovene housewives created a number of local variants, particularly by adding different ingredients. Some types of cvrče were connected with specific tasks or holidays. For example, an omelette with lemon balm, fennel and herbs was prepared in rural areas after the completion of building work or some other major task. It was eaten with bread or polenta for elevenses or the evening meal.

For pregnant or breastfeeding women, omelettes with breadcrumbs, sugar and wine were prepared. There were also omelettes with crackling, sausages, onions, nettles, parsley, radicchio, and with dandelion, elder or acacia flowers, with

grated apple, various herbs and other ingredients. Omelettes are also characteristic of Istrian cuisine, particularly in the spring, when there are various plants and vegetables available (wild asparagus, wild hops, herbs, radicchio, tomatoes, garlic shoots and aromatic herbs).

Omelettes are often made during other times of the year and various types of ingredients are added to the basic recipe (prosciutto, mushrooms, sausages, bacon, white and red wine).

Their preparation depends on the cook’s mastery and inventiveness, which is why the ingredient quantities are never precisely determined. The word fritaja or frtalja originates from the Italian frittata, which means an omelette. It came into Slovene from the Austrian German word Frittate with the same meaning. In other Slovene areas, omelettes were made on St. George’s Day, which was organised by the young men of the community. On the eve of the holiday they would go from house to house, wishing farmers a good crop and collecting eggs, bacon and sausages. In the early hours of the morning, the collected ingredients were then made into an omelette for all the villagers.

Briška cvrča ali frtalja / Goriška brda omelette

1 cup of dandelion flowers 1 cup white flour 2 eggs salt to taste milk as needed 2 tbsp of lard, butter or olive oil

1. Cut the closed dandelion flower buds in half and tip into some milk.

2. Add the flour, eggs, salt and enough milk to get a runny, smooth mixture.

3. Pour the mixture into a hot, greased pan and fry on both sides.

4. Serve with a chicory salad.

C 23 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Čompe / Potatoes [chompe]

Č THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

24

Čómpe is one of the 132 Slovene dialect words for potatoes; it is used in the Soča Valley, particularly in the Bovec area and in some parts of Primorska.

Potatoes and the word used for them spread to this part of Slovenia from the neighbouring Friuli. Otherwise, the Slovene word for potatoes (krompir) is derived from a number of expressions used for this tuber in Carinthian and Styrian German, similar to the standard German term Grundbirne, which literally means a pear of the earth.

In Slovene, the expression “the apple of the earth” was also used. Slovenes gradually became acquainted with potatoes from the mid-18th century onwards. At first, they did not like them. In Carinthia (now in Austria) it was valued as a raw material for making brandy.

Only poor annual crops and the related famine, as well as the measures taken by the Empress Maria Theresa, gradually improved the popularity of the potato and its possible use in different dishes. One dish that became very popular was sautéed potatoes with onions,

which turned into a more or less obligatory part of Saturday and Sunday lunch in both urban and rural homes. In 2000, the “Society for the Recognition of Sautéed Potatoes with Onions as an Independent Dish” was founded in Ljubljana, which has over 1000 members and every year organises the International Festival of Sautéed Potatoes with Onions. The society is forging links with other countries around the world, has its own flag, anthem and the rule that every member must, at least once a month, in a public place or in the company of more than three people, consume a portion of sautéed potatoes with onions as an independent or main course.

Dražgoški kruhek / Dražgoše honey bread

2000 g bread flour (light brown) 1000 g honey pepper cinnamon ground cloves ground nutmeg ammonium carbonate or baking powder 1. Heat the honey, add to the flour and mix.

2. Add all the spices and mix (knead) for an hour until you get a dense, stiff dough.

3. Divide the dough into several pieces and roll them into sheets. Then start shaping them. The basic shapes (circle, star, crescent, St. Nicholas, etc.) can be cut using models and then the decorations are put on top of these basic shapes.

When making the decorations, you can roll the dough, cut it with a knife, make imprints with forks, toothpicks, etc. If necessary you can also brush the dough with a brush dipped in water in order to make it easier to decorate.

4. Bake the shaped and decorated breads in the oven.

D 31 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Erpica [erpitsa]

Flat bread (with cracklings)

E THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

32

In the Šmarje and Rogaška Slatina areas, there is a special type of bread that used to be made during the weekly breadbaking in order to satisfy immediate hunger. It was also made when there was not much time available or if fresh bread had to be baked quickly. This type of bread was thus suitable for feeding the workers involved in major jobs on farms and in vineyards. The bread is tastiest just after baking when it is still

warm, but can also be eaten cold with dried meat and wine.

Restaurants still serve this bread at various receptions, where it is welcomed by all the guests. The toppings differ greatly, reflecting the bakers’ inventiveness: crackling, minced lard, milk skin, cream and apples, etc.

Erpica

750–1000 g mixed flour (wheat, white and yellow corn, barley) 20 g yeast 1tsp sugar 500 ml water 500 m milk 1 dessertspoon oil 1 tsp salt milk skin for spreading 1. First prepare the yeast mixture, using the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and a small amount of milk. Let the mixture rise.

2. Knead a dough from the yeast mixture and all the other ingredients.

3. In a baking tin stretch the dough into a round or rectangular shape, about a fingerwidth thick, and then make a few slashes across the top with a knife so that it rises evenly.

4. Spread the milk skin taken from boiled milk over the risen dought. The rule here is: the more milk skin, the better the erpica.

