Flavours of Central Slovenia In the Middle of the Table In the Middle of the Table The diverse flavours of Central Slovenia When Slovenians have guests, they put on the table attention to the most typical dishes that compose the best or at least the most typical food that a the culinary character of the region and its individual house, a place or a region has to offer. Slovenia is one municipalities. It does not include only the dishes big table laden with all kinds of different foods. It is served by traditional gostilnas, modern restaurants, divided into 4 gastronomic regions, represented by and tourist farms, but also other foods typical of the nearly 00 different dishes. In its central part, which region or a particular locality. The culinary diversity consists of 6 municipalities including the capital, shown in this catalogue reflects the Central Slovenia Ljubljana, you can experience some of this diversity at residents' everyday life and festive traditions, various any time. In Central Slovenia you can find the greatest forms of their economic efforts, and the range of masterpieces created by chefs of modern restaurants knowledge derived either from various dietary and traditional gostilnas, a variety of different foods traditions or modern technological quests and and food products, and a choice of house specials creative achievements in the field of food culture. offered by tourist farms. Central Slovenian woodlands Holidays and weekends often see Central Slovenia offer mushrooms and fruits of the forest, orchards are host a large number of events. Those related to full of healthy fruits, from which juice is extracted by culinary art may not be plentiful, but their content peasants, and tasty cheese is made from cow's and and choice of food on offer definitely make them goat's milk. There are many places where beekeepers, interesting. You can leave the city streets and street with the help of bees, produce honey and offer it stalls behind for a while and take a short walk to a along with other bee products and honey-based nearby forest where charcoal stacks are being burned beverages. Central Slovenia may not have vineyards, or take a ride to a meadow where a long-forgotten but wine lovers are still well catered for as it offers farm chore is being demonstrated and, what is a full choice of wines from the three Slovenian wine most important, a dish that you may have forgotten regions. One of the attractions of Ljubljana, which or never have heard about is being prepared. The you can find on the castle hill, is an ancestor of the Central Slovenia region hosts quite a few traditional world's oldest vine, growing in the Lent quarter of the fairs related to local (religious) celebrations, where Slovenian city of Maribor. You can quench your thirst you can taste a variety of different local delights. not only with wine, but also with excellent spring Some of the events are organized by members waters, several kinds of beer, and tasty herbal teas. of hunting and angling clubs. The former usually Your first contact with the culinary art of Central prepare game goulash and the letter fish, which Slovenia can take place at the Ljubljana Central are still plentiful in the rivers and streams of Central Market, which best reflects the four seasons and Slovenia. If no fish are caught, however, there is is a one-stop place to get an insight into the food always one last option: a visit to the fishmonger's at culture of the region. The art of culinary pampering Ljubljana's Central Market, which offers daily fresh is being developed by modern restaurants and fish, including those caught in the Adriatic Sea. Do traditional gostilnas. Central Slovenia can pride itself not miss the Carniolan Sausage Festival in the village on numerous excellent gostilnas which are home of Sora pri Medvodah, dedicated to one of Slovenia's to a more or less long family tradition of cooking signature delicacies. In the autumn, you can attend and are historically the most popular places for one of the many St. Martin's celebrations, which, people to meet, enjoy themselves together, have together with St. Urban's celebrations, represent the fun, and do other things, including business, over largest celebrations related the culture of wine and excellent food and drinks. Numerous gostilnas wine drinking. The culinary year ends with December located at popular day-trip destinations become fairs and other end-of-the-year events featuring food alive particularly on weekends, when they welcome and drinks suitable for the winter season and the day-trippers, hikers, and mountaineers. On the welcoming of the New Year. edge of the region's cities and towns and in villages What makes the tables of Central Slovenia so there are several tourist farms offering their guests inviting is the fact that they offer a remarkable various house specials and local specialties. wealth of flavours, which is not