Paper short abstract:

The paper explore the relation between urban center, food and senses on the case of the town Maribor. At the center of the interest is the impact of the end of socialist era on the new food practices, tastes and smells of the town Maribor and their inclusion in the recent development of the city.

Paper long abstract:

Maribor lies at the junction of the Alpine and Pannonian worlds, near the Austrian border. This influenced the diet of its population, which was in the past dependent on agricultural products, fish and game from the rich natural environment. After the Second World War, new cooking styles, which resulted from significant social changes such as strong industrialization and migrations, affected the city's cuisine.

Increased interest in the culinary heritage of European cities prompted in 2016 the Slovenian Tourism Organization and the Higher School of Catering and Tourism in Maribor to organize research on typical food in the city. As a researcher of Maribor food culture, I have collected 35 typical recipes for meals and beverages which I presented in the book Taste of Maribor. The book not only presents recipes from the city but also their cultural and social contexts.

According to published recipes, city's top chefs prepared the dishes in a modern way, combining typical tastes and smells with contemporary gastronomy. Traditional Maribor dishes prepared in a contemporary manner offer not only an extraordinary culinary experience for the citizens, new arrivals and tourists, but evoke memories of home and also provide the means of understanding 'the other'. Interest in the smells and tastes of Maribor cuisine has evoked an innovative restaurant offer in the city, some new forms of acquainting people with the city's cuisine and increased interest in local foods at the Maribor food market.