Paper short abstract:

The Upper Savinja Valley stomach sausage is a traditional dried meat product with a rich history. In the past it was enjoyed only for the most significant celebrations. With the development of tourism, it has become part of the tourist industry and the commercialization of food heritage.

Paper long abstract:

The Upper Savinja Valley stomach sausage is dry meat product which is embedded in particular economic and ritual practices of inhabitants of the Savinja Alps. It is named after the casing — pig stomach, which is filled with meat stuffing. Crucial for the proper production of the stomach sausage is the rich knowledge of the people who produce it, which is transmitted from generation to generation. In the past, knowledge was shared from father to son, but today also to women who compete with the best male makers of stomach sausage.

Traditionally it was served only at weddings, baptism of a child, during Easter, or periods of particularly tasking farm labour. Today, Savinja Valley stomach sausage remains a staple of celebrations as well the catering offers of the area. It has become the most crucial food product in the region, so its way of making has changed a lot. Before 1980, it was made from the best home-grown ingredients: pork, stomachs, bacon and garlic. Today, due to the high demand and sale of this product in inns and tourist facilities, mainly imported ingredients are used, e.g. cheaper Dutch meat, Chinese garlic and artificial stomachs for stuffing. All this leads to disputes between stomach sausage manufacturers - those who care about preserving the original recipe and make certified stomachs sausage only from local ingredients and those who produce cheaper stuffed stomachs from lower quality imported ingredients. In its heritagization political and economic interests play an important role.