These days, onions from Raka, a village nestled in the hill country of southern Slovenia, are the area’s pride and joy. Now marketed as a specialty for gourmets, they have their origins in a time when life in the countryside was a struggle for survival.

For centuries, local onion sellers traveled across the Slovenian Lands and beyond; they carried the fame of their produce throughout the Hapsburg Lands. According to local legend, even Empress Maria Theresa arranged to have Raka onions regularly delivered to her palace.

Today’s Raka onions (raška č'bula) date back to the period immediately after World War II. Like most of Slovenia, the village found itself short on food in the chaos following the war. Onions were one of the few staples available to most people. That’s when a local man named Anton Ulčnik decided to create a brand-new variety of onion that would give a strong flavor even in smaller quantities. He crossbred the indigenous Raka varieties with Egyptian onions and a variety from the Slovenian town of Ptuj.

The result was a completely new reddish variety of onion. Sweet and soft, it was the perfect ingredient for traditional Slovenian meals, and is now used for everything from pies to preserves.

The Raka onions are highly prized among gourmets, but now locals are trying to have them recognized officially. Seedlings are being grown in Raka for sale around Slovenia, and villagers have organized workshops and cooking classes designed to share their specialty with the outside world.

But it is Anton Ulčnik’s granddaughter, a former model, who may end up doing the most to promote the Raka onions. Her name is Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States. Inspired by the family connection, the head chef at the White House has decided to acquire seedlings of Raka onions and introduce a taste of Slovenia to those visiting the White House.