THE WORKERS’





LUNCH


DELAVSKA MALCA


“Street food” – Baked apples

In the canteen, 1963.

filled with walnuts





Proper nutrition health work

Table of contents





capacity personal satisfaction


Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Instead of apéritif: About the Workers’ Lunch . . . . . . . . 4

Long gone are the days when people

cannot concentrate enough at work a few benefits: higher productivity, knew and perhaps even adhered to the and cannot properly focus on their better health status of the staff, fewer simple folk saying that an empty sack tasks. They quickly become tired, accidents, etc. And above all, it would The best beef soup is only cooked at our place! . . . . . . . . 5

cannot stand upright. Who knows in feeling hunger only when their work be of great help to employed women whose mind this idea was born? As performance has already declined. who, after a full day’s work, still have simple as it is, it is a sprout of life’s For all these reasons, breakfast to cook lunch at home, as well as to From the factory canteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

wisdom. It tells us that people have should be truly substantial. It should workers who live far away or commute known the importance of nutrition include nutritious foods such as milk, from other places. If this manner of From the local workers’ table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

for a long time. Understandably, they oats, eggs, cheese, sugar, meat, bread eating were adopted so that people ate approached it in their own, primitive (preferably whole grain), etc. In this both a substantial lunch and a dinner, way, and even today, the attention selection, everyone can find something albeit a modest one, there would be Sunday Lunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

given to nutrition is undoubtedly to their taste that will provide a light yet significantly less illness.

insufficient.

hearty breakfast. Unfortunately, for In conclusion, just one more thing.

What should every housewife know many, due to disorganized conditions, It is highly recommended to slow down Following the Bohinj Railway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

about nutrition? And not just every this is difficult or even impossible. – while eating, take each bite slowly and housewife! It wouldn’t hurt for any girl That is why a warm meal, prepared thoughtfully. During your meal, try or man to know these things as well. for workers in the Iron foundry, would to put your worries aside and forget From Vardar to Triglav . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

For you see, it matters when, what, be very necessary. However, it would about the work that awaits you. This and how we eat.

be incorrect and wrong for people to way, the food will taste better and be The Workers’ Lunch Street food project . . . . . . . . . . . 49

It is best if our diet includes five treat it as a replacement for breakfast more beneficial.

meals a day, if possible, in regular or even lunch. The proposed warm Stick to all of this, and your work intervals. Breakfast is certainly one meal, served in the foundry, should will be more successful. It will bring of the main meals of the day. Should truly be just a snack; an intermediate you satisfaction, which is an important an employee, be it an intellectual or meal, but one that is, regardless of condition for health.

a physical worker, arrive at work in whether eaten in the morning or in the the morning on an empty stomach or afternoon, way more important than hungry, because they – out of ignorance

we used to realize.

or carelessness – had an inadequate Both the Iron foundry and its breakfast or even no breakfast at all, workers would benefit from the T.S.

they may not even notice that they introduction of this meal. To list just Stane Tušar The Železar magazine, volume

1, Nr. 1, page 7, April 1959,

JLIB.

The workers’ lunch

The Jesenice Iron Foundry, 1933 (Photo by: Slavko Smolej)





Page 2

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 3

Dear readers,

Dear readers!

I proudly present to you this booklet of the history of the workers' lunch in The initiative to preserve traditional cooking knowledge began in 2020 when Jesenice. The term “workers' lunch” came into use when compulsory factory The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska (RAGOR) and The Municipality lunch breaks were introduced. First, it was customary for lunch to be prepared of Jesenice organized theme cooking workshops. Aimed at locals of all ages, and delivered by the workers’ family members, but soon, the factory canteen these workshops focused on practical meal preparation, documenting recipes, was introduced. It served simple, quickly prepared meals, similar to the ones and celebrating the simplicity and ingenuity of our grandparents' daily menus.

cooked at home: hearty meals made from modest ingredients that were mostly Over the years, the project has evolved, resulting in the publication of a recipe obtained from the local fields, garden and stables, and only occasionally from the booklet titled HOMEly COOKING (KUHAM DOMAče) in collaboration with butcher’s (meat was a luxury due to its price). Workers' lunches were also part municipalities of Jesenice, Kranjska Gora and Radovljica.

of my childhood. Reading about all this reminds me of a different time, when people knew how to take something small and amplify it with their love ... They Additionally, The Municipality of Jesenice and The Upper Sava Valley Museum appreciated each meal so much more than we do nowadays, especially when the (Gornjesavski muzej) released the booklet The Workers' Lunch (Delavska malca), said meal was a “sumptuous” lunch with both meat and dessert. The town of highlighting typical meals from The Jesenice Iron Foundry. This expanded Jesenice is a symbol of the iron foundry and industry, which includes the culinary edition includes recipes and photos of the dishes prepared. Shout out to all the habits of our ancestors – both locals and inhabitants who migrated from different cooks for their contributions, and enjoy exploring these traditional recipes!

parts of the former common state of Yugoslavia and spent a large part of their lives in the Jesenice iron foundry. Through the decades, this fusion of different Eva Štravs Podlogar,

cuisines has created the traditional cuisine of the Jesenice area as we know it Director of The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska today. These recipes were passed down from generation to generation, creating a network of flavours, colours and smells in this environment. Dietary habits have changed a lot over the years, and food preparation conditions have improved.

However, the recipes collected are still useful today and should perhaps be on our menus more often. To make sure these precious – and delicious – recipes were not merely saved from extinction, but brought to life again, we joined forces with the local restaurant owners and caterers in Jesenice, so you can now enjoy a delicious, warm ájmoht stew with žganci instead of a pizza next time you dine out.

mag. Peter Bohinec,

MA, Mayor of the Municipality of Jesenice

Vera Grgurič,

Jerica Klinar,

Mirjam Rutar,

Planina pod Golico

Slovenski Javornik

Tolmin

Maja Ambrožič,

Marija Cirila Beguš,

Hasnija Dugonjić,

Vijoleta Smolej,

Saša Svetina,

Milka Zavelcina,

Zasip pri Bledu

Podbrdo

Jesenice

Prihodi

Slovenski Javornik

Koroška Bela

Page 4

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 5

INSTEAD OF AN APERITIF:

potato or bean soup. Nevertheless, the flavours were varied, as the mothers knew how to make miracles out of the humblest ingredients.

ABOUT THE WORKER’S LUNCH

“The Workers’ Lunch” is the brainchild of two pre-existing culinary projects, 1RAGOR’s “HOMEly COOKING” (KUHAM DOMAče) and 2GMJ’s “Our cuisine”

(Naša kuhna). When their enthusiastic employees joined forces with each-other In the Interwar period, the factory workers of the Železarna Jesenice iron foundry and also with the finest Jesenice chefs and restaurant owners, many charming were entitled to a 10-minute lunch break during each shift. Their meals were olden-day menus were re-created, bringing you the best “classical” home meals of either brought to them by family members or they brought something along Yugoslavia. Thanks to this joint effort, on top reading about these yummy meals, themselves. Most often, their lunch was simply okisan fržov – cooked kidney now you can also try them in various guesthouses and restaurants of Jesenice –

beans with some onions in a vinegar-and-salt “dressing”. After WWII, the Železar brace yourself for flavours that will trigger a flare of nostalgia with each precious (Foundry worker) kitchen and canteen facility was introduced where initially, bite.

they even served beer. However, since many workers drank too much during shifts, some even adding brandy to it, beer was soon removed from the menu despite the objections of the workers’ union.

The workers’ families lived modest lives. The average daily wage of a factory THE BEST BEEF SOUP

worker in May 1937 was 65 dinars, while in the same year the estimated monthly expenditure for a family of 5 was almost 2,200 dinars. Self-sufficiency was IS ONLY COOKED AT OUR PLACE!

therefore crucial for survival. Most families, including those living in barracks, had allotments that they rented from the factory. Housewives grew vegetables Beef soup is often the bone of contention in many conversations, because the best and potatoes, chickens roamed the woodlots, many families kept a goat or two, soup has always been, and always will be, the one cooked by your mother or and only a few kept pigs. In the end, even the friendly little hens the children grandmother. Many young housewives despaired over their first beef soup, which knew by name met a sad death in the ajmoht stew, but only when they could was not even close in flavour to the one of their mother's, and many a husband no longer lay eggs, which were a precious food-source for the family. To keep rubbed salt to the wound with their typical statement: »My mother cooks it better.«

them fresh for longer, eggs were stored in cellars, covered with lime, alongside This was the reason why we decided not to publish a recipe for this delicate dish potatoes, beetroot, sauerkraut and cabbage, all of which they grew themselves.

described in previous editions of the booklet. In fact, simple, working-class dishes The children, while wandering carefree in the forests, picked mushrooms and don't really have recipes. The ajmoht stew was made with whatever was on hand at other forest fruits.

the time: rabbit or fowl, rarely beef, and seasonal vegetables. Should govnač stew Everything else had to be bought. The consumer societies ( Konzumna društva) be as firm as mashed potatoes or is it a more liquid “spoon dish”? Which version and the factory itself enabled their members, including foundry employees, to is correct? Both are. That's why, in this issue, we have published recipes from buy food cheaper than in the regular stores. The foundry had its own store they professional and amateur cooks who present their own recipes as they inherited called kašta (granary, storehouse). They bought from the “foundry granary” and them from their mothers and grandmothers, but have (most likely unknowingly) local butchers “on the slate”, and paid each Friday, when it was payday. One added their own personal touch over the years.

Jesenice woman recalls her life in Senožeti: »We were mostly self-sustaining at You can stick to them to the T or they can be just a guideline or an idea for home, buying only flour, sugar and the meat that wasn't at home – for beef soup improvement of your own recipe. Most of all, take inspiration from our working and sometimes for roasts. In winter I used to go to the shop with a sledge. At mothers, who, despite owning cookbooks with recipes, often ran out of money for home, they wrote me a list of things I needed on a piece of paper and put a wicker ingredients so they had to adapt and improvise. Nevertheless, they always made basket on the sledge – the kind of basket we’d put a baby in. At the shop, they put sure the family didn't go hungry.

everything I bought in this basket, wrote it all down in a little booklet, and once a month one of my parents came to pay the debt. The merchant then loaded the full basket back onto my sledge, gave me a little push and the slope was just steep enough to get me home to Senožeti on the sledge.«

The food was simple, with black bread or žganci with white (grain) coffee reigning on the breakfast and dinner menu most often, whereas lunch was vegetable, 1 RAGOR is acronym for “Razvojna Agencija Zgornje Gorenjske” (The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska) 2 GMJ is acronym for “Gornjesavski muzej Jesenice” (The Upper Sava Valley Museum)





Page 6

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 7

From the factory canteen

After the Second World War, women were also increasingly employed in the iron foundry, and there was no one left at home to cook. The Factory had to adapt to the new way of life and provide the workers with organised meals. The workers’

union fought for a better diet, and a burning issue was the question of serving beer in the canteens: »The canteens are in a truly miserable state and we will have to resort to serving only alcohol-free drinks in order to avoid all cases of drunkenness in the early morning hours. The company will also bear all the overhead costs of the canteens, thus eliminating the creation of profit, and it is also necessary to ensure a greater variety of food in the canteens.« (The Železar local newspaper, volume 6, no. 2–3, April 1955)

Billycan for bringing lunch to the Iron Foundry.

