Significantly, the book's author – a journalist and editor at Primorske Novice newspaper named Sašo Dravinec – expanded the geographic definition of Primorska (the Littoral) to include everything from Istria to the Kobarid area, from Brda to the Vipava Valley and the Karst. This is the territory of Mediterranean Slovenia, as he has cunningly described it; this label, after all, says the most about the region to foreigners.

Because this region is undoubtedly the most developed and densely packed in terms of gastronomy, the task of condensing the information into a single, pocket-sized volume that doesn't resemble an encyclopedia was undoubtedly daunting.

Dravinec realizes this; he says that the toughest challenge was not which businesses to include in the book but which ones to exclude. The final version includes 40 restaurateurs, 20 winemakers, 10 olive growers, and eight wine cellars, while five restaurants get a special recommendation: Zemono, Hiša Franko, Pikol, Mahorčič, and Rodica.

Eyes already drawn towards 2018
If the restaurant section includes practically all the big players, the selection of wineries was harsher – that section includes the biggest wineries (Movia, both Simčič wineries, Ščurek, Burja, Tillia, Bjana, and so on), but several smaller ones have been left out, which is expected, given the high concentration of wineries in the Brda region alone. But if it's of any consolation to them, Dravinec is already thinking about an expanded 2018 edition that may even include wineries beyond Slovenia's borders.

The guide, to which the journalist Toni Gomišček also contributed, consists of detailed descriptions of each restaurant, its chef and his philosophy, visual material, the author's opinion in a single sentence, and all the practical information that the user needs. According to the creators of the guide, for which there was considerable interest even before it was published, the goal was to connect the Primorska region and to introduce the bounty and diversity of its culinary tradition to outsiders.

All the biggest names present at the book launch
The significance of the book is underscored by the fact that its official launch at the Zemono Manor was attended by most of those who are listed in the book, from Stojan Ščurek and Primož Lavrenčič (Burja), to the Mahorčič husband-and-wife team (Gostilna Mahorčič), Uroš Fakuč (Dam) and Matej Tomažič (Majerija), and Valter Kramar (Hiša Franko), Matej Lavrenčič (Faladur Wine Cellar) and Petra Rutar (Solum Wine Cellar) to Nejka Klinec (Klinec Plešivo), Katja Kabaj (Kabaj Homestaed) and, of course, the host, Tomaž Kavčič (Zemono).

According to Kavčič, it was about time for such a guidebook to be published: “Primorska deserves such a book. If we don't congratulate ourselves, we can't expect others to visit us and get to know the value of what we have to offer.” The price of the guide, which is available “practically everywhere,” as the author's proudly state, is 14.90 euros.

K. S.
Translated by J. B.