May

Barbecuing in Slovenia

When summer is approaching, Slovenes are ready for barbecuing. From the back of each house you can see smoke twirling and lovely smell tickling your nostrils. On grill grates you would probably find čevapčiči (minced-meat rolls) and ražnjiči (meat, stuck on sticks) which are not originally Slovenian dishes but well-adopted in our country. Besides those we have a Carniolan sausage, which was supposedly first made in Slovenia. It can be either cooked or not. If cooked, you cannot eat it without mustard and rye bread. Delicious.

The tradition of putting up the May pole during the evening of April 30 is still practiced in many areas of Slovenia. A May pole is crafted from a pine tree which the young boys of the village are responsible for finding and cutting down. Choosing a tall tree is important. Many pine trees reach heights of more than 100 yards. With this in mind, the boys must choose a tree according to height, as the height of a May pole reflects the value and quality of the village — the higher the May pole, the better the village. Three or four rows of branches are to be left at the top of the tree with the greens intact. Decorated wreaths are hung from the last row of branches. The bark is removed from the remainder of the tree.

Standing in the center of the village, the May pole is the pride of the people, and during the evening hours all the villagers, dressed in their best clothing, gather to view the pole and guess who will be able to climb to the top. Climbing is difficult because the pole is quite slippery with the bark removed. The winner is rewarded with loud shouting and applause. He is hailed as the champion of the village.
For this occasion, stalls with gingerbread hearts are indispensable besides lots of wine, good food, and cheerfulness above all.

Flancati - Fried Crisps

At different occasions we prepare flancati which dough is similar to dough nuts.
They are flatter and not filled with jam. After barbecuing, sweet fried crisps are delicious.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons white wine (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lemon rind, grated
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups flour
fat for frying (lard is traditional)

Preparation:
Beat together wine and egg yolks, then add salt and sugar, sour cream and lemon rind. Beat again. Add flour and use a wooden spoon to mix into a smooth batter, then add more flour to product a firm dough. Knead well, forming into a smooth ball. Cut dough into four parts, kneading each piece separately, then allow to rest for one hour.
Roll out each ball thinly, like noodles, and cut into 1.5" by 1" strips. Make a slit in the middle of each slit and pull the corners of the strip through, one up and one down. Heat fat and drop each piece in, frying until golden. Remove from fat and drain on a paper towel or rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cooled.