Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Snacks
The most popular street food in Slovenia is a Balkan import called
burek
- flaky pastry
sometimes stuffed with meat but more often cheese or even apple - that is a cousin of
Turkish
börek
. It's sold at outdoor stalls or kiosks and is very cheap and filling. Other
cheap
malice
(snacks) available on the hoof are
čevapčiči, pljeskavica
(spicy meat pat-
ties),
ražnjiči
(shish kebab) and pizza (which sometimes appears spelled in Slovene as
pica
).
Vegetarian & Vegan
Slovenia is hardly a paradise for vegetarians,
but there are a couple of meat-free eateries in
Ljubljana, and you're sure to find a few meat-
less dishes on any menu.
Štruklji,
dumplings
made with cheese and often flavoured with
chives or tarragon, are widely available, as are
dishes like
gobova rižota
(mushroom risotto)
and
ocvrti sir
(deep-fried cheese). Slovenes love fresh
solata
(salad) - a most un-Slavic
partiality - and you can get one anywhere, even in a countryside
gostilna
. In season (usu-
ally late summer and autumn) the whole country indulges in
jurčki
(wild cep or Portobello
mushrooms) in soups or salads or grilled.
Mushroom picking is almost a national pastime in
the hills and forests of Slovenia in summer and au-
tumn.
Wine
Vino
(wine) has been made in what is now Slovenia since the arrival of the Celts in the
5th century BC, and many of the country's wines are of a very high quality indeed. Be
warned, though, that cheaper 'open wine'
(odprto vino)
sold by the decilitre (0.1L) in bars
and restaurants are usually rot-gut. For more detailed information, contact the
Wine Asso-
ciation of Slovenia
(Vinska Družba Slovenije; 01-244 18 00;
www.vinskadruzba.si
;
Kongresni trg 14).
Slovenes usually drink wine with meals or
socially at home; it's not very common to see
people sit down to a bottle at a cafe or pub. As
elsewhere in Central Europe, a bottle or glass
of mineral water is ordered along with the wine
when eating. It's a different story in summer,
when
brizganec
or
špricar
(spritzers or wine coolers) of red or white wine mixed with
You'll find some excellent recipes from around
Slovenia in English at
www.slovenia.si/en/visit/
