Slovenia Overview
- Overview - Customs and Culture - Diet and Recipes - Language - Religion - Events and Holidays - Interesting Facts
People Government - Politics Geography Environment & Climate Economy News - Weather History National Symbols Photos Videos Travel and Tourism Link-to-CountryReports Sources   United States Edition Video Library

What do people eat in Slovenia?

Diet

The many influences on Slovenian cuisine include Italian, Austrian, south Slavic, and Hungarian cooking traditions. A typical meal may consist of meat (chicken or beef), soup, green salad, apple, cherry, or cheese strudel, and coffee. Pork, veal, chicken, and turkey are popular on the menu. Organ meats are also valued. Green salad with oil and vinegar dressing is eaten in all seasons. Staples are potatoes, onions, cabbage, celery, carrots, apples, and walnuts. Mushrooms and berries are collected as additions to the meal. Home-made wine, brandy, sauerkraut, pickles, sausages, dried fruits, and juices augment the diet. A healthy autumn meal may include blood sausage, potatoes, pickled turnips, and dark bread. Slovenes also enjoy pastries, cakes, and chocolate. Tea was once only used medicinally but is now popular alongside coffee. Herbal teas are used to prevent or treat illness. Health spas are frequented and appreciated.

Mealtime

Traditionally, Slovenes eat in continental style, with the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right. Breakfast is usually taken early in the morning, a mid-morning snack, then lunch (kosilo) is the main meal at the mid-afternoon. A light supper (vecerja) is eaten in the evening. Families try to eat the main meal together, though changing patterns of work, more convenience foods, and modern cooking facilities have changed this. People like to raise their glasses when drinking together and toast each other's health with Na zdravje!. This toast is customarily offered before a meal. After serving, the host offers the blessing: dober tek! (Your health!) or zivijo! (long live!). Guests are always served first, but no one begins eating till the host does. Glasses and plates are refilled often.

Popular Slovenia Recipes

Back to Slovenia Facts

World Regions
Africa Asia Central America Europe Middle East North America Oceania South America The Caribbean
Most Popular
United States of America China France Italy Canada Spain India Brazil Mexico
All Countries
Afghanistan Akrotiri Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dhekelia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia, The Gaza Strip Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Jan Mayen Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sudan, South Suriname Svalbard Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wake Island Wallis and Futuna West Bank Western Sahara World Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe