Taking into account that the Gastronomy of Slovenia is an important work by the renowned prof. dr. Janez Bogataj, describing in detail the culinary cultural heritage of Slovenia, the Hart publishing house submitted the book collection to compete in the international Gourmand Cookbook Award 2022 to increase the international visibility of the rich Slovenian gastronomy.

The collection of books already won the Gourmand Cookbook Award in December 2021. In January 2022, it was shortlisted in the top four in its category and later won the Best in the World award. The collection won the first prize in its category at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2022 ceremony held in Umeå in Sweden. Gastronomy of Mediterranean Slovenia won an additional Best in the World award in the category of Mediterranean books.

The Gastronomy of Slovenia collection consists of four books representing four Slovenian macro-regions of gastronomy: Gastronomy of Ljubljana and Central Slovenia, Gastronomy of Alpine Slovenia, Gastronomy of Pannonian Slovenia and Gastronomy of Mediterranean Slovenia. The collection is a fundamental work of the Slovenian gastronomy containing recipes for a selection of dishes with colourful stories about their origin and particularities, which make for an interesting and instructive reading.

The Gastronomy of Slovenia collection awarded with two Best in the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards was published in 2021 when Slovenia was named the European Region of Gastronomy. The awarded collection raises the visibility of Slovenia and offers good prospects for next year when Slovenia will be the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The books are an invaluable tool for professionals in the fields of gastronomy and tourism or people training to be so. The collection with a selection of 28 reproductions of art works by Slovenian painters, depicting landscapes to introduce gastronomic regions (originals are held in art galleries and museums across Slovenia), adorns personal libraries with its aesthetic design and makes for a perfect gift.

International recognition and visibility

The prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards recognise the best culinary books from across the globe. Each year, the awards honour the very best food and wine books either printed or digital, and food television. The aim of the award is to promote the exquisite cuisine of all nations and raise awareness of good, varied and healthy food and drinks around the world.

The Gourmand Awards offer a unique possibility for building the image of food culture in a country and showing the world the specialties of its culinary cultural heritage. Great emphasis is put on dishes made from locally sourced ingredients and natural remedies that we can eat. The Gourmand World Cookbook Award is considered the Oscar for cookbooks.

The award ceremony is an important event taking place in exceptional gastronomic sites every year. Important people in the world of food and wine gather for the event, including hundreds of publishers, authors, chefs and journalists.

Edouard Cointreau from Gourmand International and Gourmand World Cookbook Awards noted on the occasion: "The four books on the gastronomy of Slovenia will long remain the basis for culinary innovation. The regional character of the books is vital for the visibility and identity of the dishes."

Over 430 dishes and drinks from 24 gastronomic regions of Slovenia presented to the world

The collection of four books describes as many as 430 dishes and drinks from 24 gastronomic regions of Slovenia. The two prestigious awards provide an opportunity to translate the books in foreign languages and raise awareness of Slovenian gastronomy in the world. The books are available in bookstores across Slovenia or they can be bought directly from Hart publishing house. They were co-financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food.