Dolenjska through traditional flavours and contemporary culinary stories
November is a time for culinary discovery in Dolenjska. As part of Taste Novo Mesto, from 1 to 30 November 2026, visitors can explore the richness of local gastronomy, this year with a focus on one of Dolenjska’s best-known traditional dishes – štruklji, a type of rolled dumpling.
Štruklji have a long tradition in Dolenjska and come in many different forms. Dolenjska-style štruklji, cottage cheese štruklji, tarragon štruklji, cheese štruklji, bean štruklji and other varieties have been part of local home cooking for generations. Today, local restaurants and food providers are also creating contemporary and original interpretations of this traditional dish. The diversity of štruklji will be the central theme throughout November.
Taste Novo Mesto brings together local restaurants and food providers, producers, institutions and other partners, all contributing to the region’s culinary story. The initiative aims to preserve and showcase local culinary specialities while connecting them with contemporary gastronomy. It offers visitors the opportunity to discover Dolenjska through its distinctive flavours, local ingredients and the stories of the people who bring them to life.
Participating providers and their štruklji
This year’s programme features 11 providers presenting štruklji in a variety of culinary interpretations.
- Bistro Situla – Štruklji Around the World │ Slovenian dough combined with flavours from different cultures, in Italian, Mexican and Asian-inspired versions.
- Dobrote Dolenjske – Savoury and Sweet Dolenjska Štruklji │ Dolenjska-style štruklji served with a creamy porcini mushroom sauce, alongside sweet tarragon štruklji with a strawberry topping and crispy strawberries.
- Gostilna Vovko – Vovko’s Sweet Tarragon Štruklji │ Sweet tarragon štruklji served with vanilla cream and compote.
- Gostilnica Barba – Homemade Cottage Cheese Štrukelj │ Boiled and pan-seared cottage cheese štrukelj with a sour cream emulsion, tarragon and pear.
- Gostišče na trgu – Cottage Cheese Štruklji │ Cottage cheese štruklji featured as part of the daily lunch menu.
- Restaurant Grad Otočec – Cheese Štrukelj │ Cheese štrukelj served with veal cheeks, baby carrots, parsley oil and a rich dark sauce.
- Hiša Fink – A Martinmas Feast of Štruklji │ A Martinmas menu dedicated to štruklji: egg štruklji with freshwater crayfish, chanterelle štruklji with truffles, goose and beef fillet with red cabbage and pumpkin štruklji, and sweet bean štruklji with chestnuts and persimmon.
- Open Wine Cellars – Štruklji on Trška Gora │ Different varieties of štruklji available from participating providers taking part in the Open Wine Cellars initiative: Vinotoč Teropšič, Zidanica Verček, Vinska klet Colnar and Okrepčevalnica pri Darinki.
- Zidanica Verček – Heart-shaped Brown Štruklji from Trška Gora │ Traditional Dolenjska-style brown štruklji, boiled and baked, preserving the distinctive culinary heritage of Trška Gora.
Events celebrating štruklji
November’s programme will also feature culinary events celebrating local traditions and the distinctive flavours of Dolenjska. On 9 November, a cooking workshop on preparing brown and Dolenjska-style štruklji will take place at Zidanica Verček. On 13 November, Grad Grm will host Martinmas in Novo Mesto, bringing together Dolenjska wines, local cuisine, štruklji and conviviality. On 21 November, visitors to the Day of Čatež Štruklji, held in the courtyard of Dobrote Dolenjske, will have the opportunity to discover and taste this local speciality, which preserves the region’s traditional methods of preparing štruklji. The November programme will conclude with a professional conference exploring the future of gastronomy in Dolenjska.
A conference dedicated to Dolenjska gastronomy
A key event in this year’s programme will be the Štruklji Conference: Gastronomy Between Tradition, Reality and the Future, taking place on 27 November at Narodni dom in Novo Mesto. The conference will explore the current state of Dolenjska gastronomy, its main challenges and opportunities for future development. It is intended for hospitality providers, local producers, suppliers and other stakeholders contributing to the region’s culinary identity, as well as anyone interested in the subject.
The conference will be moderated by Grega Repovž of Gostilna Repovž, President of JRE Slovenia, who will also lead the main discussion with four guests. The programme will include a Kevdr podcast featuring Gregor Kren, sommelier and long-standing member of the Hiša Fink team, who was named Slovenia’s best waiter/sommelier by Gault&Millau Slovenia in 2022. Dobrote Dolenjske will provide a tasting of different varieties of štruklji, and the programme will conclude with a culinary demonstration by Tanja Rajar, a contestant in the current season of MasterChef Slovenia, who will showcase contemporary interpretations of štruklji.
Through štruklji, Taste Novo Mesto tells a wider story of Dolenjska gastronomy – from tradition and local ingredients to creative interpretations and the question of how the region’s culinary scene can continue to develop. Just as štruklji can be rolled and reinvented in countless ways, Dolenjska’s culinary story offers plenty of room for new ideas and experiences.
Come and savour štruklji in Novo Mesto!
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