[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":429},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:ricet":3,"recipe:country:slovenia":207},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":43,"serveWith":53,"storage":55,"faq":56,"equipment":72,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":78,"restMinutes":79,"difficulty":80,"course":81,"diet":84,"mainIngredients":85,"ingredients":91,"instructions":159,"nutrition":187,"images":194,"keywords":198,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"ricet","Ričet (Slovenian Barley and Bean Pot)","Ričet","REE-chet","slovenia","Nationwide, strongest in the Alpine north","🍲","Slovenia's everyday lunch pot: pearl barley and beans slow-cooked with root vegetables and a smoked pork rib until the whole thing turns thick, silky and quietly smoky.","Ričet is the pearl barley and bean pot that Slovenes have eaten for lunch more often than any other dish — a thick, spoonable pottage of barley, dried beans, carrot, celeriac and potato, cooked slowly with a smoked pork rib until the barley releases its starch and the whole pot goes glossy. The flavour is mild and rounded rather than sharp: sweet root vegetables, the mealy softness of beans, and smoke running underneath everything. It sits somewhere between a soup and a stew, and the correct consistency is a matter of some local pride — a spoon should stand at an angle in it, not fall over and not stay upright. Cheap, filling and forgiving, it is the definition of Slovenian home cooking.","Barley has been grown in the eastern Alps since prehistory, long before maize or potatoes reached the region, and ričet is what that long history tastes like. The Slovene name comes from the German Ritschert, the same barley-and-legume pot cooked across Carinthia, Styria and the Austrian Alps, and the dish moves freely across that whole mountain corridor with only small variations in the meat and the vegetables. It belongs to the category of food that was made because it could be made from what was already in the house at the end of winter: a sack of barley, a string of dried beans, roots from the cellar sand, and whatever smoked pork was still hanging in the chimney.\n\nFor centuries this was working food in the most literal sense. It fed farm households, miners in the Zasavje coalfields, foresters and soldiers, precisely because barley and beans together deliver a lot of calories for very little money and the pot can sit at the back of the stove all morning without harm. That reputation stuck. Even now, ričet is the classic Slovenian kosilo dnevni meni — the daily set lunch in a gostilna, ladled out in a deep bowl with bread on the side and no ceremony whatsoever.\n\nThe arguments about it are small but real. Some cooks finish with a prežganje, a pale flour roux, on the grounds that ričet should be thick; others say the barley does that job on its own and a roux is a confession that you did not cook it long enough. Northern versions lean on smoked ribs and marjoram, while Prekmurje versions in the east take a heavier hand with paprika. Nearly everyone agrees the pot is better the following day, and nearly everyone agrees that the point of ričet is not to be exciting — it is to be reliable, warm and exactly the same as the last time you ate it.",[15,16,17,18],"Soaks barley and beans together so both finish at the same moment, instead of one turning to paste while the other stays chalky.","Builds the smoke from a real smoked rib simmered in the pot rather than from a spoonful of smoked paprika at the end.","Adds the potato late so it holds its shape, which keeps the pot from collapsing into uniform mush.","Tells you how to judge the thickness by eye and how to fix it in either direction without a roux.