5. Bake the erpica in an oven for 30-45 minutes at 200 ÂşC. If you are making the bread with crackling, make the dough with water only, without milk. Spread egg white over the risen dough and scatter crackling on top, then press it down slightly.

E 35 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Furež ali koline / Furež or koline (Pig slaughter) [foorezh] [koline]

F THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

36

Furež, furežna, furovž, firuž are just four of the many dialect words used to describe one of the biggest Slovene festive rituals. The general expression is koline, which covers the whole procedure of slaughtering a pig, cutting it up and making fresh, semi-durable and cured meat products, as well as the ritual socialising during the various tasks, and the celebrations during and after the finished work.

In the Slovene culinary regions numerous local and regional methods have developed over the centuries, illustrating an exceptional amount of knowledge.

This development can be followed since the Middle Ages, when the oldest written and pictorial evidence is available about this important task and ritual. The range of products has always been very wide, depending on the natural conditions and traditions that helped

to shape local and regional tastes. A number of meat products have already acquired the EU “protected geographical indication”, including kraški pršut, kraški zašink, kraška panceta, zgornjesavinjski želodec, prleška tünka, kranjska klobasa and prekmurska šunka.

On the following pages is a description of a number of Prekmurje and Primorska (Goriška brda) specialities.

Prekmurske koline and Prekmurje ham

F THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

38

In the Prekmurje region, the pig slaughtering ritual event has unique features and a number of very archaic elements have been preserved, particularly with regard to the technology of the slaughter and meat processing. After the pig is slaughtered, first the blood is collected and, together with various spices and fat, roasted into a tasty first dish, i.e. roast blood, served to everyone taking part.

The pig carcase is then covered with straw and bean husks, which are burned and the carcase is scorched, removing the bristle.

Centuries ago this custom was generally known everywhere, but it has been preserved to this day only in the Ravne area and in Goričko. The procedure is repeated until all the bristles are burned away. Then the animal is covered in straw and mounted.

According to an old belief, the girl or woman who mounts a pig near the head would soon get pregnant. While the bristle is being burned away, the tips of the ears and tail become well roasted – a real treat for everyone. There follows the dismembering of the pig and in many places this is still done in the old way, where the carcase is opened up from the back rather than the front. This method is one of the oldest and can also be found documented in

pictorial form on medieval frescoes and in illuminated manuscripts. The procedure continues with the removal of individual fleshy parts and finishes with the intestines. The latter are later filled and used in the making of blood and meat sausages, as well as a special type of sausage known as želodec (stomach).

There are a number of types of blood sausage. The most characteristic are buckwheat blood sausages, filled with boiled fleshy parts of a pig’s head, pieces of raw liver, boiled buckwheat kasha, fatty soup, and herbs and spices (paprika, black and yellow pepper, marjoram, ginger, salt). White or millet sausages are also made, to which millet kasha is added. In addition to the other ingredients, these sausages also contain cumin.

The so-called “bloody” sausages are filled with boiled lungs, meat, blood and spices. The most recent type is the “bread blood sausage”, for which dried bread rolls are cut into cubes, greasy pork consommé is poured over and then blood is added. All the different types of blood sausage also contain fried onions, and more recently rice is used in the filling as well. Meat sausages are also made, which are first smoked and then kept in minced lard or hung in an airy room. In addition to stuffing the

intestines, the pig’s stomach and appendix are filled. The sausage made with these is known as želodec, although there are other local names for it, such as ded (man) and baba (woman). The former is used for a sausage made from the stomach and the latter from the appendix. The filling of these pressed sausages consists of: boiled skin, heart, tongue, fleshy parts of the head, kidneys, pieces of bacon and spices (salt, paprika, pepper, ginger, onion). The stuffed stomach is sewn up and then boiled. When cooked, it is weighted down so that it acquires a smooth, flat shape, and then it is hung in smoke for two days. After this, it is ready to be eaten, sliced and dressed with pumpkin seed oil, vinegar and onions. Another custom during the pig slaughter is the making of brawn, using the

skin and trotters. Other important products are crackling, lard and bacon. Hard bacon (from the loin) is used for making minced lard, which involves mincing the bacon with a machine. Originally, the bacon was chopped up in wooden troughs. In Prekmurje, particularly the Goričko area, a great deal of attention used to be given to the high quality curing and maturing of hams. Hundreds of years of experience in curing the best parts of the pig has resulted in a top quality product known as Prekmurje ham (prekmurska šunka, which is also its brand name).

The smell and taste of this ham is typical of dried meat and bacon, enriched by the noble aroma of smoke and moderate saltiness.

The leading producer of Prekmurje ham is Mesarstvo Kodila from Murska Sobota.

Protected designation of origin

Buckwheat blood sausages

100 ml buckwheat kasha, washed 700 g cooked pork meat trimmings 200 g cooked and minced pork lungs 100 g lard 1 fried onion salt, pepper, pimento, marjoram, savory pork bone broth as needed rinsed pig’s intestines

1. Cook the kasha in fatty water.

2. Mix all the other ingredients into the cooled kasha to get a moist, soft filling.

3. Fill the intestines with the filling, skewer the ends and parboil in hot water.

4. Cool on a dry board.

F 41 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Sausages in the Goriška brda

F THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

42

In the Goriška brda hills, as in other culinary regions of Slovenia, pig slaughter used to be an important secular family holiday, a day when a whole range of meat products was made to help the family get through the winter and early spring. The range includes “skin sausages”, made from meat, chopped skin and the fleshy parts of a pig’s head. Another special product is blood sausage, which is made by cubing bread and pouring blood over it. Then a little bacon is added, as well as salt and pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The making of these sausages developed in the Brda hills under the influence of the neighbouring Friuli region. The third type of sausage could be called “lung sausages”, although these are not really sausages, but a meat product made from chopped (minced) lungs, liver, kidneys, meat and spices. The mixture is shaped into small loaves that are wrapped in a pork caul, rolled in corn flour, airdried and eaten throughout the year. Markandele is a typical Friulian and Brda dish, the roots of which go all the way back to Roman cuisine. Of course, the Friulian marcundele are slightly

different from the Brda variant.

