Zgornjesavinjski želodec

Appearance & taste

When dried, the želodec is round or rectangular and weighs at least 0.6 kg. Pressing gives it its typical flat shape, 2.5 to 3.5 cm thick. The casing is smooth, fits tightly around the filling and is lightly covered with a greyish-brown mould (Penicillium).

Because of the flat shape, the slices are narrow and long. It is slightly firm and easy to slice; the slices show a clearly recognisable “mosaic” of pinkish-red meat and whitish pieces of back fat. In the mouth they feel smooth and break down quickly. The aroma is full; the spices round it off without masking the basic taste of ripened meat and back fat. Every sales form carries the Zgornjesavinjski želodec logo.

Production

High-quality meat from the leg and shoulder and firm back fat from meat pig breeds and their crosses are used. At least 75 % meat and at most 25 % back fat are mixed with garlic, salt, pepper and sugar; nitrates, nitrites and other additives are not allowed. The mixture goes into natural casings such as pig’s stomachs, pig’s bladders and beef casings, or into permeable artificial casings, and is pressed flat.

Mincing the meat and back fat, preparing the mixture, filling, ripening and drying take place in the Upper Savinja Valley. Thanks to the local air currents, it can dry with natural air circulation; the drying rooms are built mainly of spruce wood, stone and brick, and their own microclimate is also decisive for drying and ripening. The želodec is still made by traditional methods today; with technical innovations, care is taken that its shape and taste stay the same.

Origin & history

The Upper Savinja Valley is enclosed by mountains: to the north it is bounded by Olševa and the ridge of the Smrekovško pogorje, to the south by the Dobrovelje and Menina plateaus, and to the west by the Črnivec pass, Velika Planina, Ojstrica, Grintavec and Skuta, among others; the boundary then follows the state border with Austria up to the Paulitschsattel. Here the Alpine and pre-Alpine climates meet. At higher altitudes the coldest month averages below −3 °C, while the lower areas are temperate. Fresh mountain air flows into the Savinja and Dreta valleys; summer is pleasant and not too hot, spring and autumn are cool, and winter is mostly cold and long. The large temperature differences between sunny and shady slopes and between heights and valleys create local air currents. Spruce forests and plenty of water characterise the area.

While in other regions of Slovenia mainly home-made sausages are dried, here, according to the specification, the recipe for the želodec has been handed down for centuries. The first records probably go back to the beginning of the 19th century. It was first made in the highest, mountainous part of the valley. An ethnologist described its ritual significance at farm weddings, funeral feasts and other family celebrations. In the 20th century production spread to the lower, more densely populated parts of the valley; a handwritten recipe from a farm in the Logar Valley dates from around 1930. To this day the želodec is part of feast days and weddings, and at Easter it is taken to church to be blessed.