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Soak the barley and the beans together overnight in the same bowl. They then soften on roughly the same schedule, which is the single biggest thing that goes wrong with this dish.","Do not salt until the beans are tender. Salted water tightens bean skins, and a smoked rib will already be pushing salt into the pot as it cooks.","Stir every ten minutes or so in the last half hour. Barley starch settles and scorches on the base without warning, and burnt barley taints the entire pot.","Keep back a mug of hot water. Ričet thickens fast at the end and again as it stands, and adding cold water at the table dulls the flavour.","A strip of celeriac is worth the trouble of buying it. Carrot alone makes the pot sweet; celeriac gives it the savoury, slightly peppery backbone that makes it taste Slovenian.","Marjoram, not thyme or bay alone. The dried marjoram stirred in near the end is the herb note most Slovenes would notice if it were missing.",[27,31,35,39],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Smoked pork ribs","A smoked ham hock, a chunk of smoked pancetta, or 200 g of good smoked sausage added in the last 20 minutes","You want smoke and gelatine, not just salt. If you use sausage alone, add a bay leaf and a little extra fat, since sausage gives less body to the broth than a bone does.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Dried borlotti beans","1 x 400 g tin of borlotti or kidney beans, drained and rinsed","Add them in the final 15 minutes only. Tinned beans have no soaking time to cost you but they also give up none of the starch that thickens the pot, so expect a slightly looser result.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Pearl barley","Hulled or pot barley","Wholegrain barley is closer to what was historically used and tastes nuttier, but it needs about 30 minutes longer and stays chewier — extend the soak to a full 12 hours if you go this way.",{"original":40,"swap":41,"note":42},"Smoked pork, for a meat-free pot","Dried mushrooms, soaked, plus their strained soaking liquid and 1 tbsp olive oil","The standard Slovenian Lent approach. Mushrooms give the savoury depth the pork would have supplied; add a pinch of smoked paprika if you want to suggest the smoke as well.",[44,47,50],{"name":45,"description":46},"Ričet with a prežganje","Finished with a pale flour-and-lard roux whisked in at the end for a thicker, smoother pot. Common in Carinthian-influenced households in the north, and mildly controversial elsewhere.",{"name":48,"description":49},"Prekmurje style","Eastern version with a heavier hand: more paprika, more garlic, sometimes a spoonful of tomato purée, and often a length of smoked sausage sliced in at the end.",{"name":51,"description":52},"Ričet with dried mushrooms","A handful of dried porcini soaked and added with their liquid, either alongside the pork or instead of it. Common in the forested Notranjska region where mushroom picking is close to a civic duty.",[54],"Coarse rye or mixed-grain bread, and a small dish of pickled peppers or gherkins on the side to cut the richness.","Ričet keeps 4 days refrigerated and most Slovenes would say it is better on the second day, once the barley has finished swelling and the smoke has spread evenly through the pot. It sets almost solid when cold, so reheat it with a good splash of water over low heat, stirring, until it loosens and steams. It freezes for up to 3 months, though the potato goes slightly grainy on thawing — if you know you are freezing a batch, leave the potato out and boil fresh chunks into the pot when you reheat it.",[57,60,63,66,69],{"question":58,"answer":59},"Do I really have to soak the barley and beans overnight?","The beans genuinely need it — unsoaked dried beans can take three hours and still be uneven. Pearl barley technically does not, but soaking it alongside the beans means both are ready at the same time, which is the difference between a silky pot and one with hard beans in soft barley. If you forget, use tinned beans and simply add the dry barley to the pot with an extra 20 minutes of cooking.",{"question":61,"answer":62},"How thick should ričet be?","Thick enough that a spoon pushed upright into the bowl leans slowly rather than standing rigid or falling flat. It is a pottage, not a soup and not a porridge. Remember that it thickens noticeably in the few minutes between the stove and the table, so pull it off the heat looking slightly looser than you want it.",{"question":64,"answer":65},"Why did my ričet catch and taste burnt?","Barley starch sinks to the base of the pot and scorches quickly once the liquid has reduced, especially in a thin-bottomed pan. Use a heavy pot, keep