A rissole, consisting of minced pork liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs, soft stomach fat and meat from a newly slaughtered pig that has not yet been washed is stuffed into the caul. This product lasts up to a week, is cooked in red wine and consumed with polenta.

In the Goriška brda and in the general Goriška region sausages known as mulce are also made.

These are slightly sweet, made of gruel and blood with added salt, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.

This product also appears in the neighbouring Italy under the name mule. A better type of this sausage is prepared with bread to which, as well as blood, raisins, pine kernels, lemon peel, candied fruit, chopped dried figs or grated cooked apples are added. Among the other products made during pig slaughter, we should mention salami and meat sausages, melted fat, prosciutto, pancetta, bacon and minced lard and košenina, also known as tácanje. The latter is made by stuffing a pig’s stomach with minced bacon, a small amount of meat, lots of garlic, pepper and salt, mixed together.

Goriška blood sausage

2 litres pig’s blood 200 g raisins 250 g sugar 250 g flour (corn flour, with a little wheat flour added) lemon peel cinnamon cloves pig’s large intestine

1. Pour the blood into a bainmarie and heat while stirring.

2. When it is thick enough, take it off the heat, add all the other ingredients, mix well and wait for the mixture to cool.

3. Stuff the filling into the large intestine. Do not overfill, otherwise it will tear during cooking. Tie a string around the sausage every 10 cm.

4. Cook the mulce in boiling water on moderate heat for about 30 minutes.

5. When cooked, cut into slices, fry in butter and serve.

F

45 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Gibanica [gibanitsa]

G THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

46

North-eastern Slovenia is the area with the highest number of layered gibanica pastries. They are either savoury or sweet, most often made with filo pastry, sometimes also leavened dough, with various fillings and toppings. A wide range of these pastries has developed from the local bread-making heritage.

Whenever bread was made, the hungry children in particular needed to be fed and the leftover dough was used to invent various types of tasty breads and pastries. With time, these became more complex in terms of the methods of preparation and the ingredients used. This is why they are classified as festive dishes, since they were made for more important holidays or during large jobs in the fields or vineyards and for other special

occasions. The development of various types of gibanica was also influenced by cooking in aristocratic and other wealthy homes, where the richly topped or filled warm breads and pastries were a constant. Today, the best known are prleĹĄka gibanica (from Prlekija) and prekmurska gibanica (from Prekmurje); and among those made with leavened dough, haloĹĄka gibanica (from the Haloze Hills). Gibanica is baked in bread ovens or in special round earthenware baking dishes.

Prleška gibanica / Prlekija pastry

Filo pastry 500 g mixed flour (a higher proportion of strong flour than fine flour) 1 dessertspoon vinegar 1 dessertspoon oil pinch of salt 150 ml tepid water Filling 1000 g fresh curd cheese 500 ml thick sour cream 2–4 dessertspoons sugar 2 eggs 200 g unsalted butter vanilla sugar to taste Prleška gibanica is an exceptionally high quality, moist and delicious pastry, involving layers of filo pastry in a curd cheese filling. The wealth of pastries in the Prlekija region is also shown by the range of local dialect names for them.

After World War Two, in some places raisins started being added to prleška gibanica. Serve the gibanica hot, cut into narrow triangles. Before serving, it can be sprinkled with sugar.

1. Using all the filo pastry ingredients, make a smooth, flexible pastry and let it rest for about two hours. Spread the pastry with oil to prevent a crust forming.

2. On a board, roll the pastry into a round shape and stretch it out, then place it into a greased round ceramic or metal baking tin (approximate diameter 35cm) in such a way that about half of it hangs evenly over the edges. Cut the pastry that hangs over the edge into 7 equal parts up to the edge of the baking dish.

3. Spread the pastry in the baking dish with melted butter, add the filling and cover with one of the seven parts of pastry hanging over the edge.

Press the edges of the pastry and repeat the procedure until all the filling and all the pastry has been used. Two layers of pastry should lie on top of the gibanica.

4. Generously spread the thick sour cream over the top two pastry layers.

5. Bake the gibanica in a bread oven or normal oven at 180–200 ºC until golden brown (approximately 30 minutes).

G 49 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Prekmurska gibanica

INGREDIENTS

Shortcrust pastry 200 g strong wheat flour 100 g unsalted butter pinch of salt pinch of sugar approximately 100 ml water

G THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

52

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and knead long enough to obtain a smooth pastry. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Filo pastry 900 g fine wheat flour 1 egg 1 dessertspoon oil pinch of salt tepid water for kneading a little vinegar or lemon juice Using all the ingredients, knead a smooth, soft filo pastry, which should also rest for 30 minutes.

When making this pastry it is very important that it is really well kneaded. Make 9 or 10 rounds, which will later be stretched into the individual layers.

