ABSTRACT
Slovenian cuisine is very rich and diverse, influenced by the Slovenian landscape, climate, history and neighbouring cultures, although Slovenia is a small country on the sunny side of the Alps. Although a small country, Slovenian ethnologists have recently divided Slovenia into 23 gastronomic regions. The dairy products such as skuta and sour milk, were and still are typical fermented dairy products of the highlands, which besides cheesemaking, also offered another possibility for milk preservation. Traditional cheeses and other dairy products are synonymous with natural and artisanal dairy products that have been made for centuries from raw milk from different dairy animals and following traditional protocols. This chapter describes the best known Slovenian Protected Designation of Origin cheeses, as well as some other historically and locally important dairy products. The production of Nanos cheese was revived by the Vipava Dairy in 1986 but due to the shortage of sheep milk nowadays it is made from cow milk.