Woven basket for bringing lunch to the Iron Foundry.



Beer bottle, 2nd half

of the 20th century.

Canteen miracle workers, 1962.

Queueing up for a hot meal, 6 July 1982.





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 9

1

“Kranjska klobasa” parboiled sausage

Mac & meat

2

Bean salad





Seasonal salad


Pastry (optional)

Pastry (optional)

Vera Grgurič, Penzion Pr' Betel, Planina pod Golico Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

“KRANJSKA KLOBASA” PARBOILED SAUSAGE

MAC & MEAT





AND BEAN SALAD


Ingredients:


Preparation:

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 4 people)

Put the macaroni in salted boiling water, (for 4 people)

Soak the beans in water, leave



• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) of pasta

cook al dente.

• 4 whole Kranjska klobasa sausages

overnight. The next day, drain the

• 300–400 g (0.66–0.88 lbs)

In another pan, fry the chopped onion in

• 2 small tins or 200 g (0.44 lbs)

water and place the soaked beans in

mixed minced meat

the fat, add the meat and the rest of the

of dried home-grown beans

cold salted water. Cook for 1–2 hours

• 1 medium-sized onion

spices. Roast the ingredients, thinning

• 2 medium-sized onions

(depending on the beans). Once cooked,

• fat

with water or stock as necessary to

• oil

let the beans cool in the water they

• salt

make a sauce known as Bolognese.

• salt

were cooked in, then drain and rinse

• pepper

Place the macaroni on a plate, pour the

• wine vinegar

with cold water. Chop the onions, add

• caraway

sauce over it and sprinkle with grated

• mustard

them to the beans and season to taste

• homemade spice mix with vegetables

cheese or Parmesan cheese.



with oil, vinegar and salt. You can also

• ground sweet paprika

add a little pepper. Put the sausages

• grated Parmesan or other cheese

in boiling water to cook. Let them boil

for 7 minutes. Once cooked, serve with

Vijoleta reminisces:

mustard and bean salad.

»For us, “macaroni” has always meant the type of pasta that is elongated

and hollow!«





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

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3

3

Spoon-dishes: “Szegedin goulash” or tripe or “goulash”

PASTRY – “BUCHTELN ” BUNS





Bread


Pastry (optional)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 4 people)

First, prepare the starter: crush the

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) white flour (type 400)

yeast, add a teaspoon of sugar and

• a pinch of salt

0.5 dl (1.7 oz) of lukewarm milk

• a cube of yeast

(subtract the sugar and milk from the

• 4 egg yolks

quantities given). Stir and allow the

• a spoonful of oil

yeast to rise.

• 50 g (0.11 lbs) butter

Add the flour and a pinch of salt to the

• 1 sachet of vanilla sugar

bowl.

• 50 g (0.11 lbs) of ordinary white sugar Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl,

• 3 dl (10.54 oz) milk

add oil, butter, the rest of the icing

• hard apricot jam

sugar and vanilla sugar. Mix with a

• 1 whole egg for coating

whisk and add the rest of the lukewarm

• powdered sugar for sprinkling

milk to this mixture. Whish some

more. Pour the mixture into the bowl

with the flour, add the yeast starter.

Knead into a nice smooth mass, which

should not be too thick. Let rise at room

Vera Grgurič, Penzion Pr' Betel, Planina pod Golico temperature. Let the dough rise until

it is twice the size. Then, put flour on a





TRIPE


flat surface and roll the dough out (the

thickness of a finger). Cut into squares

Ingredients:

Preparation:

of an appropriate size. Add a teaspoon

(for 4 people)

Put the chopped onion in a frying pan

of jam to the centre of each square.

• 600 g (1.3 lbs) of cooked

and fry until it releases water and

Assemble the buchteln: Lift up the

and sliced tripe

reduces in size. Add the cooked and

dough around the filling and pinch

• 300 g (0.7 lbs) onions

already sliced tripe. Sauté covered

the opposite corners of the squares

• 4 cloves of garlic

for about 15 minutes until tender.

together with your fingertips. Place the

• chopped parsley

Add water or stock as needed during

buchteln buns side by side on a pre-

• salt

the stewing process to prevent the

greased baking tray. Allow the dough

• pepper

tripe slices from sticking together.

to rise again for half its original size.

• oil

Add the chopped garlic, salt, pepper,

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 °C

• ground sweet paprika

a tablespoon of ground paprika, a

(338 °F). Before putting the buchteln

• 20 g (0.044 lbs) of coarse flour

tablespoon of flour or breadcrumbs.

in the oven, brush them with a beaten

or a tablespoon of breadcrumbs

Stir and pour in just enough water or

egg. Bake for about 25–30 minutes.

• a tablespoon of smoked bacon jam

stock to keep the dish thick. Then add

Sprinkle with icing sugar before

(zaseka) or a piece of dry bacon

a tablespoon of smoked bacon jam or a

serving.

piece of bacon to taste. When serving,

sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Serve

with black bread or salted boiled

potatoes.

3 sweet rolls made of yeast dough, filled with jam 4 UK oz is used consistently throughout the text, not US.





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 13

4

Beef heart chunks in sauce

MASHED POTATOES





Mashed potatoes


Seasonal salad (lettuce)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 4 people)

Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces

• 4 large potatoes

and boil them in salted water. Once

• salt

they are cooked, drain the water and

• 1 tablespoon butter

add the rest of the ingredients. Mash

• 2 tablespoons cream or milk

well and – for the finishing touch – add

• freshly chopped chives or parsley

the freshly chopped chives, parsley or

or young onion leaves

young onion leaves.

“Safalada”

5

knackwurst sausage or “pasja radost” (dog’s joy) sausage

Potato salad





Pastry


Before 1991, food for the foundry dogs’ joy sausages were the best! One canteens was prepared in huge of the cooks recalls that the foundry quantities by the Jesenice butcheries workers ate well back then. For many of under the auspices of the Jesenice the foundry workers, the meal they had slaughterhouse. Their safalada and at work was the only meal of the day.

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi





BEEF HEART CHUNKS IN SAUCE


Ingredients:


Preparation:

(for 4 people)

Cut the heart into thin slices. The ratio

• 1 beef heart

between the weight of the heart and the

• 2 onions

weight of the onion should be 1:1. Fry

• fat

the onion in the fat until light brown,

• salt

add the sliced heart and sauté. After

• pepper

10 minutes of stewing, add the flour

• caraway

and pour in the water or stock. Season

• bay laurel leaf

with salt and pepper to taste, add the

• ground sweet paprika

marjoram at the end. You can also add

• marjoram

a spoonful of cream (sour or sweet) to

• 1 tablespoon flour

enrich the flavour. Simmer gently for

about 15 minutes until soft or until the

ingredients are combined.

A little garden in front of a house, photo taken in the 1960s.





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 15

6

“Gorenjski želodček” rich sausage with porridge

Braised liver and “polenta”

7

“Govnač” stew (potato puree and white cabbage)





Seasonal salad


Pastry (optional)

Offal (organ meats) was the best

approximation to meat in times of

scarcity. In addition to liver, hearts,

lungs or kidneys were often roasted

and eaten in gravy. The side-dish was

almost obligatory polenta.

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

“GORENJSKI ŽELODČEK ” RICH SAUSAGE

BRAISED LIVER AND “POLENTA ”





WITH PORRIDGE


Ingredients for the braised liver:

Preparation of the braised liver dish:

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 4 people)

Cut the liver into thin slices. Fry the

(for 4 people)

The želodček sausage is cooked in

• 400–600 g (0.88–1. 4 lbs) of liver

onion in fat until light brown, add the

• 2 whole želodček sausages

boiling water for about 45 minutes ...

(beef or any of your choice)

chopped liver, sauté. Stir fry the liver on

This is how long it takes to cook the raw

• 2 onions

both sides until tender. Only at the very

porridge it contains. Serve with govnač

• fat

end do we add salt, pepper, caraway and

stew.

• salt

marjoram. Serve immediately before

Vijoleta reminisces:

• pepper

they become hard.

»We would either buy the “želodček” sausage or make it ourselves when it

• caraway

was pig slaughter time. The same meat was used for the “želodček” sausage

• marjoram

Preparation of polenta:

Bring the milk and salted water to the

as for the “pečenice” (bratwurst sausage), but washed raw porridge was

Ingredients for polenta:

boil in a saucepan, add the corn meal

added. They were then hung to dry in the chimney.«

(for 4 people)

and cook for about 20 minutes. If you

• 4 coffee cups (larger size)

are cooking instant polenta, please

of corn meal

refer to the cooking time indicated on

• 0.5 l (17 oz) of milk

the packaging. Stir constantly while



• 0.5 l (17 oz) of water

cooking. When the polenta is cooked,

• salt

place it in a large bowl, make a hole

• cracklings

in the centre and place the warmed

cracklings inside it. Serve as a side dish.





THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 17

FROM THE LOCAL WORKERS’ TABLE

Before the introduction of the foundry canteens, the workers' meals were prepared of by housewives – the cooked both for the husbands and for the single workers referred to as koštarji (a dialectal term which would loosely translate to as “guest eaters”). In the interwar period and after the Second World War, menus were much more modest than those listed below. But the gradual rise in workers' standards was mainly reflected in better and more nutritious food. Here are dishes that are still often found on the tables of the families of Jesenice today.