Poppy seed filling 300 g finely ground poppy seeds 100 g sugar 1 packet vanilla sugar boiling milk grated lemon zest Finely grind the poppy seeds.

Pour over 50 ml of boiling milk, add the sugar, vanilla sugar and the grated lemon zest and mix together. Divide the filling into two parts.

Curd cheese filling 1000 g curd cheese 100 g sugar 2 eggs 2 packets vanilla sugar pinch of salt 100 g raisins grated lemon zest Add the egg yokes, sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and grated lemon rind to the curd cheese. Mix everything into a smooth mixture. Finally, add the raisins, which have previously been washed and soaked in tepid water and then drained. Divide the curd cheese filling into two parts.

Walnut filling 300 g ground walnuts 100 g sugar 1 packet vanilla sugar 50 ml rum Mix the ground walnuts with the other ingredients and divide the filling into two parts.

Apple filling 1000 g peeled and cored apples pinch of salt 120 g sugar 2 packets vanilla sugar cinnamon 100 g white bread crumbs with 1 packet of vanilla sugar mixed in Grate the apples into thin ribbons or slices. Add the sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon and gently mix. Divide the apple filling into two parts.

Prekmurska gibanica

the prekmurska gibanica For baking the gibanica use a rectangular baking dish measuring approximately 40 x 35cm or a round ceramic (or metal) baking dish with a diameter at the top of between 30 and 35cm and a height of between 7 and 9cm.

Grease the baking dish with butter. For pouring over the individual layers of pastry you will need sour cream alone or legir – a mixture of 700 ml of thick sour cream and 5 eggs, made by first beating the egg whites until stiff, then mixing the egg yokes and the sour cream together and lastly, gently folding in the egg whites. Divide the sour cream or legir into 6 parts. You will also need melted butter for drizzling over the filo pastry.

1. Roll the rested shortcrust pastry to a thickness of a half a finger and place it in the greased baking dish so that it covers the whole of the bottom and extends to the edges.

2. Roll the rested rounds of filo pastry into 9 to 10 layers.

3. Spread one half of the poppy seed filling over the shortcrust pastry, drizzle over some of the sour cream or legir, cover with a layer of filo pastry and drizzle over some melted butter.

4. Spread half of the curd cheese filling over the filo pastry, cover it with another layer of pastry and drizzle over some butter.

5. After spreading half the walnut filling over the pastry, again drizzle some sour cream or legir over it, cover with another layer of filo pastry and sprinkle with melted butter.

6. Spread one half of the apple filling over the pastry and cover it with another layer of pastry and sprinkle with melted butter.

7. Repeat the procedure once more in the following sequence: the poppy seed filling, the curd cheese filling, the walnut filling and the apple filling, each separated by a layer of filo pastry.

8. Finish the gibanica off with one or two layers of filo pastry and spread the sour cream or legir over it. Pierce the gibanica in several places with a needle all the way to the bottom of the baking dish.

9. Bake in an oven heated to between 180 and 200 °C for about 1 hour. The time depends on the height of the gibanica.

If it is thicker, it may take an hour and a half to bake.

While still slightly warm or cooled down, cut it into triangles if the gibanica is round and into squares if it is rectangular.

G 55 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

ASSEMBLING

Goriška brda hubanca

Leavened dough 1000 g flour 100 – 120 g sugar 120 g butter salt milk 40 g yeast 6 dessertspoons rum 1 packet vanilla sugar lemon zest grease for the baking dish Filling breadcrumbs butter milk ground walnuts wine raisins 1 egg lemon zest rum

1. Knead a soft leavened dough using all the ingredients.

Let it rise.

2. Roll out the dough and sprinkle it with bits of butter.

3. Fry the breadcrumbs in butter, add the milk, the ground walnuts and other ingredients.

4. Spread the filling over the dough, roll it tightly together, leave to rise once more and bake in an oven heated to 180 ºC.

H 59 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Idrijski žlikrofi z bakalco / [idriyski zhlikrofi z bakaltso]

Idrija-style žlikrofi with mutton ragout

I THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

60

Idrija-style žlikrofi are pasta pockets filled with potatoes, onions, minced lard or smoked bacon, spices and herbs (marjoram, chives, pepper and salt), which have been made in the old mining town of Idrija since the late 18th or early 19th century.

There are a number of hypotheses about the origin of this dish.

It most likely originates in Transylvania, from where it arrived via miners who found employment in the famous Idrija mercury mine. In Idrija, the dish acquired its local variant, appearance and flavour. Oral tradition says that žlikrofi were brought to Idrija by the Werberger mining family as late as in 1814. The assumption about the origin of the dish in the German world is confirmed by the etymology of the word žlikrof, which originates in the German word Schlit(ck)krapfen, meaning “slippery dumplings”. The Idrijastyle žlikrofi do, in fact, resemble the Viennese “Schlikkrapfertin”, or small filled dumplings. Chroniclers of Idrija life wrote that in larger families with eight or more members, housewives cooked as many as 700 žlikfrofi

at one time. Written sources also reveal that, for example, uncooked žlikfrofi were sold in the first half of the 19th century on stands, which nowadays applies mostly to Italian pasta.

