In the past, there were differences between nutritious habits in the town and in the countryside. The food of the countryside was based on what was available at a farm. The everyday menu did not vary much, and poultry and pork dried meat was on the table only for holidays. Usually, food made of flour and potatoes was served. Instead of sugar, people used honey. Fruit was considered as children's food.
The food in town was heavily influenced by the Vienna cuisine. Meat dishes, such as various steaks and goulash, were frequently served. There were also various sorts of soups, cakes, rolls and cookies.
The consumption of coffee became very popular in the middle of the 19th century, and has been ever since.
SOUPS:At the beginning, soups were popular only in certain regions. In Styria, sour soup, flour soup and cream soup were generally on the menu.
MEAT DISHES: The way to prepare meat dishes was largely influenced by culinary habits in castles, monasteries and rich noble houses. Styria is especially known for dry sausages, black pudding (sausage), white sausage, and meat from "tunka". On St Martin's Day, when the must turns into the wine, a goose or a duck is normally served.
VEGETABLES AND POTATOES:They represent basic ingredients of the Slovene cuisine. Among the most popular dishes are cabbage, turnip, beans, potatoes, and cucumbers. Different types of dumplings are also extremely popular.
DESSERTS:A roll, or locally a "potica", is definitely the most well-known dessert and is mainly served on special days. Its name derives from the fact that the dough and the filling are rolled together in equal proportions. Raised doughnuts and brittle wafers are popular too.
BREAD: Bread was first mentioned not earlier than in the 13th century. The white bread used to represent a symbol of wealth. Among the tastiest types of bread are wheat bread, whole-wheat and rye bread.
Typical dishes of Ptuj are in particular: chicken Ptuj style, Ptuj-style sauce, Styrian soup, turkey with "mlinci" (sort of small pancakes), black pudding sausage, cucumbers with potatoes, cabbage Styrian style, Styrian dough rolls, buckwheat and corn roll, Haloze "gibanica" (pastry topped with cottage cheese and cream), mushroom soup with buckwheat groats, pig's trotter stew, dry home-made sausages, meat from "tunka", and white sausage.