Pan for roasting barley

(a grain used as a coffee supplement)

Cooking with love knows no scarcity,

The barracks, around 1930





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 19

8

“Govnač” stew and soup meat

dish. Before we start cooking again, add Vijoleta reminisces:

“Apples in nightgown”

the spices: salt, pepper, cumin and bay »My mother taught me that cabbage

leaf. Cook for about 20−30 minutes, or should always be boiled first. This

For the working-class families, this was a regular Monday lunch − in this way, they until the potatoes are soft enough.

way it will be easier to digest,

finished the meat leftovers from the traditional Sunday beef soup. The traditional

and this is supposed to prevent

Sunday lunch was namely beef soup, followed − as a separate dish − by beef meat Serve the govnač stew with sliced beef bloating and flatulence. As a child,

from the soup served with roasted potatoes. The apples grown in local orchards from the beef stock. For an even better I also remember my mother cooking

were either dried or stored fresh in basements to last the winter. They were used taste, you can pour a little beef stock cabbage leaves when they were still

in strudel, apple mousse, compote or fried in beer batter.

over the dish before serving it.

green.«

»In the old days, the inferior cabbage heads (in a miserable state) were cut

into smaller pieces; removing the bad parts and using the rest for “govnač”

stew. The better ones were saved for cabbage salad or sweet (braised)

cabbage.«

“APPLES IN NIGHTGOWN ”

Ingredients:

(for 4 people)

• 300–500 g (0.66 –1.1 lbs) white flour

• 3 large (or 5 smaller) apples

• 3 eggs

• 2–3 dl (7–10.5 oz) milk

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

• a pinch of salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

“GOVNAČ ” STEW AND MEAT FROM THE SOUP

• knife tip’s amount of baking powder

• oil for frying

Ingredients:

Preparation:

• sugar (plain or powdered)

(for 4 people)

Cut the cabbage leaves into pieces and

for sprinkling

• half a medium-sized cabbage head

put them in a larger bowl. Pour water

• 4 large potatoes

over them and just boil them for the time

Preparation:

• caraway seeds (whole or powdered)

being. Do not add salt yet. Then peel

Peel and core the apples, cut them into

• half a bay leaf

the potatoes and cut them into cubes.

rings. Then mix the eggs, milk, salt,

• pepper

Once the cabbage has come to a boil, let

sugar, baking powder and flour into a Vijoleta reminisces:

• salt

it simmer for a few minutes, then drain

batter. This is very similar to the one »We ate the “apples in the nightgown”

• 12 pieces of sliced beef

and return it to the empty pot. Add the

for pancakes, but a little thicker. Pour together with the “govnač” stew as a

from beef soup

potatoes to the cabbage. Pour water over

the oil into the frying pan and heat it typical Friday lunch. As children,

the vegetables in the pot until they are

for frying. Dip the apple slices in the for dinner we were often served a

completely covered. Make sure to not

mixture completely and fry them in cup of warm milk and an apple

pour too much water to avoid a watery

oil on both sides. Sprinkle with sugar prepared according to this recipe.«

before serving.



Page 20

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 21

9

“Ájmoht” stew with “žganci” or “vaseršpoclni” dumplings

Ingredients for vaseršpoclni

During this time, make the vaseršpoclni

Snowy eggs (oeufs à la neige) or strudel

(water dumplings):

(dumplings). Place the flour, salt and

• 100 g (0.2 lbs) white flour

egg in a bowl, stir with a whisk or fork,

Chicken or rabbit stew (called ájmoht) was a regular item on the workers' menu,

• pinch of salt

and gradually pour in water until the

as most housewives grew some vegetables in their home garden, and most of them

• 1 egg

mixture is thick-ish. 10 minutes before

also had some chickens and rabbits. When cooking this stew, they used whatever

• 1–2 dl (3.5–7 oz) water

the end of the cooking time, use a spoon

was on hand. To make it more filling, they added vaseršpoclni water dumplings, to add the dumplings into the soup.

a simple dumpling dish made of egg and flour, shaped by using two spoons. For Meanwhile, stir the soup continuously

lighter lunches, they often prepared a “stronger” dessert, but snowy eggs were to prevent the dumplings from sticking

already considered a luxury.

together. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Finally, we can add the chopped parsley.





APPLE STRUDEL


Ingredients for the dough:


Preparation:

• 250 g (0.5 lbs) flour

Put the flour in a bowl, make a hole in

• 0,15 l (5,2 oz) lukewarm water

the middle, pour the water into it and

• a pinch of salt

add the salt. Add the oil and vinegar (or

• 1,5 tablespoons oil

lemon juice), then mix to make a rough

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

dough. Turn it out onto a work surface

or lemon juice

and knead for 5–10 minutes until the

• coating oil

dough is smooth, soft and pliable. If it

is too dry, add a little more water. Form

Ingredients for the filling:

the kneaded dough into a ball, oil it and

Vera Grgurič, Penzion Pr' Betel, Planina pod Golico

• 1,5 kg (3.3 lbs) apples

place it in a bowl. Leave to rest, covered,

• 2 tablespoons sugar

at room temperature for 1 hour. In the

“ÁJMOHT ” STEW WITH “VASERŠPOCLNI ” DUMPLINGS

• 2 sachets vanilla sugar

meantime, wash, peel (if desired) and

• juice of half a lemon

grate the apples, then mix them in a

Ingredients for the ájmoht stew: Preparation:

• one teaspoon cinnamon

bowl with the other ingredients for the

(for 4 people)

Cut the meat into small cubes. In a

• raisins, if desired

filling (except butter and breadcrumbs).

• ½ kg (3.3 lbs) veal (shoulder)

saucepan, fry it in oil until browned. Add

• butter

Roll out the dough. Spread the filling

• 3 medium-sized carrots

a pinch of paprika and diced carrots.

• breadcrumbs

on top of 1/3 of the dough. Sprinkle

• 3 medium-sized potatoes

Fry again for 1–2 minutes. Then pour in

• powdered sugar (for sprinkling)

the rest of the dough with butter and

• a spoonful of oil

water or stock. Add the diced potatoes,

fried breadcrumbs. Roll up and place

• water or stock

all the spices (to taste), then pour in

on a greased baking tray. Brush the

• savory, marjoram, bay leaves,

about 1 litre (33 oz) of water or stock.

strudel with butter or whisked egg and

salt, pepper

Cook for about half an hour or until the

2 tablespoons of sour cream. Bake for

• ground sweet paprika

meat is tender.

50 minutes at 180 ºC (356° F). Once the

• chopped parsley

strudel is baked, leave it to cool (cover

with baking paper) before dusting with

icing sugar.





Page 22

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 23

10





Bean soup


PANCAKES (CRÊPES) WITH JAM

Pancakes (crêpes) with jam

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Meatless bean soup was usually served on Friday, which is a fasting day according (for 4 people)

Mix the eggs, milk, salt, sugar, baking

to Christian tradition. Even in most families that do not go to church, the custom

• 300–500 g (0.66–1.1 lbs) white flour

powder and flour into a batter. The

has persisted to this day. The housewives usually “crowned” the meal with

• 3 eggs

batter must remain liquid. Pour the oil

jam-filled pancakes (crêpes).

• 4–5 dl (14–17 oz) milk

into a frying pan and heat it enough for

(or a milk/water mixture)

frying. When the oil is hot enough, pour

• a pinch of salt

one ladle of the mixture into the pan and

• 1 teaspoon sugar

spread it over the entire surface of the

• knife tip’s amount of baking powder

pan. Bake on each side until browned.

• oil for frying

Serve with jam to taste.

• plum or cranberry jam

Vijoleta shares her childhood memories:

»We used to eat pancakes on Fridays with mushroom or potato soup. As kids

we also sometimes used to get them for dinner. In spring, we made soup

from wild garlic (Allium ursinum) and then had pancakes as dessert. As a

child, my favourite pancakes were served with cream from boiled milk and

sprinkled with sugar. My sister preferred them with lemon juice and sugar.«

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi





BEAN SOUP


Ingredients:


Preparation:

(for 4 people)

Soak the beans overnight and then cook

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) beans

in salted water the following day. Make

(from the garden or canned)

a light roux with oil, chopped onion and

• 1 medium-sized onion

flour. Mash the beans and pour them

• a few slices of cured bacon

into the boiled roux. Add the finely

• a little lemon zest

chopped bacon, lemon zest and bay

• flour

leaves, salt and pepper to taste. If there

• 1 l (17 oz) of water

is not enough liquid, pour in some of

• bay laurel leaf

the bean water or broth. Finally, season

• oil

to taste with vinegar. This soup can be

• salt

served with pasta or rice.

• pepper

• vinegar (to taste)





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11

“Gypsy goulash” or “potato goulash”

“Married žganci”

12

“Buchteln” buns or angel wings pastry





Sauerkraut


Fridays were traditionally reserved for


Until the end of the Second World War the winter. If they could afford a pinch meatless meals, but that does not mean

and even afterwards, the dish called of cracklings “as a cherry on top”, the that meat was on the menu every other

žganci (a savoury type of Pauper’s dish was considered a real treat.

day. The “potato” or “gypsy goulash”

Kaiserschmarrn) was practically a

was made with whatever was on hand,

regular daily dish on the workers'

and it was at its best in the mushroom

table. For dinner, for example, they had

season. The angel wings pastry was

prežganka roux soup, and for breakfast

especially popular at carnival time.

they ate the leftovers with white

Because oil was expensive, they were

coffee. They cooked buckwheat, corn

fried in lard instead.

or mešta žganci – made from potatoes

and white flour. Sauerkraut and sour

turnips were also a winter regular, as

preserved in this way they constituted

a cheap source of vitamins throughout

Maja Ambrožič, Društvo žena in deklet na vasi občin Bled in Gorje Milka Zavelcina, Društvo podeželskih žensk pod Golico in Stolom (Association of Women and Girls in the Villages of Bled and Gorje), Zasip (Association of Rural Women), Koroška Bela



“POTATO GOULASH”

“MARRIED ŽGANCI”





SAUERKRAUT


Ingredients:


Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 6–8 persons)

• 1 kg (2.2. lbs) sauerkraut

(for 4–6 persons)

Fry the onion in the fat until it is

• ½ kg (1.1. lbs) potatoes

• one small onion

• 3–4 medium-sized potatoes

golden. Add the raw potatoes cut into

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) white flour

• one bay leaf

• 300 g (0.7 lbs) onions

pieces. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring

• salt

• salt

• some pickles or a slice of lemon

continuously, then add the flour, spices

• cracklings

• pepper

(to taste)

(pepper, salt, cumin, marjoram, bay

• cracklings

• marjoram

leaf) and tomato sauce. Cover with

Preparation:

• juniper berries

• caraway

cold water and cook until the potatoes

Peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes • fat

• tomato sauce

are soft. Finally, crush the garlic and

and throw them in boiling salted water.