Since 2001, Idrija-style žlikrofi have been a protected dish prepared with a typical meaty ragout “bakalca”, made with mutton or rabbit. The name of the ragout is connected with the verb “bakati”, which in the local Idrija dialect means “to dip”, e.g. dipping bread into a sauce. Žlikrofi can be served independently, dressed with crackling, butter or as an accompaniment to meat, meaty sauces, roasts, sour turnip or simply sprinkled with grated Gorgonzola. A regular portion of žlikrofi includes around 40 pieces, but of course some people can eat much more. According to the data supplied by the Society for the Protection and Promotion of Idrija Dishes, approximately 40 tonnes of žlikrofi are made and eaten in the Idrija area each year. Furthermore, a Festival of Idrija-Style Žlikrofi is organised every year in Idrija.

FOR THE ŽLIKROFI

Dough 300 g white wheat flour 1 egg 1 tsp oil water or milk as required (for the dough to become soft) Filling 500 g potatoes 50 g onions 50 g smoked bacon (crackling or minced lard) marjoram chives pepper salt 1. Knead the dough, which must be softer than noodle dough.

Knead for as long as is necessary for the dough to become flexible, elastic and so that it does not stick to your hands and the board. If you cut the dough, it must be dense and without holes.

2. Shape the dough into a round and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Then roll it out thinly.

3. Prepare the filling by first boiling the potatoes in their skins, then peeling and mashing them while still warm.

Add some salt and fried chopped smoked bacon (or crackling or minced lard).

Then mix in fried onions and herbs. Mix well and knead so that you get a flexible mixture, which can be shaped into hazelnut-sized balls. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a little more fat.

4. Place the balls a finger-width apart onto the rolled out dough, which has been cut into ribbons. Cut the dough between the balls, wrap it around the balls and press together so that the two layers of pastry stick together and you get an edge in the shape of an ear. Make an indentation in each žlikrof so that it acquires a hat-like shape. Idrija-style žlikrofi should be 3cm long and 2cm tall. Cook them in salted boiling water until they rise to the surface.

5. Remove the žlikrofi from the water and serve them immediately with a dressing or as an accompaniment to meat or sauces.

I

61 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Idrijski Ĺžlikrofi z bakalco / Idrija-style Ĺžlikrofi with mutton ragout

FOR THE BAKALCA

1500 g mutton or rabbit meat 50 g fat 3 onions 3 carrots 1 garlic clove 1 bay leaf thyme a few peppercorns a few cloves vinegar and white wine to taste 2 dessertspoons white flour salt

1. Cut the meat into small pieces.

2. Wash and trim the carrots and slice into circles. Thinly slice the garlic and onions.

3. Fry the onions, garlic and carrots in the fat. Add the meat and let it brown.

4. Add the water, bay leaf, thyme, pepper, cloves, salt and a little vinegar or wine. Let it simmer until the meat is tender.

5. Sprinkle the tender meat and vegetables with the flour, fry for a little longer, then pour over the vinegar or wine and cook briefly.

I

63 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Jota (vipavska, kraška in istrska) [yota]

Jota (Vipava-, Karst- and Istria-style)

J THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

64

Jota is one of the dishes that are typical of western Slovenia.

After World War One it also spread to some other regions of Slovenia and to Ljubljana, where the basic recipe was improved and carrots, celery, peas, barley, pasta, etc. were added. The name jota or juta is also known in Friuli and Tyrol. It appears even in Latvia, where flour cooked in water is called jaut. In Slovenia, in the western Goriška brda, jota is a mixture of cabbage, beans, potatoes and gruel.

In Istria, jota does not include potatoes but on the Karst plateau it does. The origin of jota is in Carnia, although people in Trieste swear that it comes from their hometown. As early as in the 15th century, cabbage became established in Trieste after the Germans moved there. The Carnia and Trieste ways of cooking jota are very similar. The ingredients include beans, sauerkraut, bay leaf, white and corn flour, fat (lard or oil), garlic, onions, sage and of course, if possible, sausage or a piece of smoked pork. Another type of jota is made from turnip and is closely connected to wine making as the turnip is fermented

on grape skins and can stand in for the sauerkraut. This jota could be called the Friuli jota and is also typical of the Goriška region, as well as partly of the Vipava Valley. The name jota originates in the late Latin word iutta, which means soup. The word is of Indo-European origin and related to the Slovene word for soup, juha. The Friuli dish and its name, meaning a weak soup or a type of minestra, were thus adopted by the Slovenes.

The Karst variant of jota is made from sauerkraut and potatoes or sour turnip. A special variant among the various local recipes is the sweet Karst jota, prepared from mashed potatoes and beans, with the addition of red carrots, spices and a spoonful of vinegar. In contrast to the Karst-, Vipava- and Trieste-style jota, the Istrian variant does not contain potatoes. But this does not mean that the variant without potatoes is the only jota made in Istria. A typical accompaniment to jota is white or yellow polenta.

Kranjska klobasa / Carniolan sausage Zaščiteno dobra od 1896 [kranska klobasa]

Tasty since 1896

6000 g pork (leg joint, belly) firm fresh bacon 180 g salt 5–10 g saltpetre 5–10 g crushed pepper 250 ml water 1 garlic clove pig’s small intestine 1. Remove all the fat and veins from the pork.

2. Finely chop the meat into small cubes (or mince).

3. Replace the removed fat and veins with an equal quantity of fresh bacon, which has also been finely chopped, and add it to the meat.

4. Sprinkle with salt, saltpetre, pepper and add the water to which you have already added the crushed garlic clove.

5. Mix everything really well and use it to fill the pork intestines, shaping the sausages.

6. Skewer the sausages and hang them for 1 to 3 days in gentle smoke and then transfer them to an airy and cool place.

7. As the certified sausages are already thermally treated, they do not need cooking, but should be placed into water that has boiled for a few minutes.

