Slovenia – Big Local Food in a Small Country

One of the greatest highlights of traveling to other countries is the opportunity to try new and different foods. This past semester I went on the Canada-European Union Peace and Conflict Resolution Exchange to Slovenia, a very small, hilly country in the former Yugoslavia.  (To give you an idea of just how small this country is, we lived a town called Koper on the east coast and were able to drive to the western border in a mere three hours!) While my studies investigated peace and justice from a political perspective, I also had the chance to take a look at food justice in this Eastern European country.

Export agriculture makes up only 2.5 percent of Slovenia’s economy, however half of the population (just 2 million people) live in rural areas. Urbanization has brought more Slovenians to cities and towns but strong urban-rural ties remain. Slovenia’s integration into the European Union has further decreased the importance of the agriculture sector due to the importing of food.

Despite the relatively low importance of commercial agriculture, locally produced food is a central part of Slovenian culture. One of the first community events I saw upon arriving in Slovenia was a parade that showcased local food producers wearing their produce! There is also a weeklong olive festival in the summer. Because Slovenia is located in a more northern part of the Mediterranean, olives grown there have a distinct taste that has brought some producers prestige and international recognition.

Backyard gardens, vineyards and orchards are a common feature across the country. In the town where I lived there was a farmer’s market every morning and all day on Saturdays. All types of fresh produce were available as well as teas, flowers, homemade olive oil and fruit syrups. Not speaking Slovene made determining prices difficult and likely resulted in being charged inflated prices but I still found it worth it to be able to enjoy fresh local produce. I was just as confused with labels in the grocery store so why not enjoy the fun of meeting local food producers! Homemade wine and blueberry schnapps called borovnica are also popular treats found in the market!

In Slovenia, the government subsidizes food for university students. How this works is that students purchase a limited number of coupons per month for a variety of restaurants. At the restaurant, students order soup, salad, a main course, and dessert from a student menu for under $4. After the meal, instead of paying, students just hand over a coupon!

This is an interesting model that may help students access more nutrition than a box of packaged food. (Although, is the traditional fried cheese I so enjoyed all that much healthier than packaged food? Perhaps if it is fried in locally produced olive oil!)

While traditional Slovenian cuisine, consisting mainly of breads and meat dishes, are still common in rural kitchens, they were difficult for us foreigners to get our forks on. Italian, Turkish and even Chinese foods were easier to come by. Perhaps our presence in Slovenia does something to explain this. I had only one negative experience with Slovenian food – polenta.

It is ground corn meal that is usually prepared into, well, mush, by boiling it with milk. I was served cold polenta prepared with water and covered in yogurt. I guess they were out of milk that day! I ate about half before I was unable to continue. We did, however, have the lovely surprise of a traditional cakes made with fruit and walnuts dropped off several times by an elderly neighbour lady! Delicious!

Living in a different country for six months definitely leaves you with some cravings of the comfort foods of home. Maintaining a healthy diet is definitely a challenge when you are not in a familiar area or using a familiar language, but it also provides the chance to see how foods are produced and prepared in a different culture. The importance and logic of local food in Slovenia is stemmed in historical rural traditions and it is interesting to see how these traditions – which the North American local food movement is trying to revive – are changing and adapting to globalization and urbanization in Slovenia. Hopefully if I ever get a chance to return to my little town on the coast I will be able to look into the local food system in greater detail – but until then, I will be mastering the art of frying cheese!

Laura is a research assistant working on the Farm to Fork Research project