• a clove of garlic

add it to the goulash. Add a pickle or

Cook in a tall pot for 15–20 minutes. Preparation:

• bay laurel leaf

lemon if desired. Serve with polenta

Then add the flour in the water and make Add the sauerkraut, bay leaves, juniper

• salt

garnished with cracklings.

a hole in the middle. Leave for about berries, pepper and salt to the fried

• pepper

30 minutes. Then drain the water in onions. Cook for about 30 minutes.

• flour

Milka reminisces:

which the žganci were cooked. It is better When the žganci are ready, serve them

• fat (lard)

»At home, we used the term “potato

to drain more at first and then pour back with the cabbage and sprinkle with the

goulash” and always cooked it

if needed. Stir the žganci with a large cracklings.

without meat. When I started going

fork to form lumps. Add the cracklings

to work, “gypsy goulash” was the

while stirring constantly. Add salt if

fashionable term instead.«

necessary.



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13

“Prežganka” roux soup, patties from meat from the soup,

Preparation:

heated. Bake the patties until they

horseradish sauce, potato salad (with cucumber)

Cut the bread rolls into cubes and add are light brown (depending on their a beaten egg. Finely chop or mince the thickness). If there is any fat left from Because of the abundance of caraway In cucumber season, the potato salad beef. Add the spices and all the other frying, you can make a sauce for the seeds, the prežganka roux soup was was enriched by adding a cucumber ingredients and mix them together until patties. Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic cooked primarily to relieve stomach from the garden.

they form a sticky mass. Add the milk to the fat, add a little flour, season with upsets, but it often found its way onto

by feel – it should form a compact paste. sweet paprika and thin with the stock if the daily menu for no reason other

Form into balls – patties Sprinkle flour necessary. Then cook the patty in this than its simplicity and the availability

on both sides of the patty and throw it sauce for about 20 minutes. You can of the ingredients. The leftover beef

into the pan once the fat is sufficiently also add a little sweet or sour cream.

from Sunday lunch was used for the

meat balls/patties. The horseradish

sauce was a tasty treat to accompany

the otherwise dry patties. Some





HORSERADISH SAUCE


horseradish was roasted and simmered


in white wine before added to the roux

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(called ajnpren in the local dialect).

• 40–50 g (0.09 – 0.11 lbs)

Melt the butter in a pan, add the

grated horseradish

breadcrumbs and fry until they turn

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

• 2 tablespoons butter

golden brown. Then add the sugar and

• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

caramelise it. Add the horseradish and

“PREŽGANKA ” ROUX SOUP

• 2 dl (7 oz) red wine

cover with water and wine. Stir well to

• 1 dl (3.5 oz) water

avoid lumps. Add all the spices. If it is

Ingredients:

Preparation:

• knife point of powdered

too thin, thicken with a little flour.

(for 4 people)

Fry the flour in the oil until golden

(or whole) cloves

• 2 tablespoons oil

brown. Make sure you don’t burn it.

• a little grated lemon zest

• 2–3 tablespoons flour

Pour in the water. Season to taste with

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 eggs

salt, caraway and vegetable seasoning

• pinch of salt

• 1 l (35 oz) of water

mix. Crack the eggs, whisk well, and

• salt and/or seasoning mix

pour into the boiling soup. The soup

with vegetables

should simmer for at least 5–10 minutes

POTATO SALAD (WITH CUCUMBER)

• caraway (ground or whole)

to make sure the flour is cooked. Stir

• parsley

constantly while cooking. Sprinkle with

Ingredients:

Preparation:

parsley for the finishing touch.

(for 4 people)

Boil the potatoes then peel them and cut

• 2 medium sized cucumbers

into rings. Allow to cool. Add the peeled

PATTIES MADE FROM LEFTOVER MEAT FROM THE SOUP

• 8 medium-sized potatoes

and sliced cucumbers. Do not squeeze

• 1 large onion

the cucumbers (in order to try and get

Ingredients:

• pepper

• salt

rid of excess moisture). Add the sliced

(for 4 people)

• parsley

• oil

onion and season with salt and pepper.

• 3–4 bread rolls

• onions

• wine vinegar

If the vinegar is too strong, pour a little

• beef from the soup

• garlic

• pepper

water over it.

• 2 eggs

• flour

• milk (to taste)

• fat (oil or lard)

• salt





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14

Vegetable soup

PLUM DUMPLINGS

Plum dumplings





Compote


Plum dumplings were usually made in late summer or early autumn, when the plums were ripe, and the potatoes from the cellar were perfect for the dough once they had softened and wrinkled a little. Plums were often dried or cooked into a compote, and once preserved in this way, they were used in dumplings.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 9–10 medium-sized dumplings)

Boil the potatoes in their skins. Once

• 6 potatoes

cooked, peel and pass through a strainer.

• 3 eggs

Add the salt, eggs, butter and flour and

• 700 g (1.5 lbs) white flour (type 400)

knead. Add the flour to the appropriate

• 9–10 plums

hardness. Roll out the dough and cut it

• 100 g (0.22 lbs) butter

into rectangular cloths. Place a plum in

• salt

the middle of each cloth and add a pinch

• white sugar

of sugar on top. Fold in all four corners.

• cinnamon

Correct so that the fruit does not stick

• fried breadcrumbs

out. Make balls and put them to boiling

salted water. Cook for about 20 minutes,

or until the dumpling floats to the

Milka Zavelcina, Društvo podeželskih žensk pod Golico in Stolom surface. Put the cooked dumplings in

(Association of Rural Women), Koroška Bela

a bowl, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar

and toasted breadcrumbs. If desired,





VEGETABLE SOUP


pour them over with some of the water

in which the dumplings were cooked.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 4–6 persons)

Roast all vegetables (except peas) in

Milka explains:

• 100 g (0.22 lbs) of leek

oil for 5 minutes, cover with cold water

»I always put the cooked dumplings

• 1–2 handfuls kohlrabi

and add all the spices. When the water

in a bigger bowl first, and then

(white and yellow)

boils, add a handful of rice. Cook for

everyone can put as many as they

• 1 medium-sized carrot

30–35 minutes. Before it is fully cooked,

want on their own plate. That's what

• brussels sprouts or kale

add the cooked peas.

my mother did when we were little.«

• 1 large potato

• a few tablespoons of cooked peas

• fresh celery (root and leaf)





COMPOTE


• a handful of rice

• one bay leaf

Ingredients:

Preparation:

• salt

• 3–4 medium-sized apples

Bring the water to the boil, add the

• pepper

• 1.5 l of water

sliced apples, sweeten if desired, add

• turmeric

• sugar

cinnamon or a slice of lemon (depending

• marjoram

on the sweetness of the apples). Cook

• parsley

until the apples have “dissolved”.

• fat (oil or lard)





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15

Hulled barley soup with dried meat

“KAISERSCHMARRN ” (SCRAMBLED PANCAKE) WITH JAM

“Kaiserschmarrn” (scrambled pancake) with jam

Ingredients:

In Jesenice, we call the hulled barley soup ješprenj (as opposed to ričet, the word (for 4 people)

which is used in the rest of Slovenia). During Lent, (i.e., in the period between

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) white flour

Shrove Tuesday (Carnival) and Easter) – as well as on random days throughout the

• 2 eggs

year when people simply could not afford meat – dried meat was often replaced by

• 6 dl (21 oz) milk

dried fruit: pears, apples and plums. There were several ways in which housewives

• vanilla sugar

made Kaiserschmarrn. Most of the time, they made a thicker pancake (crepe) and

• 80 g (0.17 lbs) of sugar

then cut it into pieces. The Kaiserschmarrn was also a treat for nameday, when

• pinch of salt

only the celebrant got it.

• 50 g (0.11 lbs) butter

• oil

Vera Grgurič, Penzion Pr' Betel, Planina pod Golico

• powdered sugar

• plum jam

HULLED BARLEY SOUP WITH DRIED MEAT

Ingredients:

(for 4 people)

• 200 g (0.44 lbs) of hulled barley

• 400 g (0.88 lbs) of dried meat

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large enough pan. Pour in

(neck or dry ribs)

Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. a generous amount of the batter (the

• 2 medium-sized carrots

Mix the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, Kaiserschmarrn should be thick and

• 50 g (0.11 lbs) of dried beans

a pinch of salt and half the milk with a fluffy, not thin like a crêpe). Bake until

• fresh parsley (root and leaf)

whisk. Then keeping gradually adding slowly browned, first on the underside.

• celery root

the flour and the rest of the milk until Cut in half and turn over. When almost

• 2 cloves of garlic

the mixture is smooth. Whisk the egg cooked, use a wooden spatula to cut the

• bay laurel leaf

whites into a stiff cream, adding sugar Schmarrn into smaller pieces, adding

• salt

in the process. Once they reach stiff butter to make the dish light and fluffy.

• pepper

peaks, add them to the first mixture Place on a plate, sprinkle with icing

• one small onion

to make it fluffy. Stir with a whisk. sugar and add the plum jam.

• ground sweet paprika

Preparation:

beans, carrots, dried meat and spices.

The day before, soak the beans and It should cook for about 2 hours. Take the barley in water in two separate the dry meat out beforehand to prevent containers and leave overnight. The it from overcooking. Chop the onion next day, pour the water away. Place separately and fry until it reduces, then the barley in a pot and pour in enough add the crushed garlic and a teaspoon water to cover it completely. When it of ground sweet paprika. When the mix comes to the boil, drain it again, rinse becomes fragrant, remove from the heat it with water and put it back in the pot. and add to the barley in the pot. Serve Pour 2.5–3 l (88–105 oz) of water into with the dried meat.

it. Leaving the barley in water, add the





Page 32

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 33

16

Dry ribs or dry neck





EGGNOG


Endive with potatoes or other seasonal salad

Eggnog (“šato”)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 1 person)

Put all three ingredients in a bowl.

Some working families raised their own pigs: most, however, simply bought pork

• 1 egg

Whisk them with a whisk over steam

halves for the winter food supply during the time of slaughter. That's when they

• 1 dl (3.5 oz) white wine

until all the ingredients are combined

would eat fresh pork, however, most of the meat was processed immediately to

• 1 large spoonful of sugar

to a suitable consistency.

prevent it from spoiling. They cured (dried and smoked) larger chunks of meat as well as sausages. This was then kept for special, festive days, and rarely appeared Milka reminisces:

on the regular menu. Eggnog was also considered a special treat for rare occasions.

