6. Misterion: Cuisine and Wine
Premium quality wines of Bela Krajina and Vivodina, Bela Krajina roast: piglet and lamb, »belokranjska pogača« flat cake, …
Bela Krajina is a mysterious and vibrant landscape, and its cuisine is diverse in its ingredients. Some of the original recipes have been preserved until the present day. Belokranjska pogača (Bela Krajina flat bread) is the most famous dish of the Bela krajina Region - a recognized certified European protected dish. It is round, which means unity and infinity. And the traditional way of serving by breaking it in pieces connects all present persons. The most famous soups are dumplings soup and a vegetable and bacon stew, called »belokranjska šara”.
The spit-roasted suckling pig or lamb on an open fire or roasted in a baker’s oven is certainly the most famous Bela krajina dish. The »belokranjski žlinkrofi” (pasta dough dumplings filled with bread and beef lung filling) is an important part of local cuisine as well. “Belokranjska povitica” (rolled pastry with curd cheese and clotted cream filling) is served for dessert. Certainly, the Bela Krajina boasts many other types and shapes of pastries and cakes that are found on the tables during various celebrations.
The providers of traditional dishes from Bela Krajina are Wine Cellar and Excursion Farm Šuklje, Excursion Farm Matkovič, Simonič farm, Snack bar »Pod staro lipo«, Škof farmhouse "ŠRAJF", The Pecel Tourist Farm – ecological farming, Restaurant Pezdirc, The Jakljevič Tourist farm, The Crnič Tourist farm, The Veselič Inn, Homemade Delicacies Mojca.
The Misterion area boasts excellent wine makers on both sides of the border. Sparkling wine lovers must visit the Semič sparkling wine cellar of the Simonič family. Nearby is the Samoel Malnarič-Nampel Wine Cellar, and in Semič you can even taste wine in the basement of the Museum House.
A special story is behind the Vineyard Cottage Drašiči – know the history and the way of working of the community vineyard cottage Drašiči, the one-of-a-kind wine bank, and still active today.
Auch der benachbarte Weinbauplatz zwischen Kamanj und Ozelj ist nach Wein bekannt. Man kann zwischen eine Palette von Weiß-, Rotweine oder Sekte auswählen /www.ozalj-tz.hr/hr/vinarije-popis/)
The traditional hike »Along the paths of Soseska zidanica« is organized every Saturday after 11th November, St. Martin's Day. The Dolc Vineyard and Wine Farm is located near the »Soseska zidanica« Vineyard Cottage, Mavretič Family with wine growing and winemaking tradition is from Vidošič.
You can taste local wines in the KZ Metlika Wine Cellar, or in Boutique Wine Cellar (Grajska klet ) Šturm in Metlika Castle.
In the immediate vicinity of the the pilgrimage “Tri fare« you can enjoy poetry and the fine wines by Pečarič Wine House.
A special experience is the visit to the Vinery Prus, as Mr. Jože Prus has been awarded the Winemaker of the Year four times in Slovenia.
The neighboring Vivodina, a wine-growing village between Kamanj and Ozalj, also boasts excellent wines. There are plenty of wine makers producing a range of white, red and sparkling wines. (https://www.ozalj-tz.hr/hr/vinarije-popis/).
You can visit more than twenty wineries, and in each you will taste the wines that are grown after a family tradition.
The Vivodina Inn offers superb culinary delights. It is run by the Frlan family, which also owns a tourist farm and produces high-quality wines, proving many awards.
Misterion hosts a number of events:
Vinska vigred (Wine Spring) in Metlika in the first weekend after 15 May visited every year by over 20 thousand guests over the three squares), traditional wedding event »Semiška ohcet ( end of August), “ Festival Mlada Portugalka in v Bela krajina (every 3rd Saturday in October)…
