Typical Sunday lunch in Slovenia

Actually, it is really difficult to claim that something is typical in Slovenia. Even if the country is quite small, there is a great diversity and all the differences between the regions is something what makes Slovenia so special. So good luck defining the typical Sunday lunch. I will try my best here and describe an important concept that all Slovenians are familiar with.

What is a must when talking about Slovenian lunch, is a beef soup with egg noodles - either grated ones, soup noodles (but they have to be really thin!) or “zdrobovi žličniki”, known as semolina dumplings. This is the taste, that we as students were missing when we were longing for the mum’s beef soup. The one that tastes the best, and you cannot get in any other place than home.

But don’t get stressed out, even if you won’t get an opportunity to join a Slovenian family for a Sunday lunch, you definitely will be able to get more than delicious traditional meal when traveling in Slovenia. One of the options is Gostilna Lectar in Radovljica.

For more suggestions you might want to check out this article, where I mention a few great restaurants and guesthouses that are serving traditional Slovenian food.

Alright, so much talking and we haven’t come past the starters yet. What the main dish must include, is the meat. This is either going to be a roast pork, schnitzel, or steaks. Or maybe even all of it. The food will be plenty. As a side dish you would get served roasted potatoes ("pražen krompir"), or rice and if you’re lucky there are “štruklji” on the menu. These are dumplings, my favorite side dish that is prepared differently in every region, but all the variations are delicious. I really like the rolled-ones filled with cottage cheese.

For salad we usually have the green salad with the dressing made of garlic, vinegar and a pumpkin seed oil, a delicacy coming from Stajerska region and should never be missing on a salad. We will excuse the friends from the coastal regions, where I’m afraid they are using olive oil instead.

If there is a dessert, it is an apple strudel (“jabolčni zavitek). Instead of apples it can be filled with blueberries or cherries, which makes it even more delicious. After the lunch you can enjoy the afternoon in good company, drinking Turkish coffee. You can see, that our meals are influenced by many cultures, but what they have in common is that they are all delightful. And when you’re visiting Slovenia, I wish you to enjoy trying all the new tastes, whether they are typical Slovenian or not.