Culinary Practices in Nove Fužine

Abstract

In the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, the suburb of Nove Fužine hosts the highest proportion of first and second-generation immigrants from the other former Yugoslav socialist republics. While this makes it a privileged signifier of “Balkanness,” it is also a place around which many negative stereotypes are constructed. This paper describes a survey that was conducted to discern cultural differences between the biggest three ethnic groups in the neighborhood (Slovenians, Serbs and Bosniaks), taking their culinary habits and choices as an indicator of more general cultural references. The results show that while there are very few major differences between the ethnic communities in Nove Fužine, the social distance between them remains substantial. Indeed, forms of cultural exchange in this multi-ethnic suburb are almost completely absent, at least in as much as they can be inferred from eating habits. In several instances, immigrants from other former Yugoslav republics reported including various typically Slovenian dishes on their menus and vice versa, but this was for practical reasons rather than any cultural exchanges within their neighborhood.