Together with youths we are keeping our culinary heritage alive

Slovenia has a rich culinary heritage and it is important to nurture it and pass it on to our offspring. Gorenje is supporting these efforts by taking part in a project Kuhna pa to (Kitchen and all that) where children and youths get to know traditional Slovenian dishes and how to cook them.

Project Kuhna pa to is supported by many experts from the fields of cuisine, ethnology, tourism, education and also by a number of Slovenian companies and the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and food. As a part of this project a web site kuhnapato.si has been set up, cookbooks are being published, workshops are taking place and also cooking competitions for school children who are preparing local and regional Slovenian dishes. As many as hundred teams of young cooks from primary schools enter the competition each year and they have taken many Slovenian dishes out into the world and presented them in Brussels, London, Washington and elsewhere.

The aim of this project is to discover, prepare and present the almost forgotten Slovenian dishes. »Slovenian school children took a trip into the history of Slovenian rustic, working class or burgeois cuisine as we have never seen it before,« says Anka Peljhan, head of this this extensive project which proved to be of interest also to the Slovenian media. It grew from its humble beginnings to a movement bringing together generations of school children and their teachers, Slovenian food producers and kitchen tools manufacturers, renowned chefs, government institutions, caterers and tourist workers from across the country.      

Petra Gačnik, head of marketing communications in Gorenje Slovenija: »In Gorenje Slovenija we are supporting this project fort he fifth year as we believe in the youths favouring local produce and food. Domača kuhna pa to educates young generations and by doing so encourages the development of Slovenian economy. Children cook on Gorenje portable cookers and are wearing Gorenje aprons with the words »When I grow up, I will be a a CHEF!« As the project is interesting to the media, it is also a great opportunity for our promotion.«

Over 1200 dishes saved from oblivion

Recipes and ways of preparation of dishes collected each year in the primary schools competitions in cooking skills of local and regional specialties are collected in four books entitled Domača kuhna pa to. So far over 1200 recipes have been collected and locally produced food used for their preparation.