»We used to make eggnog as a treat for patients for strength, for better blood.«

Although wine was the most affordable alcoholic beverage of the time, it was reserved for the father – the head of the family and the main provider. They used





Mashed potatoes and beans


17


to eat eggnog on its own, not with pancakes or ice cream as is the custom today.





Apple mousse


Another common dish – and very popular

among children – was apple mousse,

especially when apples from the cellar had

to be consumed before the new gardening

season began. It was often eaten with

mashed potatoes and boiled beans, which

they would either combine into matevž

stew (or, in Jesenice dialect, fržolova

pešta) or eat as two separate dishes – in which case they would cover the beans

with breadcrumbs for extra flavour.

Milka Zavelcina, Društvo podeželskih žensk pod Golico in Stolom (Association of Rural Women), Koroška Bela





APPLE MOUSSE


Ingredients:


Preparation:

Milka Zavelcina, Društvo podeželskih žensk pod Golico in Stolom (Association of Rural Women), Koroška Bela

(for 2–3 persons)

Place the sliced apples in cold water to

• 6 large apples ( Ontario and

cook. Cook until soft – for approximately





DRY RIBS


Majda – a Slovenian cultivar,

15 minutes. Mash with a potato masher

a cross between Jonatan and

or a handheld blender. Finally, add the

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Golden Noble – are excellent

sugar. You can eat it with macaroni,

(for 4 people)

Place the ribs in cold water to cook.

for apple mousse)

roasted potatoes, struckel dumplings,

• 1 kg dried ribs

Immediately add all the spices as for

• 3 dl (10.5 oz) water

krapi dumplings, etc.

• spices for beef soup

beef stock (carrots, caraway, anise,

• 2 tablespoons sugar

onion, pepper, parsley). Cook the ribs

for about 45–60 minutes.

Milka reminisces:

»At home, we always ate only boiled beans, topped with “zaseka” bacon jam

and apple mousse, no mashed potatoes. I still sometimes make this.«





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18





Meat in vinegar with egg


Sift the flour into a bowl and salt it with baking paper or sprinkled with





Homemade bread


on the side. Add the yeast starter and cornmeal. Brush the loaves with water





Baked apples


liquid, then knead well. The dough or milk and cut evenly into the surface.

should be smooth. Cover the bowl with Place them in an oven, preheated to Meat in vinegar was another way to use up the beef from the soup. Served with a a tablecloth and leave to rise. It must 200–220 °C (392–428 °F) and bake for hard-boiled egg and onions, seasoned with vinegar, salt and pepper, and a generous rise for 30–60 minutes in a warm spot. 20 minutes. Then reduce the tempe-slice of bread, it was a hearty and tasty meal.

When the dough has risen, shape the rature to about 170–180 °C (338–356 °F).

loaves into any size you like and place Bake at this temperature for another them, smooth side down, in round straw 30–40 minutes. This means you should baskets (or comparable containers bake the bread for about 1 hour in you have at hand). Cover them with a total. If you want a soft crust, cover the lightly dampened cloth and let them baked bread with a clean, dry kitchen rise once more. When the loaves have towel when left to cool. It is important risen again to at least half their size, that the napkin used for covering is not turn them out onto a baking tray lined washed with fabric softener!

BAKED APPLES THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

Ingredients:

with walnut kernels, a teaspoon

Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

(for 4 people)

of honey and a teaspoon of butter.

• 8 small or 4 large sweet apples

You can also grind the nuts. A little

VINEGAR MEAT WITH EGG





HOMEMADE BREAD


• walnut kernels (1–2 kernels per apple) jam can be added to taste. Place the

• honey

stuffed apples on a baking tray. Place

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

• butter

them in an oven preheated to 200 ºC

(for 4 people)

(for one larger or two smaller loaves)

(392 ºF). Bake for about 15–20 minutes

• diced or chopped into leaves

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) semi-white flour

Preparation:

(depending on both the oven and the

beef from the soup

type 850

Clean the unpeeled apples and hollow thickness of apples).

• 8–10 hard-boiled eggs

• 330 g white flour (0.7 lbs) type 500

them out with a spoon. Fill them

• 1 large onion

• 170 g (0.37 lbs) rye or wholemeal flour

• pepper

• 0.75 l (26.3 oz) lukewarm water

Vijoleta's husband Franci reminisces:

• salt

(or milk or whey)

»We had a special variety of apples

• wine vinegar

• 13 g (0.03 lbs) fresh yeast

for baking. I don't remember the

• oil (pumpkin or any

• 1 small teaspoon sugar

name of the variety, but the apples

desired salad oil)

• 13 g (0.03 lbs) salt

were medium-sized, perfectly red,

• a little caraway or aniseed





yellow inside and extremely sweet.


Preparation:


When the wood-burning stove was

Mix the meat and onion in a large bowl, Preparation:

lit, we put a tray of apples in it. We

season to taste and add the hard-boiled Prepare a starter from crumbled

used to eat baked apples without

eggs. Serve with black bread.

yeast, water, a little flour and sugar.

any filling.«

Buttermilk, milk or sour milk can also

be used instead of water.





Page 36

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 37

SUNDAY LUNCH

Preparation:

and let the ingredients simmer for 2–3

Rinse the meat and bones well and hours. The soup should simmer slowly Not long ago, meat was only on the table on Sundays, when the mother cooked beef place them in cold water. Clean the and be covered with a lid to prevent the soup. Only in wealthier families was there a roast for Sunday lunch, and for the vegetables, put them in a pot and flavours and aromas from evaporating.

most part each family member was given only a little piece of meat from the broth immediately add salt. Cover the pot

whereas in the poorer families all of the meat was reserved for the father, who was the only breadwinner and thus had to be well fed. Lunch on Sundays was always at ROASTED POTATOES

noon sharp. In more recent times, slurping beef broth went hand in hand with the mandatory “Avseniki” (The Avsenik Brothers Ensemble) music and “Congratulations Ingredients:

Preparation:

and Greetings” on Radio Triglav, the local Jesenice radio station. Therefore, we still (for 4 people)

Boil the potatoes in salted water. Peel

refer to this type of traditional Slovenian music as “beef ” music.

• 8 medium-sized potatoes

the cooked potatoes. Fry the sliced

• 1 onion

onion in the lard until golden brown.

19





Beef soup


• lard

Add the sliced potatoes to the onions





Meat from the soup


• salt

and season with salt. If the potatoes are





Roasted potatoes


left to stand for a long time, pour the





Horseradish sauce


beef stock over them.

Lettuce (with egg) or other seasonal salad

To balance out a heavy meal, they also ate seasonal salad grown in their home Vijoleta Smolej, Prihodi

garden, in early spring they picked dandelion leaves, and for the winter they had pickled salads: beetroot, sauerkraut, cucumbers, and later also bell peppers.





BEEF SOUP


Ingredients:


• 600–700 g (1.3–1.5 lbs) of beef

with bones (ribs or neck)

• 1 part of old hen

• 2 beef bones

• 5 l (176 oz) of water

• carrots

• parsley (greens, root)

• celery

• marjoram

• thyme

• leek

• onions

• garlic

• bay laurel leaf

• a piece of underground kohlrabi

• nutmeg

• safflower





Page 38

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 39

FOLLOWING THE BOHINJ RAILWAY

Marija Cirila Beguš, Podbrdo

For centuries, people from near and far saw the iron foundry of Jesenice as an

“LUŠTRKAJCA ” SAVOURY PASTRY

opportunity to make money. The construction of the Bohinj Railway contributed to more mass immigration in the early 20th century. Skilled, Capable builders Luštrkajca is a type of salty potica (dough roll) with a filling of egg, oil, lovage came to work on the track mainly from the Primorska region. In the Interwar (in Slovene: luštrek) and diced dried pork. They ate it with jota stew or with period, people came to Jesenice fleeing from the fascist regime of their region, braised sauerkraut.

and after the Second World War they commuted to work every day due to the favourable railway connection, especially from the nearby Baška grapa. Many of Ingredients for the dough:

Preparation:

these workers settled in Jesenice for good, bringing into the local culinary mix

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) white flour

Knead the dough like sourdough bread

the dishes their mothers taught them. Thus, the jota stew soon found its way

• 1 cube of yeast

dough and leave it to rise.

into the offer of the factory canteens and on the tables of other Jesenice

• 3 pinches of salt

For the filling, heat the bacon jam, add

residents, whereas the more specific luštrkajca and frika dishes were reserved

• 4 dl (14 oz) lukewarm water

the cornmeal and finally the lovage.

for reviving memories of their native Primorska.

Then let everything cool well. Roll out

Ingredients for the filling:

the dough once it has risen. Spread

“Jota” stew or minestrone or pasta beans

20

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) of zaseka bacon jam

the filling all over the dough and roll it

“Luštrkajca” pastry or “buchteln” buns

(adjust quantity as desired – more,

up like a roulade. Preheat the oven to

in this case, is not less)

180 °C (356 °F). Bake for about 1 hour.

Vera Grgurič, Penzion Pr' Betel, Planina pod Golico

• 100 g (0.22 lbs) corn meal

“JOTA ” STEW

• two handfuls of finely chopped

lovage leaves

Ingredients:

and pepper to the cabbage. Peel the

(for 4 people)

potatoes, cut them into large cubes and

• 150 g (0.33 lbs) of beans in the grain

boil them in another pan. Fry the onion

• 250 g (0.55 lbs) of dried meat

in the oil until fragrant, add the garlic

• 3 medium-sized potatoes

for aroma, then also add the flour and

• 250 g (0.55 lbs) sauerkraut

the ground paprika. Fry a little and

• 1.5 l (53 oz) of water

add everything to the cabbage. Add the

• a spoonful of oil

cooked and drained beans and potatoes

• 1 medium-sized onion

to the cabbage as well. Stir and cook a

• 2 cloves of garlic

little more. Serve. The dried meat can

• 20 g (0.044 lbs) or 1 tablespoon flour

be cooked beforehand or served in one

• peppercorns

piece alongside the jota .

• bay laurel leaf

• one teaspoon ground sweet paprika

Preparation:

Soak the beans in water the day before

and leave overnight, then boil them

separately in salted water for about 1

hour. Drain the cabbage, rinse it with

water and put it in 1.5 l (53 oz) of water

to cook. Add the diced dried meat, bay

Workers celebrate the breaking through of the Karavanke tunnel on the Karavanke–Bohinj railway in 1905.





