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I Feel Slovenia

Fall In Love
With The Food Of Slovenia

If luscious slow cooked stews, bouncy dumplings, sparklingly fresh seafood and delicate desserts are your thing, then Slovenia is the place for you.

The epicentre of the Slovenian food scene is, unsurprisingly, the country’s incredibly beautiful capital Ljubljana. From the high end JB Restaurant, which has been voted one of the 100 best restaurants in the world thanks to chef Janez Bratovž’s modern take on Slovenian cuisine, to the many lower key eateries where you can sample everything from locally made štruklji (or dumplings stuffed with walnuts, skuta curd cheese, apples or prunes) to the traditional specialty of frogs legs, there is plenty here to keep your taste buds happy.

Perhaps best of all, and also well worth trying, is Slovenia’s best known dessert, potica (pronounced po-teet-za), which is a cake traditionally served on major holidays like Christmas and Easter, but delicious all year round. Made from leavened dough spread with nuts, carob and sometimes even savoury ingredients like bacon, it’s then rolled up and cooked in a bundt pan to create the distinctive swirling patterns when cut.

For the ultimate gourmet experience of Slovenia, begin in the capital Ljubljana and then treat yourself to some delicious foodie day trips.
Ljubljana has the cosmopolitan dining experience covered, but if you want to branch out and taste some regional cuisine, there are some very special experiences waiting for you only a short drive away from the capital.

Go to Dolenjska to discover matevž

Close to Ljubljana is the lush Dolenjska, where eating well is very much a way of life. The key dish to try is the local delicacy matevž, a comforting blend of crushed white beans and potato, often served alongside grilled local sausages and a tangle of sauerkraut. It is best enjoyed with a glass of the famous regional cviček wine, made from a light blend of red varietals, and a slice of freshly baked local bread.

Sample kremšnita in Lake Bled

Or head north of Ljubljana to Lake Bled, a picturesque hotspot that is also home to the luscious cream cake known as kremšnita. Made using an original recipe that was first invented more than 60 years ago, this indulgent chantilly and custard cream dessert is popular with locals and tourists alike and more than 12 million pieces have been sold in Lake Bled to date.

Incredible seafood in Koper

Slovenia has a modest coastline compared to some of its neighbours, but it makes full use of what is available, especially in culinary terms, making a trip to the seaside town of Koper the perfect way to spend a day. Explore the old town, take a dip in the ocean but make sure you save time for a long lunch because the food in this area is truly special. Being coastal, it’s the freshly grilled seafood that shines brightest here, especially when seasoned with a light dusting of local Piran salt and enjoyed with a glass of traditional Istrian wine.

Delicious dumplings in Idrija

A day trip to Idrija from Ljubljana is a bit more of a commitment (as it takes around 1.5 hours to drive there) but well worth it for one big reason: žlikrofi. These delicate local dumplings (that were given protected geographical status in 2010) are a little like Italian ravioli but shaped as tiny boats, stuffed with a potato filling and dressed with a scattering of crunchy breadcrumbs. Usually eaten alongside one of the richly flavoured meat stews found throughout the country, they are so delicious they can just as easy be devoured on their own.

Savoury and sweet in Prekmurje

Another slightly further, but equally unmissable, culinary day trip option from Ljubljana is the eastern region of Prekmurje, on the cusp of the border with Hungary. The thing to order here is the famous bograč stew, a melting blend of venison and potatoes, followed by a big piece of the local sweet specialty, prekmurska gibanica, made from layers of poppy seeds, white cheese, walnuts and apples, lightly held together with homemade pastry. It’s an internationally renowned dessert for excellent reason, and well worth making the trip.