Serve them warm with mustard, grated horse radish and a bread roll, or with sauerkraut or turnip. They also go well with fried potatoes or vegetable accompaniments.

K 73 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Loška smojka / Škofja Loka turnip

10 small turnips half a cup millet kasha 500 ml water fat for dressing salt 1. Peel the turnips, hollow them out at the top and arrange them in a roasting tin or in a pot.

2. Fill the holes at the top of the turnips with a little briefly cooked (5 minutes) millet kasha.

3. Cover with salted boiling water, add the rest of the raw millet and bake for 45 minutes or more until the turnips are soft and their skins golden brown.

4. Dress the turnips with melted fat and serve.

Some people add curd cheese to the millet kasha they use for filling the turnip tops. According to another recipe for smojka, which used to be prepared by Škofja Loka families, the hollowed out turnip tops could also be filled with minced lard.

Arrange the turnips tightly in a pot or tin and cover half way with hot, salted water. Put it in the oven and half boil and half roast at 180 ºC for approximately 2 hours, depending on the size of the turnips. Serve with rye bread.

L 77 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Nรกkelda

grated (or crushed with a rolling pin) old white breadcrumbs and grated pinca (a festive, slightly sweet bread) chopped prosciutto and (or) pancetta grated sheep cheese or parmesan eggs (5 eggs for each 1000 g of breadcrumbs) raisins olive oil fresh or dried summer savory pinch of salt pepper chicken stock

1. In a large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, sheep cheese, prosciutto or pancetta, eggs, raisins and chopped summer savory that has been fried in a little olive oil.

2. Add a few spoonfuls of chicken stock, salt, pepper and mix together thoroughly.

3. Make rolls approximately 7 cm long and boil them in salted water (or stock) until they float to the surface.

4. Serve as a warm dish on its own.

N 83 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Potica dough

INGREDIENTS

P THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

90

3 dessertspoons tepid milk 1 tsp sugar 20 g yeast 500 ml warm milk 100 g unsalted butter 2–3 dessertspoons sugar 1 tsp salt a little rum grated lemon zest 1 packet vanilla sugar 750 g fine white flour 2 egg yokes

1. Pour 3 spoonfuls of the tepid milk into a cup, add a teaspoon of sugar and the yeast.

Stir and leave somewhere warm to rise.

2. Into a large bowl pour the warm milk, the butter, 2-3 spoonfuls of sugar, the salt and the warmed flour. Mix it all well and add the risen yeast and the two egg yokes.

With a wooden spoon beat the dough vigorously for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the dough with flour, then cover and put the bowl in a warm place so that the dough can rise.

4. When the dough has risen, sprinkle a worktop or board with flour, roll the pastry to the thickness of a small finger and cut it into a rectangle.

The dough is now ready for the filling.

Pehtranova potica / Tarragon potica

Tarragon filling 250 g butter 2 tablespoons sugar 3 eggs 3 bunches of tarragon 1. Beat the butter until foamy and add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 egg yokes and the stiffly beaten egg whites.

Combine thoroughly.

2. Stir in the tarragon leaves that have been removed from the stems and chopped.

Preparing the potica 1. Spread the filling evenly over the dough.

2. Tightly roll up the dough and place it into a round, buttered dish for baking potica. The two ends of the roll must be tightly joined. If the roll is too long, cut a bit off, seal the ends and bake it separately in a smaller rectangular tin.

3. Cover the potica in the baking dish or tin with a cloth and place it somewhere warm to rise.

4. Before baking, brush the potica with a beaten egg. Bake in an oven heated to 180 °C for approximately 45 minutes.

Then lower the temperature to 150 °C and bake it for another 25 minutes.

5. Tip the potica out of the baking dish or tin upside down. Sprinkle with dusting sugar and serve cut into wedge-shaped slices.

P 93 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

Ribe / Fish [ribe]

R THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

94

The Slovene rivers and streams, lakes and the sea are full of fish and various other water creatures. Historical records also talk about this, as both everyday and festive meals were significantly influenced by these creatures.

Among fresh water fish there are a few special ones. There is the Arctic char found in Lake Bohinj and the Bohinj trout, as well as the Soča trout (Salmo trutta marmoratus). The latter is an endangered species and lives in the exceptionally clean River Soča. It is protected and fishing is strictly limited to specimens larger than 40 cm. The Soča trout is a real delicacy. One of

the traditional ways of preparing it is to roll the fish in buckwheat or corn flour and fry it. It is also very tasty with prosciutto. The Bohinj arctic char is also a delicious fish. Among the salt-water fish, the most typical for the Slovene sea are the anchovy and the European anchovy. There is also the special Piran sea bass, bred using the most natural methods by the Fonda Fish Farm. These fish are renowned as a real delicacy in numerous restaurants, even abroad.

Siri / Cheese [seer]

S THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

98

The rich tradition of animal husbandry and particularly seasonal mountain pasturing shaped the centuries-old tradition of Slovene cheese making. Cheese was an important saleable good and together with other dairy products (such as curd cheese, butter, buttermilk, colostrum, sour milk) represented an important food for all social groups. Cheese was made from cow, sheep or goat milk and various combinations of these.

