“Ooo, My Goričanka”

The story of Goričanka minestrone is a tale of a love-struck Chef who tried to express his feelings to a girl through the magic of flavors.

The chef worked in a well-known hotel in Nova Gorica when his eyes kept landing on a girl he often saw. He loved cooking, using simple local ingredients and transforming them with a special sense and feeling into dishes that were praised near and far. But all the praise meant little to him. His thoughts were mostly focused on how to impress this beautiful young woman with his cooking. Yet, she hardly seemed to notice him.

He wasn’t the most talkative man, our Chef, and he didn’t quite know how to approach her and tell her how much he liked her. So, he turned to what he knew best. He gathered all his ideas and energy to cook the best minestrone, using ingredients he knew the girl loved the most. He even chose a name that would make it clear to her—“Ooo, My Goričanka.”

For a long time, the story of this minestrone remained a secret. Only a few close friends would smirk knowingly when the Chef prepared this dish. Eventually, Matjaž Šinigoj wrote down the recipe, placed it on the menu of Perla’s Mediterraneo restaurant, and introduced it to the world on various occasions. Today, he has cooked it for you, dear guests. If your eyes have teared up while reading these lines, it means the story has touched your heart. Maybe, in conversation, you will manage to find out how this love story ended… or perhaps it is still going on. Enjoy your meal!