Nosh Ports

Savor our one-of-a-kind Foodie Passport

Ajdov — Slovenian buckwheat which makes for side dish as porridge (topped with pork cracklings) or baked into bread

artisanal cheese — Goat cheese from Kumparicka, dairy cheese from Soča or cheese matured in a WWI bunker – which did you try?

artisanal gelato — Ljubljana is the epicenter – Teran wine & dark chocolate sorbet or perhaps roasted pumpkin seed oil? Enjoy!

Black risotto — Known as ‘crni rižot’ in Croatian, this risotto dish is made from cuttlefish and its ink (hence the color).

Bobiči soup — Traditional Istrian soup prepared with corn, kidney beans, potatoes and small chunks of thick-cut prosciutto

Bograč — Slovenian stew with 3 types of meat (pork, beef and game/ wild boar) with potatoes, onions and paprika

Boskarin — High quality meat from an indigenous cattle breed in Croatia’s Istria region. Best in a ragu over fuži pasta

Bosnian coffee — Very strong coffee brewed in handmade copper ‘dzezva’ pots. Never call this ‘Turkish coffee’ when in Bosnia!

Brda cherries — It’s not summer until Goriška Brda cherries are sold on the road side. Keep an eye out for cold cherry soup

Brudet — Hearty yet simple fish stew (tomatoes, wine, olive oil and garlic). Found all along the Adriatic

Burek — Cheese or meat layered pastries. You can’t claim to have visited the Balkans without trying a slice of one

Ćevapi — Little grilled spiced, mixed meat sausages from the Balkans. Don’t even think of eating it without ajvar!

craft beer — Slovenia has always grown hops. Bevog, Pelicon, Reservoir Dogs are some of the best and first craft breweries

Frico — Friulian carb/calorie bomb with gooey melted cheeses and potatoes. Keep a defibrillator handy when eating it!

Fritule — A Croatian doughnut hole, usually flavored with rum and citrus zest and topped with powdered sugar

Frtalja — Thin styled omelette from Slovenia’s Primorska region. Try one with wild asparagus, pršut or local herbs

Gibanica — A dessert like no other, this multi-layered Prekmurska speciality is either amazing or immensely skippable

Grappa/rakija — Rakija in Croatia and the Balkans, grappa in Slovenia. Whichever the name, it is local fire water. Beware!

homemade pasta with goulash — Essential comfort food of Istria and Primorska. Meats used are wild boar, chicken, beef or even donkey

Istarska supa — Clay jug combining spices, olive oil, local teran wine and served with grilled bread. Not a typical ‘soup’

Jota — A thick soup of fermented turnip (or sauerkraut), beans and pork. Perfect winter dish

Kranjska klobasa — Carniolan sausage (made of pork and bacon) from Slovenia’s Gorenjska region. Best served with horseradish

macerated wine — AKA amber wine or orange wine. White grape varietals with prolonged skin contact, gives more tannins and body

Malvazija — Gorgeous white from western Slovenia and Istrian peninsula. Drink it fresh, matured in oak or macerated

Med — Slovenians are proud of their honey. Look for spruce, chestnut, linden or wild cherry (from Karst region

Paški sir — The barren lunar landscape of Pag island is home to this hard cheese made from the milk of local sheep

Pašticada — Quintessential meat dish of Dalmatia. Slow cooked beef with wine, dried plumbs and vinegar. Served with njoki

Plavac Mali — Dalmatia’s most ubiquitous red. Powerful & full bodied, it can reach up 16% alcohol in Pelješac.

Pod Peka — Slow cooked veal, lamb or octopus under a metal lid with burning embers on top. Delicious!

Pošip — Flagship white wine from Korčula island and the first Croatian white wine with a denomination of origin.

Potica — Exported to tourists but only made for holidays (Easter/Christmas) and special occasions in a Slovene’s house

Pršut — Prosciutto air-dried in Istria/Primorska, smoked everywhere else. Serve with Teran/Refošk wines

Pumpkin seed oil — This unique nutty taste is a Slovenian original. Try it on salad, walnut bread or atop vanilla gelato

Rebula — Flagship white wine of Slovenia known as the ‘Queen of Goriska Brda’. Best when macerated

sea salt — Venetians and locals have been farming this ‘white gold’ from the Adriatic for more than 700 years

Šipon — Eastern Slovenia wine named by Napoleon troops saying “C’est bon” which locals heard mistook as “Shi-pon”

Slavonian Kulen — A spicier smoked pork sausage infused with paprika from eastern Croatia’s Slavonia region

spit-roasted lamb — Road-side eateries often in the middle of nowhere are the best way to try lamb in the Balkans

Ston oysters — Farmed next to salt flats and the walled towns of Ston & Mali Ston along the Pelješac peninsula

Štruklji — Rolled dough pastry (boiled or baked) filled with sweet or savory things like tarragon or cottage cheese

Teran — Autochthonous red wine from the Karst region, made from Refošk grapes grown on iron-rich terra rossa soil

Tribidrag — The original Zinfandel/Primitivo (genetically proven) and also the parent to Dalmatia’s famed Plavac Mali. 

truffles — Give yourself an extra star if the dog you went truffle hunting with found what you are now eating

Vugava — White grape brought to Dalmatia by ancient Greeks. Thrives on stony, sandy hillside slopes of Vis & Brac islands.

wild boar/game — Boar and venison dishes abound here. Bonus star if the boar was shot in vineyard by local winemaker 😉 

Zelen — Indigenous white wine with Mediterranean herbal notes from Vipava Valley. Almost went extinct by 1980’s

Žlikrofi — Potato dumplings from town of Idrija, famous for mercury mines and lace work. Best served with lamb goulash

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