Page 40

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 41

21

“Frika”

FROM VARDAR TO TRIGLAV 5

“Polenta”

As early as 1948, immigrants from burek more or less remained in the Frika originates from Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It settled in the area of the Soča the republics of the former Yugoslavia domain of immigrant housewives. A Valley in various forms. The basis of the dish is pan-fried cheese, to which potatoes were either making their way to very important factor in introducing are added, as well as bacon, various herbs, and, in some places, eggs. Frika was Jesenice by themselves or the Iron Slovenes to the diet of immigrants once eaten as a standalone dish whereas today it is often served with toasted Foundry representatives ‘went down were mixed marriages and joint work polenta, bread and/or salad.

to get them’ because they needed campaigns.

workers for the ironworks. In 1969,

Mirjam Rutar, Letni vrt Pr Jakču, Tolmin

15.3% of the approximately 6,300

employees of the Železarna iron

“FRIKA ” AND “POLENTA ”

foundry were immigrants from other

Yugoslav republics. They brought

Ingredients:

requires less time. Stir several times in

their habits from their environment

(for 1–2 persons)

between to make sure it does not stick

and kept them very much alive. This

• 5 medium-sized potatoes

to the bottom of the bowl. Gradually

was clearly manifested in their cuisine

• 250 g (0.55 lbs) Tolmin mountain cheese add water as needed. Remove from (cooking styles and dishes of choice),

(or a comparable full fat hard cheese)

the heat and cover the polenta with

which largely contributed to the

• oil or lard

a lid to prevent it from cooling. While

current “fusion food” culinary culture

• salt

the polenta is cooking, you can already

of Jesenice.6 In the Za naše gospodinje

• 0.5 dl (1.8 oz) corn semolina

start preparing the frika.

(For Our Housewives) section of the

(not an instant sort)

Tovarniški vestnik Factory Journal we

• at least 1.5 dcl (5.3 oz) water

Peel the potatoes and cut into thin

find a sarma recipe as early as 1938.

for the polenta

slices. Fry them in oil in a frying pan.

Similar to the jota of Primorska, the

Place the slices in a bowl, add the grated

Železarna canteens soon offered pasulj

mountain cheese and season with salt.

bean stew, filled bell peppers and

Mix to form a compact mixture. Put a

sarma, moussaka etc. However, only little oil in the pan, then spread some

a few local housewives mastered the

of the mixture over the pan (about 2 cm

skills of rolling dough with the

thick). Bake on both sides.

oklagija rolling pin, so pita pies and End of the shift – workers in front of the gatehouse Mirjam Rutar explains:

of the Jesenice Iron Foundry in 1964.

»The recipe is adapted for a quicker

Preparation:

preparation, as the “frika” used to be

We start by preparing the polenta. Put baked in lard on a wood-stove slowly

the corn meal in salted boiling water for about an hour. It is a strong

and cook over a moderate heat. For and filling dish that wives used to

larger quantities of polenta, cook for at Oklagija dough rolling pin, online source.





prepare for their husbands when


least 45 minutes, whereas this recipe they were working in the forest.«

5 From Vardar to Triglav is the first verse of the popular patriotic song »Yugoslavia« from the 1980s. Macedonia's Vardar River and Slovenia's The “frika”, prepared at the Pr’ Jakču Summer Garden in Tolmin, has been award-Mount Triglav are famous landmarks in the extreme south and north of the former Yugoslavia.

6 Fusion food cuisine combines elements of different culinary traditions originating from different countries, regions or cultures. This type of ed the “Iz doline Soče” (From the Soča Valley) certificate because it uses locally pro-cooking concept is not categorized according to a certain culinary style and has been the driving force of innovation in many modern duced ingredients. Tolmin cheese comes from organic farms in the village of Čadrg.

restaurant kitchens since the 1970s.





Page 42

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 43

22

“Pita” or “burek”

“Mutuša” pie with chicken

23

Yoghurt/ayran

Yoghurt/ayran

Pita (pie) is a generic name for various dishes made of dough, whereby its more specific name is determined by the filling it contains. Burek, however, is just one type of pie, filled with minced meat. There is a famous – and untranslatable –

Bosnian saying: »Sve su pite pite, samo je burek pitac«, which would, very loosely translated mean something like »Every “pita” is a Queen, but only “burek” is King.«

For the truest experience, yoghurt or ayran (salted yoghurt, diluted with water) is a must when eating pita or burek.

Hasnija - Hasna Dugonjić, Jesenice

“BUREK ” (MEAT PIE)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

(for 4 people)

Knead a smooth, elastic dough, form

into loaves and leave to rise. Meanwhile,

Hasnija - Hasna Dugonjić, Jesenice





Dough


prepare the stuffing – mix the meat,

• 300 g (0.66 lbs) white flour

finely chopped onion, garlic and spices

“MUTUŠA ” PIE WITH CHICKEN

• 2 dl (7 oz) lukewarm water

well. Roll out the dough, stuff and roll

• salt

together. Place the rolls on a greased

Ingredients:

Preparation:

baking tray.

(for 4 people)

Knead the dough and leave to stand.





Stuffing


Place in a preheated oven and bake at

Clean the meat and boil it for a few

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) beef (can be minced,

200 °C (392 °F) for about 30 minutes.





Dough


minutes. Place the greased baking tray

but even better if it is cut into small

Pour the prepared boiling water in

• 300 g (0.66 lbs) white flour

in the oven and turn it on. Season the

pieces instead

which the butter has been melted over

• 1 egg

meat with salt, pour the batter onto the

• 1 large onion

the baked burek (as a wash, to make it

• 1 yoghurt

heated baking tray, and place the meat

• 2 cloves of garlic

shine) and cover it.

• 1 dl (3.5 oz) mineral water

on top of the batter. Bake in the oven for

• a tablespoon of salt



• salt

25 minutes at 200°C/392 °F (or depen-

• a spoonful of spice mix

• a little baking powder

ding on the oven). When the mutuša pie

with vegetables

is done, pour cream over it and serve

• pepper





Stuffing


with yoghurt or a seasonal salad.

• 4 chicken thighs or legs

Cream-wash

(can also be wings)

Hasnija says:

• 1 dl (3.5 oz) boiling water

• salt

»“Mutuša” and “kljukuša” are

• a teaspoon of butter

prepared in a similar way, but

Cream-wash

“kljukuša” is a meatless dish. The

• sour or sweet cream

“kljukuša” has many different

names in different parts of Bosnia

and Herzegovina: “kljukuša”,

“razlivača”, “buranija” or “uljevak”.«





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

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24

“Čorba” stew: Bosnian pot or “bamija” (okra soup)

“Sarma” rolls or “dolme” 7

25

“Somun” (“lepinja”) bread roll

Mashed potatoes, sour cream

Čorba stews have a special place in the everyday traditional Bosnian cuisine. A In Turkish, sarma means anything wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves, and dolma Bosnian pot is a workers’ dish of Bosnian miners, which was traditionally cooked means stuffing of minced meat and rice. In Slovenia, dolma is usually used as during the shift. It is considered a group dish, as it gets a better taste and aroma stuffing for stuffed bell peppers, but we can also use it to stuff tomatoes, onions, if prepared in larger quantities and in a clay pot. Bamija or okra is an unripe seed zucchini etc.

pod that is used as a vegetable in many Bosnian čorba stews. The most typical okra stew (čorba), which is an extremely prized dish throughout the Middle East, Hasnija - Hasna Dugonjić, Jesenice

is also called bamija.

“SARMA ”

Hasnija - Hasna Dugonjić, Jesenice

Ingredients:





BOSNIAN POT


(for 4 people)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Mixture (filling)

(for 6 persons)

Place a layer of sliced meat in a deep pot,

• 1 head of sauerkraut

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) meat

then a layer of vegetables, then another

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) minced meat

(lamb, mutton or veal)

layer of meat and then take turn placing

• 150 g (0.33 lbs) rice

• 3–4 potatoes

the meat and vegetables. Also add salt,

• 1 large onion

• 3 tomatoes

seasoning mix with vegetables, pepper

• garlic

• 1 eggplant

and ground sweet paprika. When the

• salt

• 150 g string beans

meat and vegetables have been used

• pepper

• 2 peppers

up, pour some water over it and add a

• ground sweet paprika

• 3 onions

little oil. Cook for at least 3 hours over a

• seasoning mix with vegetables

• garlic

medium heat.

• 1 dl (3.5 oz) mineral water

• 3 carrots

• dry meat

• 1 parsley (root)

• half a head of fresh cabbage





Sauce


Preparation:


• salt

• flour

Mix the minced meat, onion, rice, garlic,

• pepper

• tomato sauce

mineral water and spices well. Put a

• seasoning mix with vegetables

• butter

little of the filling on the cabbage leaf

• ground sweet paprika

• salt

and shape into sarma rolls. Put one

• 1–2 dl (3.5–7 oz) water

• pepper

large tablespoon of butter or oil in a pan,

• one bay leaf

add 2 spoonfuls of flour and fry until it

• ground sweet paprika

turns a golden colour. Then pour in some

Hasnija reminisces:

• seasoning mix with vegetables

water, add the tomato sauce, seasoning

»When I was a child, my father loved to cook on a wood stove. He filled the

and cook for a while longer. Place the

pot with the ingredients for the Bosnian pot, covered it with a sack, usually

sarma rolls in the sauce and the dried

one that flour came in, and tied the sack over the pot. He put the pot on the

meat in between. Pour hot water over

edge of the stove. Because it was cold, we kept the fire burning all night, so

the sarma until they are fully submerged

the dish cooked slowly overnight.«

7 Dolmas ( dolme) are meat wrapped in onion leaves, similar to sarma.

cook slowly over a low heat for 1.5 hours.





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

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26

“Moussaka”

“Boranija” or “pasulj”

27





Seasonal salad


“Somun” (“lepinja”) bread roll

Moussaka is a word of Arabic origin and it signifies a dish made of vegetables and Boranija can be with meat or meatless. Some even call it “string beans goulash”

roasted meat, prepared in several luscious layers.

The word boranija simultaneously means “string beans” and “string bean stew”.

Just as pasulj in its native tongue denotes both beans and bean stew. Easy beansy!

