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.

Keywords:

• food
• ethnicity
• Nove Fužine
• neighborhood
• cultural exchanges
• culinary
• immigrants
• Slovenia

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter Stanković

Peter Stanković is Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at School of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. His recent publications include a book on Slovenian partisan films, a textbook on cultural studies, an article on hip hop in Slovenia and several articles on mechanisms of symbolic exclusion of immigrants from other former Yugoslav republics in Slovenia. His work has been published in Cultural Studies, European Journal of Cultural Studies, Critical Sociolog and Društvena istraživanja as well as in numerous Slovenian academic journals. He is a coordinator of the postgraduate Cultural and Religious Studies program at the University of Ljubljana and a member of the Teorija in Praksa editorial board. His research interest concerns ethnic identities, popular music and film. Fakulteta za druzbene vede, Kardeljeva ploscad 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia ([email protected]).

Luka Zevnik

Luka Zevnik is a PhD candidate and research/reaching assistant in cultural studies at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences. He is interested in the theory and practice of cultural studies, happiness studies, consumer culture, food culture and the development of the Foucauldian historical/genealogical approach for the analysis of contemporary cultural phenomena. He has presented conference papers and published on food and consumer culture, theory of cultural studies and Michel Foucault. Kardeljeva ploscad 5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia ([email protected])