Modern Slovene cheese making

is flourishing once more since, in addition to cheese dairies in the mountains, there are many in places that were in the past not involved in this activity, but are now making superior quality cheeses and other dairy products. Among the typical Slovene cheeses, which are also protected, are Tolmin, Bovec and Nanos cheese, as well as Bohinj mohant.

Tünka in tunka [tünka] (and) [toonka]

T THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

114

Prleška tünka and prekmurska tunka are similar food products.

The first is more popular and widespread, and is one of the products with a protected geographical indication. It is made in Prlekija, the north-eastern region of Slovenia on the right bank of the River Mura. The basic characteristic of this product is high quality pork preserved in minced lard. The name tünka is connected with the method of making it, as the meat needs to be submerged in (tünkati in the Prlekija dialect means to submerge) and packed with minced lard. Written records from as early as the 15th century mention this method of preserving pork at castles and in rectories. In records from the 18th century, this type of food conservation is already called tünka. At that time, ground bacon, suet and dried pork were preserved in this way.

Prleška tünka is an effective and high quality way of conserving pork, while preserving its exceptional sensory characteristics.

The better cuts of pork (shoulder, fillet, loin, leg, collar) are smoked slightly or boiled first, then roast and cooled. The cold cuts are then placed into a wooden pail and packed with minced lard in layers. The minced lard is also prepared in a special way. In the past, bacon was cooked in a cauldron, then ground, salted and cooled. Today it is made by thermally treating the back bacon, which is then ground and seasoned. The minced lard and the meat mature in the wooden vessels for at least 30 days, but the meat can stay conserved in this way for a whole year and still preserve its exceptional moisture, pinkness and flavour.

Meat from the tünka used to be on the menu during major farming jobs and for holidays. Nowadays it features prominently on menus in restaurants and at tourist farms. The meat from the tünka and minced lard are served with brown bread, onions, paprika and the superior white wines from Prlekija.

Vrtanek / Plaited bread [vrtanek]

V THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

120

Vŕtanek (also vŕtanik, vŕtanj) is just one of the many types and shapes of Slovene bread. It is most widespread in Prekmurje, but is also known in the Bela krajina region and in some places around Dolenjska. In a Protestant inspection report from 1627 it says that the parishioners donated to the preacher at a Christening or a wedding, among other things, a round, wheat flour bread. In another inspection report from 1698, vrtanek is mentioned again, this time as a torta, torta panis, which is Latin for a round, twisted or plaited bread. The shape of a smooth or plaited round wheat bread is archaic.

Even though it represents one of the ancient divine symbols, in Prekmurje it acquired a role that is symbolically connected with the display of love and is thought to have certain erotic significance precisely because of the shape. Young women thus used to give it to mowers; it was also baked at the completion of collective farming jobs. These usually ended with a party, where romances often started.

Vrtaneks were also given after the task of husking corn and baked during pig slaughter, for weddings and other celebrations. It was a typical type of

bread accompanying engagements and invitations to a wedding. There was also a special rule for when a groom went to get his bride. She had to look at him through a vrtanek and spot him before he noticed her, as this was the only way in which she would get some power over him. The godmother or an aunt brought a vrtanek to the wedding feast as a present for the bride and groom. Nowadays, a vrtanek is a general gift and a type of festive bread. It is often also served at public events, feasts and receptions. A smooth vrtanek is made by making dough and shaping it into a loaf.

When it rises, a hole is made in the middle, the fingers of one hand are pushed through and linked with the fingers of the other hand and the dough is turned until a smoothly shaped ring is formed. Much more representative is the plaited shape, given in the recipe below. Before baking, vrtanek is sprinkled with corn flour and brushed with a beaten egg. In Goričko, they used to be brushed with flax oil and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds.

In Prekmurje, there are also smaller plaited round “wreaths”, called pereci, and these are typical of the Hungarian speaking part of this region.

Žganci [zhgantsi]

Ž THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

128

This is a very popular everyday dish in the central and Alpine part of Slovenia, consumed dressed as an independent course or with various accompaniments (stewed sauerkraut or turnip, meat stews, goulash and sauces, sour milk or yoghurt, white coffee or milk, masovnik, omelette, etc.). Nowadays, žganci is widespread around the whole of Slovenia, but is prepared in different ways and from different types of flour or from potato.

The mass consumption of this dish is attested to by a statement from the 19th century that žganci is the pillar of Carniola.

This also proves its importance in the diet, particularly for the survival of a wide circle of people. In rural areas, it was never strictly tied to a specific daily meal. Freshly cooked, the dish could be eaten for breakfast or lunch, and then heated up or fried for next day’s breakfast or dinner. Žganci was eaten least frequently as the evening meal.

It is interesting that the urban population also consumed this dish, even the menu of the wealthier families included it, for example, on Friday. Balthasar Hacquet (*1739/40, +1815) writes that žganci is eaten in Carniola with sauerkraut.

In Slovenia, there are a number of types of žganci (buckwheat, corn, white or wheat, barley, mixed and potato) and three basic methods of preparation.

With regard to the cooking method or roasting the flour, they are divided into Koroška, Gorenjska, Dolenjska or Štajerska žganci.

The oldest method is certainly the Koroška way, which also explains the word žganci itself. According to this method, the flour is first roasted (the Slovene verb žgati means ‘to burn’) in a pot or a pan until dry. Then, while stirring, water is added and that is how the dish is made. The most widespread is the Gorenjska method. The flour is cooked in salted water by pouring it into the boiling water so that it clumps into a ball, in which a hole is then made. This allows for the flour to cook in the middle.

