Žganci is a dish in Slovenian and Croatian cuisine, also called pura on the Croatian coast. It is a traditional "poor man's food" of hard-working farmhands similar to polenta, although prepared with finer grains.
Preparation
The dish is made from buckwheat flour in Slovenia (Slovene: Ajdovi žganci) and cornmeal in Croatia (Croatian: Kukuruzna krupica), cooking oil and salt, which is cooked for fifteen minutes on a low boil. Softer žganci is called Styrian style in Slovenia. Žganci can be served with milk (žganci z mlekom/žganci s mlijekom), honey, lard and cracklings, or runny yogurt. A savory version is served with meat as part of a main dish.
Žganci in Slovenia
Žganci was a typical everyday meal of the central and Alpine parts of Slovenia. Its popularity and common use is implied in the following witticism from the 19th century: "Žganci are the pedestal of Carniola." This attitude implies its crucial meaning for the survival of the population. Freshly boiled žganci could be served as breakfast or lunch, or warmed-up or toasted for dinner or breakfast the following day. Belsazar Hacquet (1739–1815) mentions that žganci was served with sauerkraut in Upper Carniola.[1] The oldest preparation method explains the word žganci. The word žganci is derived from the Slovenian verb žgati 'to burn, to toast'.[1]