Hasnija - Hasna Dugonjić, Jesenice

“MOUSSAKA ”

Ingredients:

(for 4 people)

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) minced meat

• 1 onion

• 600 g (1.3 lbs) of potatoes

• salt

• pepper

Egg-wash

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 dl (3.5 oz) milk

Milka Zavelcina, Društvo podeželskih žensk pod Golico in Stolom (Association of Rural Women), Koroška Bela

“BORANIJA ”

Preparation:

30 minutes. When it is baked well,

Fry the meat with the onion and spices. remove from the oven and pour the Ingredients:

Preparation:

Cut the potatoes into discs, add salt and egg-wash made with eggs, cream and (for 4–5 persons)

Fry the onion in the fat until it is golden

boil for a few minutes (no more than milk on top. Return to the oven for a few

• 300 g (0.66 lbs) pork

brown. Add the diced meat. Roast for

5). Place the ingredients on the baking minutes to allow the moussaka to form

• 500 g (1.1 lbs) string beans

about 20 minutes, then add the raw

tray in layers, taking turns: first a a crust on top. Moussaka can also be

• 2 medium-sized potatoes

string beans, cut into quarters. Cover

layer of potatoes, then the meat filling made with eggplants. Instead of

• 2 medium-sized onions

with water and cook until soft. Cook the

and then the potatoes again. Bake in a potatoes, simply use sliced, salted and

• 1.5 l (52.8 oz) of water

diced potatoes separately. Once cooked,

preheated oven at 200 °C (392 °F) for breaded eggplants.

• pepper

drain them and add to the soup. Add

• salt

all the spices. If the soup is too thin,

• 1 large spoonful of tomato sauce

thicken it with flour (or an alternative

• nutmeg

food thickener).

• caraway

• turmeric

• flour

• parsley

• fat (lard)





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

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28

“Gravče na tavče” 8 with dried meat

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH STREET FOOD PROJECT





Pickled chilli peppers


In 2021, the Jesenice HOMEly cooking ( KUHAM DOMAče) project took a step Among the Orthodox families, each household has its patron saint, and according further from mere cooking workshops. We joined forces with The Upper Sava to tradition, families prepare their slava (patron saint celebration day) on the Valley Museum ( Gornjesavski muzej) of Jesenice and hand-picked Jesenice caterers day of the family saint, wherever they are, even abroad or far from home. In to create a collection of menus under the joint title The Workers’ Lunch ( Delavska Macedonia, on this day, they serve sarma, gravče na tavče from special tetovac mal’ca). The menus combine dishes once eaten by workers in the canteen of the beans, turšija (mixed pickled vegetables: carrots, cauliflower and unripe green Jesenice ironworks, dishes that found their way onto the tables of local workers, tomatoes), roasted red bell peppers and peppers stuffed with cottage cheese, and dishes “imported” to Jesenice by immigrants from Primorska and the republics salad from fresh cabbage or sauerkraut, cold cuts with salami and salty white of the former Yugoslavia. Today, selected dishes are available in six Jesenice pubs cheese and mandatory desserts such as baklava and tulumba. On an ordinary and restaurants: Penzion Pr' Betel, Gostilnica in pizzerija Chilli (Chilli Inn and day, however, they will eat only gravče na tavče without meat.

Pizzeria), Kazina, Bistro Oaza, Dom Pristava and Gostilna in pizzerija Turist.

The following year, we served street food to present the dishes in a more modern Saša Svetina, Jesenice

format. We presented our culinary offer at various events in The municipality of Jesenice and at cooking workshops in the primary schools of Jesenice.

“GRAVČE NA TAVČE ”

Ingredients:

soften. Add the spices (be careful not

(for 4 people)

to add too much salt, as dried meat is

• 400 g (0.88 lbs) dried beans (or 2 tins) salty in itself). Take the baking tray

• 1 large onion

and grease it well with oil. Put all the

• garlic

vegetables in the baking tray and mix

• tomato sauce

them well. Add the dried meat and

• 2 carrots

shake the beans over everything. Pour

• 1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow pepper

some of the water in which the beans

• parsley leaves

were cooked over the mixture. Then mix

• dried meat or sausages

a large spoonful of flour in a couple of

• salt

tablespoons of water and a tablespoon

• seasoning mix with vegetables

of red pepper and pour over everything.

• pepper

Bake for 25 min in a preheated oven

• ground sweet paprika

at 180°C (356 °F).

• chilli peppers if desired

Preparation:

Soak the beans overnight, then cook

them. Leave it in the water in which it

was cooked (canned beans do not need

to be cooked). Fry the onions until they

turn golden, add the peppers, carrots

and garlic and fry them until they

8 Tavče or tava is the clay pot in which the gravče – i.e., beans – are baked





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THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

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29

Barley “risotto” with “Kranjska klobasa” parboiled sausage

“Kaiserschmarrn” scrambled pancake

30

with jam, raisins and caramel

Jerica Klinar, Slovenski Javornik

“KAISERSCHMARRN ” SCRAMBLED PANCAKE

WITH JAM, RAISINS AND CARAMEL

Ingredients:

(for 4 people)

• 220 g (0.5 lbs) plain white flour

• 4 eggs

• 50 g (0.11 lbs) sugar

• 0.5 l (17 oz) of milk

• 1 pinch of salt

• a little baking powder

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

• raisins (to taste)

Jerica Klinar, Slovenski Javornik

BARLEY “RISOTTO ”

WITH “KRANJSKA KLOBASA ” PARBOILED SAUSAGE

Preparation:

the Kaiserschmarrn onto the edge of

Separate the egg whites and egg yolks. the pan. Increase the heat, put the rest Ingredients:

Preparation:

Add the milk, salt and half the sugar of the butter and the icing sugar in the

• 200 g (0.44 lbs) hulled barley

Soak the barley in cold water overnight.

to the yolks and whisk until frothy. middle of the pan. When it starts to

• 2 Kranjska klobasa sausages

Finely coarsely chop the white part

Gradually add the flour, mixed with caramelise, begin stirring to mix it with

• 1 small carrot

of the leek. Peel and finely dice the

baking powder. Whisk the egg whites pieces of Kaiserschmarrn to coat them

• 2 stalks of celery

celery and carrot. Make a vegetable

until they reach a stiff peak. When they in caramel and give them a crispy crust.

• the white part of a small leek

base from the clean trimmings and

start to foam, gradually add half of the Sprinkle the raisins on top. Wash, peel

• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce

other vegetables. Cut the sausages

sugar while whisking. Slowly whisk and slice the apples. Shake them in a

• 3 tablespoons crushed tomatoes

into wheels or small cubes. Heat the

them into the egg yolk mixture. Stir large saucepan, add the sugar and 3 dl

• vegetable base or water

oil in a pot and fry the leeks. Add the

gently and slowly to keep the mixture (10.5 oz) of water. Sauté them for about

• extra virgin olive oil

chopped vegetables, thyme and parsley.

loose and fluffy. Melt half the butter in 15 minutes until they turn soft. Stir

• 15 g (0.033 lbs) butter

Sauté for 2–3 minutes. Add the tomato

a frying pan and pour in the mixture several times. Finally, mash them with

• parmesan

sauce, the crushed tomatoes and the

about 1 cm thick. Cook over a low heat a wooden spoon and add the butter. Stir

• 3 dl (10.5 oz) Malvasia wine

cooked barley. Bake the sausages in a

and, when the pancake is golden brown well to melt the butter. To serve, add the

• salt

pan or on the grill and add them to the

on the underside, divide it into quarters apple mousse to the Kaiserschmarrn –

• white peppercorns

pot with the vegetables. Add butter to

with a blunt spatula and carefully turn either on the side or pour it directly over

• thyme

taste. Before serving, stir in the grated

each one over. Fry well on the other it. Garnish with mint leaves.

• parsley

Parmesan cheese.

side as well, then cut or tear them with

a spatula smaller pieces and mix. Push





Page 52

THE WORKERS’ LUNCH

Page 53

31

Mac & meat au gratin (gratinated)

“Ájmoht” stew with “žganci” buckwheat mush

32

Jerica Klinar, Slovenski Javornik

Jerica Klinar, Slovenski Javornik

MAC & MEAT AU GRATIN

“ÁJMOHT ” STEW WITH “ŽGANCI ” BUCKWHEAT MUSH

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Preparation of ájmoht stew:

(for 4 people)

(for 10 persons)

Peel and chop the onion and garlic.

• 400 g (0.88 lbs) ground beef

• 300 g (0.66 lbs) chicken meat

Fry the onion in the fat, add the garlic.

• ½ kg (1.1 lbs) pasta (macaroni)

• 200 g (0.44 lbs) chicken bones

When you can smell the aroma, add the

• 1 medium-sized onion

• 1.5 l (53 oz) chicken base

meat that you cut into chunks, and fry.

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 200 g (0.44 lbs) soup vegetables

Add the chicken bones (neck etc.) Clean

• 2 tablespoons oil

(leek, celery, kohlrabi)

the vegetables and cut them into pieces.

• 50 g (0.033 lbs) butter

• 40 g (0.09 lbs) of oil

Place them with the meat and fry for a

• 50 g (0.5 lbs) flour

• 100 g (0.22 lbs) onions

few minutes. Season with salt, pepper,

• 0.5 l (17 oz) warm milk

• a clove of garlic

bay leaves, marjoram and thyme. Pour

• salt

• one bay leaf

over the chicken base. Let the ájmoht

• freshly ground pepper

• marjoram

stew boil slowly for 45 minutes. Finally,

• ground nutmeg

• thyme

season with lemon juice or vinegar.

• 100 g (0.22 lbs) grated cheese

• salt

(Edam, Gouda, mozzarella, etc.)

• pepper

Preparation of buckwheat žganci:

• chopped parsley

• vinegar or lemon juice

Place a large pan over a medium heat.

Add the buckwheat flour and fry for 2–3

Preparation:

lumps. Stir and cook until the béchamel

Buckwheat žganci

minutes. Stir constantly to prevent it

Peel the onion and garlic and finely sauce thickens (about 2 minutes).