surprising as This catalogue definitely does not bring together Central Slovenian foods and dishes stand in the everything that Central Slovenia has to offer in very middle of the Slovenian table. So come join us terms of its rich culinary culture, but it does draw at the table and feel the real Central Slovenia! Map of Central Slovenia Municipalities in Central Slovenia 1 Ljubljana 2 Dol pri Ljubljani 3 Trzin 4 Domžale 5 Mengeš 6 Komenda 7 Vodice 8 Kamnik 9 Lukovica 10 Moravče 11 Litija 12 Šmartno pri Litiji 13 Dobrepolje 14 Ivančna Gorica 15 Velike Lašče 16 Grosuplje 17 Škofljica 18 Ig 19 Borovnica 20 Logatec 21 Vrhnika 22 Horjul 23 Log - Dragomer 24 Brezovica 25 Dobrova - Polhov Gradec 26 Medvode 1 Ljubljana The Central Market in Ljubljana The dishes of Ljubljana – famous since ever Due to its geographical position, Ljubljana, and are early examples of geographical designation. the capital of the Republic of Slovenia, has for Some of these dishes are still available in Ljubljana. centuries been an important transport hub and The longest running culinary event in the region is commercial centre. It is therefore not surprising the Herring Feast culinary exhibition and tasting that many centuries back the Ljubljana market session, held annually on Ash Wednesday at the sold both fish caught in the Adriatic Sea and those Union hotel. Ljubljana's everyday and festive caught in the Danube. According to a late 7th culinary scene is importantly shaped by the city's century report by the Slovenian polymath Janez numerous gostilnas, restaurants, cafés, and snack Vajkard Valvasor, fruits from the coastal Primorska bars, the most inviting being those in the historical region arrived at the market in Ljubljana 'all fresh city centre. Numerous events showcasing the and pleasantly tasting within half a day and a culinary offerings of other Slovenian regions are night'. But these are only two tiny fragments in held in the Central Market and the courtyard of the culinary history of Ljubljana. In 799, Valentin Ljubljana Castle. The city's culinary scene is also Vodnik, whose monument stands at the Ljubljana shaped by restaurants offering food from other Central Market, wrote the first cookbook in cultural environments in Europe and the world, as Slovenian and published it in Ljubljana. The book well as a varied choice of street food, notably the is a proof that back in Vodnik's time, any food Balkan pastry known as burek. could be named and any basic culinary concept expressed in Slovenian. The next important Slovenian cookbook, written by Magdalena Knafelj Pleiweis in 868, already includes a number of dishes that have the word 'Ljubljana' in their names 4 Boiled and marinated beef Served by tongue with horseradish Fine dining restaurants Goveji peklani jezik s hrenom RESTAVRACIJA JB In the past, this dish, very popular Miklošičeva cesta 7, among the townspeople of Ljublja- SI-000 Ljubljana na, used to be served as a Sunday or T: +86 (0) 40 70 70 festive day afternoon treat in the au- E: [email protected] tumn or winter. It can be made from www.jb-slo.com either fresh or smoked beef tongue, Ljubljana egg dish, Ljubljana cottage the latter being more delicious. cheese pancakes Beef soup with noodles RESTAVRACIJA MAXIM Goveja juha z rezanci Trg republike , SI-000 Ljubljana T: +86 (0)5 85 5 Not only in Ljubljana, but across E: [email protected] Slovenia, this is the soup of all www.maxi.si soups, typically served as part of a Sunday or festive day lunch. A Štruklji rolls, Fried chicken drumsticks and wings, Ljubljana strudel, Ljubljana special ingredient are noodles, cottage cheese pancakes which are supposed to be hand- cut and very thin, and are mostly RESTAVRACIJA SMREKARJEV purchased ready-made today. HRAM Nazorjeva , SI-000 Ljubljana Carniolan sausage T: +86 (0) 08 9 07 Kranjska klobasa E: [email protected] www.gh-union.si The protected Carniolan sausage is the result of a centuries-long Beef soup with noodles accumulation of knowledge about RESTAVRACIJA STRELEC the making of meat products. The Grajska planota , SI-000 Ljubljana present-day Slovenia is an ances- T: +86 (0)8 84 4 tor of the former Austro-Hungarian E: [email protected] province of Carniola, after which www.kaval-group.si this sausage was named back in the 9th century. The oldest recipe dates Vodnik lamb's lettuce salad, Beef back to 896 and is still used by cer- soup with noodles, Kratochwill beer tified Carniolan sausage producers. Other restaurants Sautéed potatoes with GOSTILNA NA GRADU Grajska planota , SI-000 Ljubljana boiled beef tail and apple T: +86 (0)8 05 9 0 horseradish, Pražen krompir E: [email protected] s kuhanim govejim repom in www.nagradu.si jabolčnim hrenom Boiled and marinated beef tongue The year 000 saw the founding of with horseradish, Beef soup with the Society for the Recognition of noodles, Fried chicken drumsticks Sautéed Potatoes as a Stand-Alone and wings, Ljubljana cottage cheese Dish.