CUISINE

Over the centuries, Slovenia has incorporated many items from neighbouring countries onto its t raditional menus. The most prominent of these may now be as Slovenian as the Julian Alps themselves, such as klobasa (sausage), zavitek (strudel), žlikrofi (stuffed pasta), njoki (gnocchi), rižota (risotto), golaž (goulash) and palačinke (pancakes). In addition, the perfect gift from Slovenia may well be a little pršut, a splendid air-dried smoked ham in the Karst region which has a distant cousin in Italian prosciutto.

The traditional Slovenian lunch is customarily started with soup, normally beef, mushroom or vegetable, although there are countless local recipes handed down from generation to generation. The soup comes with bread, the choice of which is far more varied than in most countries. Any visit to a baker's in Slovenia reveals the bewildering array of things that may emerge from the ovens.

The main course is invariably meat (pork and beef are definite favourites, while venison is also popular) or perhaps fish (the local Soča trout is a delicacy) served with vegetables. Slovenian desserts, should you still have a little room, include prekmurska gibanica (cottage cheese, apples, walnuts and poppy seeds) and potica (a cake which may be filled with tarragon or walnuts or poppy seeds, amongst numerous local variants). Štruklji is a sweet dessert or savoury side-dish which may come with any of 30 or more different fillings, the most common being buckwheat and cottage cheese.

To accompany your meal, it is traditional to drink wine, which is grown in three major winegrowing regions. Wine has been grown in Slovenia for countless generations, and the oldest vine in the world was planted in Lent, the ancient heart of Maribor, in the seventeenth century and still produces good grapes. Slovenian wine is less well known on international markets as the quantities produced are relatively small, although a Slovene might tell you it's because they prefer to keep it all for themselves. In addition to vast numbers of gostilnas serving local wines, there are also more than 20 "wine roads" in Slovenia, where it is traditional to pass from hostelry to hostelry, sampling the produce as you go. There are many speciality Slovenian wines which aficionados should not miss, such as the dark red Kraški Teran from the Karst area, which owes its flavour to the local climate and terra rossa soil, and whites such as Zelen and Pinela. As with anywhere else, ask the locals for their recommendations.

Beer is becoming increasingly popular at mealtimes. The two specialities are Laško, which has a fairly bitter taste, and Union, which is sweeter. Both are excellent.