• 300 g (0.66 lbs) buckwheat flour

from burning or sticking to the pan. Put

chop them separately. Put a pot of pasta Season to taste with pepper, salt and

• 1 litre (53 oz) of water

the water and salt in a pot and turn the

cooking water on the stove. Put the pasta nutmeg. Preheat the oven to 190 °C

• 1 teaspoon salt

heat to high. When the water comes to the

in the salted water and cook for the time (374 °F). Grease a deep baking tray boil, shake all the flour vigorously in the

indicated on the package. Drain when with oil. Put half of the cooked pasta in centre of the pot to form a ball surrounded

they are the cooked. Heat the oil in a a baking tray and spread it evenly over by water. When the water comes back

large frying pan and fry the chopped the base of the tray. Arrange the roasted to the boil, cook for 2–3 minutes. Then,

onion. Add the garlic and minced meat meat over the pasta and cover with the with the handle of a rolling pin, make

and fry over a moderate heat, stirring remaining pasta. Pour the béchamel a 2–3 cm wide hole in the centre of the

occasionally, until the meat is browned. over everything and sprinkle the grated lump, into which the water must pour.

Season with salt and pepper. Melt the cheese on top. Put the baking tray into Cover, cook for 20–25 minutes. Drain the

butter in a large pan. Add the flour and the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes žganci and save the water in which they

fry, stirring constantly, for 1 min. Then to get a nice golden-brown colour on top.

were cooked. Stir the žganci well with a gradually add the warm milk and stir Before serving, sprinkle with grated wooden spoon or spatula to form a thick

all the time to prevent the formation of cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

ball. If they are too dry, not sticky and

there are traces of flour, gradually add

water to make them stickier and denser.

Either pour the ájmoht over the žganci or serve them each in a separate bowl.



Page 54





Index of recipes


Menu 1: “Kranjska klobasa” parboiled sausage, bean salad, pastry (optional) 8

33





Baked apples filled with walnuts


Menu 2: Mac & meat, seasonal salad, pastry (optional) 9

Menu 3: Spoon-dishes: “Szegedin goulash” or tripe or “goulash”, bread, 10

pastry (optional)

Menu 4: Beef heart chunks in sauce, mashed potatoes, seasonal salad (lettuce) 12

Menu 5: “Safalada” knackwurst sausage or “pasja radost” (dog’s joy) sausage, 13

potato salad, pastry

Menu 6: “Gorenjski želodček” rich sausage with porridge, “govnač” stew 14

(potato puree and white cabbage), pastry (optional) Menu 7: Braised liver and “polenta”, seasonal salad 15

Menu 8: “Govnač” stew and soup meat, “apples in nightgown”

18

Menu 9: “Ájmoht” stew with “žganci” or “vaseršpoclni” dumplings, 20

snowy eggs (“oefs à la neige”) or strudel

Menu 10: Bean soup, pancakes (crêpes) with jam 22

Menu 11: “Gypsy goulash” or “potato goulash”, 24

“buchteln” buns or angel wings pastry

Menu 12: “Married žganci” , sauerkraut 25

Menu 13: “Prežganka” roux soup, patties from meat from the soup, 26

horseradish sauce, potato salad (with cucumber)

Menu 14: Vegetable soup, plum dumplings, compote 28

Jerica Klinar, Slovenski Javornik

Menu 15: Hulled barley soup with dried meat, 30

“Kaiserschmarrn” (scrambled pancake) with jam

“TUFAHIJE ” (BAKED APPLES FILLED WITH WALNUTS) Menu 16: Dry ribs or dry neck, endive with potatoes, or other seasonal salad, eggnog (“šato”)

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Menu 17: Mashed potatoes and beans, apple mousse 33

(for 4 people)

Mix the ground walnuts, honey,

Menu 18: Meat in vinegar with egg, homemade bread, baked apples 34

• 4 medium-sized apples

cinnamon and raisins. Add the almonds

Menu 19: Beef soup, meat from the soup, roasted potatoes, 36

• 12 tablespoons chopped

and stir gently again. Cut off the “lid”

horseradish sauce, lettuce (with egg) or other seasonal salad or coarsely ground walnuts

from the apples and carefully scoop

Menu 20: “Jota” stew or minestrone or pasta beans 38

• 4 tablespoons honey

out their cores with a spoon. Be careful

“Luštrkajca” pastry or “buchteln” buns

• 4 tablespoons sliced almonds

not to go too deep, the wall of the apple

Menu 21: “Frika” and “polenta”

40

• 4 tablespoons dried cranberries

should be at least 1 cm thick. Fill them

Menu 22: “Pita” or “burek”, yoghurt/ayran

42

or raisins

with the filling, cover them with the

Menu 23: “Mutuša” pie with chicken, yoghurt/ayran 43

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

cut-off “lid” and wrap them in alu-

Menu 24: “Čorba” stew: Bosnian pot or “bamija” (okra soup), “somun” (“lepinja”) bread roll 44

• whipped sweet cream

minium foil. Bake at 180 °C (356 °F) for

Menu 25: “Sarma” rolls or “dolme”, mashed potatoes, sour cream 45

about 25 minutes. To serve, place the

Menu 26: “Moussaka”, seasonal salad

46

baked apple on a plate and pour over it

Menu 27: “Boranija” or “pasulj”, “somun” (“lepinja”) bread roll 47

some of the juice from the baking. Add

Menu 28: “Gravče na tavče” with dried meat, pickled chilli peppers 48

a spoonful of whipped cream, drizzle

Menu 29: Barley “risotto” with “Kranjska klobasa” parboiled sausage 50

with a little honey and sprinkle with

walnuts.

Menu 30: “Kaiserschmarrn” scrambled pancake with jam, raisins and caramel 51

Menu 31: Mac & meat au gratin

52

Menu 32: “Ájmoht” stew with “žganci” buckwheat mush 53

Menu 33: “Tufahije” (baked apples filled with walnuts) 54



THE WORKERS’ LUNCH (DELAVSKA MALCA)

The KUHAM DOMAče project is funded by The Municipality of Jesenice.

Edited by: The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska and The Upper Sava Valley Museum Proper nutrition health work

Photographic material: The Upper Sava Valley Museum (Gornjesavski muzej Jesenice), Špela Ankele – Slovenske novice newspaper and blog Špela’s Pantry (Špelina shramba), Adult Education Centre of Jesenice (Ljudska univerza Jesenice), Jesenice Youth Centre (Mladinski center Jesenice), capacity personal satisfaction

Aleksandra Orel, Foto Vidmar, Gregor Vidmar s. p., NikB Foto, Nik Bertoncelj s. p., Benjamin Rot, Saša Svetina, Žiga Koren (archive www.dolina-soce.si), Hasnija Dugonjić, Vera Grgurič and The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska archive (Razvojna agencija Zgornje Gorenjske) Design: Rosje

Translation: LHOTSE, Lothar Orel s. p.

Published by: The Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska Long gone are the days when people

cannot concentrate enough at work a few benefits: higher productivity, First, digital edition

knew and perhaps even adhered to the and cannot properly focus on their better health status of the staff, fewer simple folk saying that an empty sack tasks. They November, 2024

quickly become tired, accidents, etc. And above all, it would cannot stand upright. Who knows in feeling hunger only when their work be of great help to employed women whose mind this idea was born? As performance has already declined. who, after a full day’s work, still have simple as it is, it is a sprout of life’s For all these reasons, breakfast to cook lunch at home, as well as to wisdom. It tells us that people have should be truly substantial. It should workers who live far away or commute known the importance of nutrition include nutritious foods such as milk, from other places. If this manner of for a long time. Understandably, they oats, eggs, cheese, sugar, meat, bread eating were adopted so that people ate approached it in their own, primitive (preferably whole grain), etc. In this both a substantial lunch and a dinner, way, and even today, the attention selection, everyone can find something albeit a modest one, there would be given to nutrition is undoubtedly to their taste that will provide a light yet significantly less illness.

insufficient.

hearty breakfast. Unfortunately, for In conclusion, just one more thing.

What should every housewife know many, due to disorganized conditions, It is highly recommended to slow down about nutrition? And not just every this is difficult or even impossible. – while eating, take each bite slowly and housewife! It wouldn’t hurt for any girl That is why a warm meal, prepared thoughtfully. During your meal, try or man to know these things as well. for workers in the Iron foundry, would to put your worries aside and forget Various Jesenice restaurant owners and staff made a huge contribution in putting together the menus presented in this For you see, it matters when, what, be very necessary. However, it would about the work that awaits you.



This

booklet, and we also found some of the recipes and descriptions in the following books: The Diversity of Culture and Cuisine and how we eat.

be incorrect and wrong for people to way, the food will taste better and be of Jesenice (Mavričnost kulture in kulinarike Jesenic) by Zdenka Torkar Tahir and Nina Hribar published by The Upper It is best if our diet includes five treat it as a replacement for breakfast more beneficial.

Sava Valley Museum (Gornjesavski muzej Jesenice, 2019), Tasting Slovenia (Okusiti Slovenijo) by Janez Bogataj meals a day, if possible, in regular or even lunch. The proposed warm Stick to all of this, and your work (Rokus Klett, 2012) and Cookbook of Slovenian Bosnian Women (Kuharica slovenskih Bosank) published by intervals. Breakfast is certainly one meal, served in the foundry, should will be more successful. It will bring Women’s Association Zemzem (Žensko združenje Zemzem, 2011).

of the main meals of the day. Should truly be just a snack; an intermediate you satisfaction, which is an important an employee, be it an intellectual or meal, but one that is, regardless of condition for health.

We would like to thank Maja Ambrožič, Marija Cirila Beguš, a physical worker, The Association of Peasant Women and Girls in Bohinj (Društvo kmečkih žena in deklet v Bohinju), arrive at work in whether eaten in the morning or in the Hasnija Dugonjić, Vera Grgurič, Jerica Klinar, Mirjam Rutar, Vijoleta Smolej, Saša Svetina, the morning on an empty stomach or afternoon, way more important than hungry, because they – out of ignorance and Milka Zavelcina for their help in writing down the recipes.

we used to realize.

or carelessness – had an inadequate



Both the Iron foundry and its



We would also like to thank Špela Ankele of Slovenske novice newspaper and Špela’s Pantry (Špelina shramba) breakfast or even no breakfast at all, workers would benefit from the T.S.

website, Vesna from Visoko, hockey player Andrej Tavželj and the Valter restaurant from Kranj for their help they may not even notice that they introduction of this meal. To list just Stane Tušar in photographing the dishes.

Kataložni zapis o publikaciji (CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani COBISS.SI-ID 214921219

ISBN 978-961-95252-7-2 (PDF)

The Železar magazine, volume

1, Nr. 1, page 7, April 1959,

JLIB.

The Jesenice Iron Foundry, 1933 (Photo by: Slavko Smolej)



THE WORKERS’





LUNCH


DELAVSKA MALCA


“Street food” – Baked apples

In the canteen, 1963.

filled with walnuts