Afara has dedicated a long and detailed article in its summer issue to the country on the sunny side of the Alps and its (more sophisticated) cuisine.

Journalist Lisa Abend started her culinary travels in style – by spending the night at Nebesa (the Heaven), a small elite eco resort in western Slovenia, run by the parents of Ana Roš, Slovenia’s best female cook. Abend had the special honour of having her dinner – a more refined version of polenta with fried pork fat and cheese (“the kind of dish that makes you arteries flinch just to look at it”) – prepared by Ana Roš herself.

"Nebesa is the most breathtaking mountain perch I’ve ever seen. Bright yellow light poured in through a window that framed snowcapped alpine peaks straight out of The Sound of Music," writes Abend, who admits that Slovenia doesn’t leap to mind when Americans think about traveling for food. "Before I went, I could not name a single Slovenian dish [but] I’d heard rumors of a culinary revolution stirring in this Central European country. I presumed /…/ that the cuisine was heavy on meat, cabbage, and mush. What I didn’t know is how delicious it would be, especially when chefs, including Roš, began riffing on those traditional Slovenian themes."

K. S., MMC; translated by K. Z.