When the flour is cooked (approximately 40 minutes), some of the water is poured away, while the rest of the water and the žganci is stirred or crumbled with a long-pronged fork. The dish is then dressed with crackling, lard or minced lard. The third method (Dolenjska and

Although generally žganci has always been a relatively simple and widespread dish, in some places it has developed into a range of different dishes. For example during Shrovetide in Železniki, the Selca Valley and Gorenjska four different dishes were made, based on corn žganci, offal and maselnik. The first dish was a sauce made with liver, poured over the corn žganci. The second dish consisted of corn žganci with maselnik poured over. The third dish involved cold corn žganci, covered with sour milk, and the fourth dish was a sauce made from wether (or mutton) stomachs and blood, dressed with roux and herbs, and then poured over corn žganci. There was a special ritual associated with eating each of these dishes.

The water in which žganci is cooked is suitable for drinking while eating the žganci. But in many places it simply used to be added to pig swill.

Ž

129 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

Štajerska) involves producing a thick mixture from the cooked flour, which is then cut or grated on a narrow wooden board using a knife or fork. Since the 19th century, potato can be mixed into the žganci flour and sometimes potatoes alone are used. To fried žganci that has been cooked and dressed the day before egg is often added, mixed into the hot žganci so that it coagulates. In addition to adding the flavour, the egg white and yoke give the žganci a yellow and white appearance.

Žganci

1000 g buckwheat or corn flour 3 litres salted boiling water 100 g lard or oil 150 g pork crackling 1. Pour the flour into the salted boiling water so that a ball forms. The water has to quickly boil over the ball, then reduce the heat and make a hole in the middle of the flour. The diameter of the hole should be between 2 and 2.5 cm.

2. Cover the pot and cook the žganci for about 40 minutes.

3. Pour the water away, reserving some of it.

4. Stir the cooked ball of flour and crumble it with a fork.

If the žganci is a little dry, add some of the kept water, mix it in and then crumble the žganci.

5. Dress with the lard and crackling and cover.

6. After a while, stir the žganci once more and serve.

Briefly boiled sour cream and butter can be used instead of the lard and crackling. Or you can mix an egg into the cooked and crumbled buckwheat žganci.

Ž

131 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

INGREDIENTS

The culinary regions of Slovenia

21 30 9 33

Jed je poznana po celi Sloveniji:

14 17 19 22 29 32 35

Murska Sobota

Gornja Radgona Maribor

13 Kranjska Gora

25

4

27

1

18 23 24

Tolmin

C THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

132

31 14 16

Sežana

23 16 20 24

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

11

7 6

12

Ljubno

Škofja Loka

17 5 18 L JUBL JANA 3 9 20 19 Nova Gorica 15 1 13 21 Idrija 10 16 Vipava 3 16 19 26 Postojna 22

Koper

Ravne na Koroškem

Celje Trbovlje

15

6 34 5 Brežice

Novo mesto

19

3

28 4

Ilirska Bistrica

Ljubljana, Osrednja Slovenija Notranjska Dolenjska in Kočevsko Bela krajina Posavje in Bizeljsko Kozjansko Haloze, svet med Donačko in Bočem, Ptujsko polje Prlekija Prekmurje Prlekija, Slovenske gorice Maribor, Pohorje, Dravska dolina, Kozjak Spodnja Savinjska dolina, Celje in Laško

10

Črnomelj

2

13 14 15 16 17

Koroška Zgornja Savinjska dolina Zasavje Gorenjska Rovtarsko, Idrijsko, Cerkljansko 18 Dolina Soče 19 Goriška brda 20 Goriška 21 Vipavska dolina 22 Kras 23 Brkini, Kraški rob 24 Slovenska Istra

Ptuj

8

7 8 12

Ljutomer

11 30

Dishes from The Alphabet of the Flavors of Slovenia

2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 16

Ajdova kaša / Buckwheat kasha Buckwheat kasha with mushrooms Belokranjska pogača (Bela krajina flat bread) Cvrča and cvrtje (Omelette) Goriška brda omelette Čompe (Potatoes) Potatoes with curd cheese Dražgoški kruhek (Dražgoše honey bread) Erpica Furež or koline Prekmurske koline and Prekmurje ham Buckwheat blood sausages Sausages in the Goriška brda Goriška blood sausage Gibanica Prleška gibanica Prekmurska gibanica Hubánca Goriška brda hubánca Idrijski žlikrofi z bákalco (Idrija-style žlikrofi with mutton ragout) Jota (Vipava-style, Karst-style, Istria-Style) Karst-style jota

17 Kranjska klobasa, (Carniolan sausage), protected goodness since 1896 18 Loška smojka (Škofja Loka turnip) 19 Med (Honey) 20 Nákelda 21 Ocvirkove pogačice (Crackling tartlets) Potica Potica dough 22 Tarragon potica Ribe (Fish) 23 Soča trout in buckwheat or corn flour Sir (Cheese) 24 Tolminc 25 Bovec cheese 26 Nanos cheese 27 Bohinj môhant Štruklji Filo pastry for štruklji 28 Tarragon štruklji 29 Curd cheese štruklji 30 Tünka and tunka 31 Ubrnjenik 32 Luče ubrnjenik 33 Vrtanek 34 Zafrk(n)jača 35 Žganci

D

133 THE ALPHABET OF THE FLAVORS OF SLOVENIAE

1