Green Karst
Koline 2023 Festival in the Green Karst
Koline 2023 Festival in the Green Karst
Koline are a part of Slovenian heritage revolving around pig slaughter feast, a folk tradition, and a family celebration that many in rural areas still uphold today. A piece of this gastronomic tradition will be experienced in a new form at the Koline 2023 Festival in the Green Karst, which will take place in the month of November.
From last year's one-day culinary event, Koline 2022, which brought together eight local culinary providers in Pivka, this year, the efforts of restaurateurs have evolved into the first gastronomy festival, jointly organized by RRA Zeleni kras, Visit Postojna, and the Postojna and Pivka Hospitality and Tourism Association.
The main culinary event is the Koline 2023 gastronomic evening with a six-course menu and a presentation of wine and food pairings. This will take place on November 24th at Ekoturizem Hudičevec in Razdrto.
In addition to the central gastronomic evening, the Koline 2023 Festival in the Green Karst will also offer a supporting program, including a workshop for the wider public, a workshop for professionals, and a roundtable discussion on innovations in gastronomy related to koline tradition, the importance of ingredient quality, and self-sufficiency.
The festival will conclude with the Koline gastronomy week (November 25 - December 6), which will promote pork-themed dishes with three-course menus at a unified price. Several local restaurants and inns from the Green Karst will participate in the Koline gastronomy week.
The six-course menu is thematically designed to follow the process of koline and the use of various parts of pork. Koline have always been a tradition in the Slovenian region and represent much more than just the slaughter of animals. In the past, they were a late autumn and winter festival of community gathering and connection, embodying elements of sustainability that have slowly faded in the modern world. The Koline 2023 Festival, especially the Koline 2023 gastronomic evening, will once again focus on bringing people together with good food and drink. The presented dishes will be appropriately paired with selected wines.
BISTRO ŠTORJA
In the center of Postojna, the story of Štorja is being written, a fine traditional culinary tale focused on nostalgia and respect for classic hospitality. The essence of Bistro Štorja's ethos is handcrafted food, small-scale production, loyalty to culinary heritage, and sometimes quirky flavor experimentation. Štorja is a modern bistro that supports producers with whom they collaborate to create local menus and dishes. They use global techniques to highlight local products. Their dishes tell a story that has a sense of place and time.
EKOTURIZEM HUDIČEVEC
Ekotourism Hudičevec is a blend of local cuisine, rural accommodation, and activities in the Karst nature. On a family-run organic farm, they strive for sustainable management and development, with a strong focus on organic meat and vegetable production. They prepare the ingredients according to their grandmothers' traditional recipes while staying in tune with the times. They collaborate with the local community, connecting local musicians, winemakers from the area, and catering providers from the Green Karst destination at their events.
PIRA RESTAURANT
Pira Restaurant offers a complete experience of the Green Karst destination, combining nature, tradition, luxury, and cuisine into one. In the new facility of the boutique Hotel Pira, they bring together all the elements that modern guests expect: ambiance, service, and top-notch cuisine. In their kitchen, they focus on using local, seasonal ingredients and respecting traditional flavors and culinary techniques. Their dishes draw inspiration from Slovenian and local cuisine, adapting prepared dishes to modern times. Pira Restaurant is a place where tradition and modernity meet to create true gourmet harmony.
SOMMELIER MIRALEM JUNUZOVIĆ
Miralem Junuzović from Bistro Štorja, recipient of the prestigious title of the best waiter/sommelier in 2022 according to the Gault&Millau gastronomic guide, will be responsible for the selection and presentation of chosen combinations of Slovenian wines.
MENU:
Kitchen Greetings:
• Mushroom pâté (Pira Restaurant)
• Roasted jowl, kohlrabi (Ekoturizem Hudičevec)
• Tongue, onion, horseradish (Bistro Štorja)
Cold Appetizer:
• Head cheese, butter with pumpkin seed oil, pickled shallot (Ekoturizem Hudičevec)
Soup:
• Jota (a Slovenian bean and sauerkraut soup), smoked sausage (Pira Restaurant)
Warm Appetizer:
• Liver, cocoa, pear, cauliflower (Bistro Štorja)
Warm Appetizer:
• Pork cheeks, dumpling, pumpkin cream (Ekoturizem Hudičevec)
Main Course:
• Slow-cooked pork belly, puree (Pira Restaurant)
Dessert:
• Plum dumpling (Bistro Štorja)
FESTIVAL KOLINE 2023 NA ZELENEM KRASU PROGRAM:
• Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - Supporting Event: Workshop "Preparation and Different Cuts of Meat," for the general public (conducted by Robert Čebokelj), Bistro Perspektiva, Veliki Otok 44b
• Wednesday, November 22, 2023 - Supporting Event: Workshop with Tastings "New Meat Products," for professionals (conducted by boutique butcher Marko Butalič), Bistro Perspektiva, Veliki Otok 44b
• Wednesday, November 22, 2023 - Supporting Event: Roundtable Discussion "Koline - Innovations in Gastronomy, Ingredient Quality, and Self-Sufficiency," Podjetniški inkubator Perspektiva Postojna, Veliki Otok 44b
• Friday, November 24, 2023 - Main Event: Koline 2023 - Gastronomic Evening, Ekoturizem Hudičevec Razdrto
• November 25 - December 6, 2023 - Koline Week in inns and restaurants in the Green Karst
*The price for the gastronomic evening is 50 EUR per person. Registration at info@zelenikras.si
**Supporting events are free and will be held at the PIP Postojna (Veliki Otok 44b). Registration is required at info@zelenikras.si
***The menu price during Koline Week is 23 EUR per person. The list of inns and restaurants participating will be published at www.zelenikras.si
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