Celebrate Skiing in Slovenia with Prekmurska Gibanica

Written by Nathan Miller, Lumi’s Guest Communications Manager

Fall is a time to celebrate the year’s adventures, friendships and a bountiful harvest. The most beautiful weather of the year passes quickly, leaving room for just a handful of garden parties to share in the season’s abundance.

This year I took part in a Hobbit-themed party, the perfect excuse to pull out all the stops and share a dish I discovered while skiing in Slovenia on a Lumi trip this past winter: Prekmurska Gibanica. This multi-layered dessert is nearly a meal on its own and packs in a wide range of flavors and textures. Read on to learn more about one of Slovenia’s most celebrated dishes and others you might find on your next Lumi trip.

Hobbit attire is a given at a Hobbit-themed garden party. Potlucks with friends are a chance to swap stories and recipes from around Middle Earth

A Special Post-Ski Treat

Prekmurska Gibanica is a traditional pastry originally from Slovenia’s Prekmurje region, near the Mur River. Although its ingredients have shifted over the centuries, one thing has remained consistent: layers of phyllo dough separating each ingredient. Today Prekmurska Gibanica typically features chopped walnuts, grated apple, farmer’s cheese, poppy seeds, sour cream and powdered sugar. It’s a decadent treat that has become a staple for celebrations across the country nestled in the Julian Alps between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary.

Prekmurska Gibanica's signature layers make it an irresistable treat. 

I first had Prekmurska Gibanica while on Lumi’s Slovenia & Italy Sight-Skiing trip. After exploring the scenic Saisera trails just over the border in Italy, we returned to the quiet community of Rateče for a hearty dinner with the group, featuring several courses of traditional Slovenian specialties. I was pleasantly reminded that Lumi trips are about more than just discovering great ski trails; they’re also an opportunity to dig into some truly delicious meals that I could never find back home. 

Take part in traditional Slovenian dances after a regionally-inspired meal

Just when I thought dinner was over, our hosts arrived with dessert. We marveled at its layers and depth of flavors while trip leader Matija explained the history of the dish and its local significance. I’m glad I’d tacked on a few extra kilometers of skiing earlier in the day so I had a little extra appetite to finish it! I’d never had anything like it before and vowed to share the experience with my friends someday.

The Perfect Garden Party Addition

If you’re looking for a unique dish to serve a large gathering, Prekmurska Gibanica is an excellent choice. Prep time for my homemade version was around 3 hours, with an additional hour for baking before cooling overnight. It’s definitely not a dish you make on a whim, which highlights how important it is in Slovenia when it’s made for celebrations both big and small. The results are worth it though: everyone at our Hobbit-themed garden party was blown away by the variety of ingredients that worked together to bring a taste of Slovenia to the shores of Lake Superior. The recipe is quite extensive, but relatively simple to follow if you’d like to make your own.

Celebrating autumn's abundance

Delicious Desserts On and Off the Trail

Slovenia isn’t the only place you can find tasty treats while skiing in Europe. Following the Fossavatn Worldloppet in Iceland, skiers from around the world gather for the famous cake party to celebrate the final Worldloppet of the winter. Bakers in Ísafjörður share hundreds of cakes with the ski community, a unique spectacle unlike any other event we visit. 

Elsewhere in Austria, skiers on Lumi’s Marcialonga & König Ludwig Lauf trip have the chance to try freshly baked apple strudel at one of our favorite trailside huts. You’ll know when the strudel is ready because kitchen staff ring a special siren, beckoning skiers to grab a warm slice of this tasty regional treat right when it comes out of the oven.

Grab a slice of apple strudel with you group at one of the most eclectic trailside huts in Austria

Gently rolling trails surrounded by towering spires await you in Slovenia. 

If you’d rather ski like a hobbit, instead of just eating like one, join Lumi in New Zealand next summer for the Merino Muster Worldloppet event. Together with Australia’s Kangaroo Hoppet event the weekend prior, these two ski marathons are as exotic as they come.

Want to try Prekmurska Gibanica at a local Slovenian restaurant? There is still limited space on Lumi’s Slovenia & Italy Sight-Skiing trip this coming winter. In addition to the treats, you’ll also visit the Planica Nordic Centre and ski under the towering Julian Alps before enjoying a Bombardino with your fellow skiers at a trailside hut. This trip is a great option for novice and intermediate skiers who want to explore the trails at their own pace without the pressure of a Worldloppet event. It’s also Lumi’s lowest-priced trip, without holding back on the skiing, scenery or cultural activities. Reach out to reservations@lumiexperiences.com to receive the detailed trip itinerary or to sign up.

Try out the biathlon with your group in Slovenia.