A flowering buckwheat field
Žirovnica At the foot of mighty Mt Stol lies an area whose local name Kašarija (kaša is Slovene for groats) speaks of the historical importance of groats in the local diet. Millet groats with prunes, buckwheat groats with creamed mushrooms and pearl barley with sage were among the most popular dishes. Millet groats are also an essential ingredient in filled pork intestine called danka. Buckwheat dough is used to make krapi with a colostrum and egg filling. Another delicious combination of foods is boiled and dressed brown beans with mushrooms. Govnáč, also popular in other parts of Gorenjska, is a stew made of fresh chopped cabbage and creamed potato, sometimes mixed with millet for a thicker consistency. Another buckwheat dish, ajdova 34
Žirovnica
mešta, is cooked like žganci, but less cooking water is poured away and the remainder is mixed into a thicker consistency, and garnished with pork scratchings or zaseka. Špehova sovata is of more recent origin. As the name suggests (špeh is Slovene for bacon), the bacon is fried briefly and then sprinkled over the salad. Numerous orchards that are an inseparable part of farms in the municipality of Žirovnica, provide their owners with apples to make apple-filled potica. In the holiday season, kitchens are filled with the pleasant smell of flaky fried pastry, referred to by locals as zmedeni flancati.