If you're familiar with other Eastern European and especially Balkan cuisines, you'll notice some similarities, most notably the country's top food star, kranjska klobasa (Carniolan sausage, pictured here), made of smoked pork, bacon, black pepper, garlic, and sea salt, and commonly served with sauerkraut, mustard, and crusty bread. Another standout, with similarities to goulash, is bograč, a stew of pork, beef, venison, and boar simmered with potatoes, onions, spices, wine, and sometimes mushrooms. Stews are actually pretty popular here, such as another one called jota, hailing from the Slovenian part of Istria on the Dalmatian Coast and made of made of  beans, sauerkraut or turnips, potatoes, bacon, and beef ribs. The country is also known for, among other treats, its own variety of prosciutto and its amazing honey. And speaking of sweet touches, this savoury list has plenty of them to finish off a meal - one of my favourites is potica, rolled-up pastry often filled with ground walnut paste, and also sometimes raisins or other pastes including poppyseed and hazelnut.It all sounds pretty sweet (as it were), don't you think?

Read more in our post Loving Ljubljana, Slovenia´s ´City of Dragons.´

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