7 traditional Slovenian dishes that will never go out of style

Some of Slovenia's traditional dishes are extremely popular to this day, and for good reasons. Find out which are they!
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Blog Published February 25, 2019
Edited May 3, 2024

Beef soup, roast beef and potatoes.

What’s that, you ask?

It’s the holy grail of traditional Slovenian cuisine.  The meal our mothers cooked from scratch every Sunday was the highlight of family life. We enjoyed it then and we still enjoy it today. It’s delicious, comforting and it evokes lovely memories of homeliness.

Beef soup (Goveja juha) is an evergreen starter of any respectable Sunday lunch and consists of a beef soup base with egg noodles and some vegetables such as carrots and cauliflower.

Roast beef (Pečenka) is made from a good quality piece of meat, slowly roasted to perfection. Pork meat is also a very popular option.

Roasted potatoes (Pražen krompir) are the most popular way to prepare potatoes in Slovenia. Roasted with onions and topped with parsley, it’s the perfect side dish to roast beef.

Carniolan Sausage (Kranjska klobasa) is also regularly on the menus of Slovenians. This spiced pork sausage goes well with a side dish of pickled cabbage or sour turnip.

Jota is a stew made of sour cabbage or turnip, beans, potatoes and bacon. It is especially popular in colder days and is served as a main dish, usually with bread on the side.

Walnut roll (Potica) is the most famous of all Slovenian desserts and is made of dough and walnuts or tarragon. No festive table is complete without this popular dessert. It takes quite some time and skill to make it though.  

Prekmurje layer cake (Prekmurska gibanica) is another dessert that is often served. This pastry is made of several layers of dough, cottage cheese, poppy seeds, walnuts and apples and is as delicious as it sounds.

These are some of the dishes that can be found on a generously laden dinner table across Slovenian homes. Slovenians love their food and appreciate generous portions. They especially take pride in keeping their guests happy and well fed.

If you happen to be invited to Slovenian home for lunch, we kindly recommend you wear roomy clothes and forget that diet for the day. After all who would want to offend the housewife who just spent hours making dessert.

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