the heat low in the final half hour, and stir right across the bottom every ten minutes. If it has caught, tip the pot into a clean pan without scraping the base — you can often save it.",{"question":67,"answer":68},"What is the difference between ričet and jota?","Both are Slovenian bean pots with smoked pork, but jota is sour and ričet is not. Jota, from the Karst region, gets its character from sauerkraut or soured turnip and is thickened with a garlic roux; ričet is built on pearl barley and root vegetables, with no acid at all, and thickens itself as the barley releases starch. They taste nothing alike.",{"question":70,"answer":71},"Can I make ričet in a pressure cooker or slow cooker?","Both work well. In a pressure cooker, soaked barley and beans with the smoked pork take about 18 minutes at pressure; add the potato afterwards and simmer briefly with the lid off. In a slow cooker, give it 6 hours on low, then remove the lid for the last 30 minutes so the excess liquid reduces and the pot thickens properly.",[73,74,75],"Large heavy pot or Dutch oven with a lid","Large bowl for soaking","Ladle",6,25,100,480,"easy",[82,83],"soup","main",[],[86,87,88,89,90],"pearl-barley","smoked-pork","carrot","potato","celeriac",[92,97,100,105,109,113,116,119,121,126,129,132,136,140,144,148,154,156],{"ref":86,"qty":93,"unit":94,"name":95,"group":96},250,"g","pearl barley","Soak together overnight",{"qty":98,"unit":94,"name":99,"group":96},150,"dried borlotti or cranberry beans",{"ref":101,"qty":102,"unit":94,"name":103,"group":104},"bacon",80,"smoked streaky bacon, finely diced","The pot",{"qty":106,"unit":107,"name":108,"group":104},1,"tbsp","lard or sunflower oil",{"ref":110,"qty":106,"unit":111,"name":112,"group":104},"onion","piece","onion, finely chopped",{"ref":114,"qty":106,"unit":111,"name":115,"group":104},"leek","leek, white and pale green, sliced",{"ref":88,"qty":117,"unit":111,"name":118,"group":104},2,"carrots, in 1 cm dice",{"ref":90,"qty":98,"unit":94,"name":120,"group":104},"celeriac, in 1 cm dice",{"ref":122,"qty":123,"unit":124,"name":125,"group":104},"garlic",3,"clove","garlic, finely chopped",{"ref":87,"qty":127,"unit":94,"name":128,"group":104},400,"smoked pork ribs, or a small smoked hock",{"ref":130,"qty":117,"unit":111,"name":131,"group":104},"bay-leaf","bay leaves",{"qty":133,"unit":134,"name":135,"group":104},2.5,"l","water",{"ref":89,"qty":137,"unit":94,"name":138,"group":139},350,"floury potatoes, in 2 cm cubes","Added later",{"ref":141,"qty":106,"unit":142,"name":143,"group":139},"marjoram","tsp","dried marjoram",{"ref":145,"qty":106,"unit":142,"name":146,"optional":147,"group":139},"paprika","sweet paprika",true,{"ref":149,"qty":150,"unit":151,"name":152,"group":153},"black-pepper",null,"to taste","freshly ground black pepper","To finish",{"qty":150,"unit":151,"name":155,"group":153},"salt",{"ref":157,"qty":123,"unit":107,"name":158,"group":153},"parsley","flat-leaf parsley, chopped",[160,165,169,172,177,181,184],{"title":161,"text":162,"timerSeconds":163,"tip":164},"Soak the barley and beans together","Tip {qty:pearl-barley} of pearl barley and the dried beans into one large bowl, cover with three times their volume of cold water and leave overnight. In the morning the beans should split cleanly under a fingernail with no chalky core, and the barley should look plump and opaque.",28800,"One bowl, not two. Soaking them together is what gets them to finish cooking at the same time.",{"title":166,"text":167,"timerSeconds":168},"Render the bacon and sweat the vegetables","Melt the lard in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the diced bacon until its fat has run out and the edges are crisp. Add the onion, leek, carrot and celeriac and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrot has lost its raw squeak — no browning.",600,{"title":170,"text":171},"Add the garlic and the smoked pork","Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until it smells sweet rather than raw. Nestle the smoked ribs into the vegetables with the bay leaves, drain the soaked barley and beans and tip them in, then pour over the water.",{"title":173,"text":174,"timerSeconds":175,"tip":176},"Simmer low and slow","Bring to a boil, skim off the grey foam that rises in the first few minutes, then drop the heat until the surface only shivers. Cover and cook for 70 minutes, stirring across the bottom every 10 minutes or so, until the beans are creamy and the barley has swelled to twice its size.",4200,"Do not salt yet. The smoked pork is releasing salt into the pot and early salt keeps the bean skins tough.",{"title":178,"text":179,"timerSeconds":180},"Add the potatoes and herbs","Stir in {qty:potato} of diced potato, the marjoram and the paprika if using. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the potato is tender at the centre but still holding its cubes and the liquid has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.",1400,{"title":182,"text":183},"Strip the meat and adjust the pot","Lift out the ribs, pull the meat off the bones in bite-sized pieces and return it to the pot, discarding the bones and bay leaves. Judge the thickness now: a spoon stood upright should lean over slowly. Loosen with hot water or simmer a few minutes longer to tighten.",{"title":185,"text":186},"Season and serve","Season with plenty of black pepper and only then with salt — taste first, because the smoked pork may have done the job already. Stir through the chopped parsley off the heat and serve in deep bowls with dark bread, letting it stand two minutes so it settles to its final thickness.",{"calories":188,"protein":189,"carbs":190,"fat":191,"fiber":192,"sodium":193,"estimated":147},450,24,58,13,11,890,[195],{"src":196,"alt":197},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fricet\u002Fhero.svg","Deep bowl of ričet, thick pearl barley and bean pottage with carrot, potato and shredded smoked pork",[4,199,200,201,202,203,204],"ričet","barley stew","slovenian soup","pearl barley and beans","smoked pork","ritschert","2026-08-21","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":208,"total":215,"page":106,"limit":189,"hasMore":428},[209,236,266,290,313,333,356,381,402,409],{"slug":210,"title":211,"nativeName":212,"countrySlug":8,"region":213,"baseServings":214,"prepMinutes":215,"cookMinutes":216,"difficulty":80,"course":217,"diet":219,"mainIngredients":222,"images":225,"keywords":229,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"ajdovi-zganci","Ajdovi Žganci (Buckwheat Spoonbread with Cracklings)","Ajdovi žganci","Gorenjska and the Alpine north",4,10,35,[218],"side",[220,221],"gluten-free","dairy-free",[223,224],"buckwheat","pork-belly",[226],{"src":227,"alt":228},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fajdovi-zganci\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of crumbly dark buckwheat žganci topped with golden pork cracklings and their fat",[230,223,231,232,233,234,235],"ajdovi zganci","slovenian side dish","ocvirki","cracklings","zganci","buckwheat spoonbread",{"slug":237,"title":238,"nativeName":239,"countrySlug":8,"region":240,"baseServings":241,"prepMinutes":242,"cookMinutes":216,"restMinutes":243,"difficulty":244,"course":245,"diet":247,"mainIngredients":249,"images":254,"keywords":258,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"belokranjska-povitica","Belokranjska Povitica (Flat Layered Curd Flatbread)","Belokranjska povitica","Bela Krajina",8,45,40,"medium",[246],"bread",[248],"vegetarian",[250,251,252,253],"flour","quark","sour-cream","eggs",[255],{"src":256,"alt":257},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbelokranjska-povitica\u002Fhero.svg","Round flat povitica cut into wedges, showing thin dough ribbons coiled through a pale curd filling",[259,260,261,262,263,264,265],"belokranjska povitica","slovenian flatbread","bela krajina","skuta","curd bread","stretched dough","savoury pastry",{"slug":267,"title":268,"nativeName":269,"countrySlug":8,"region":270,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":271,"cookMinutes":272,"difficulty":244,"course":273,"diet":274,"mainIngredients":275,"images":278,"keywords":282,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"bujta-repa","Bujta Repa (Prekmurje Sour Turnip and Pork Stew)","Bujta repa","Prekmurje",20,95,[83],[],[276,277,122,145,101],"pork-shoulder","millet",[279],{"src":280,"alt":281},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbujta-repa\u002Fhero.svg","Deep bowl of bujta repa, thick sour turnip stew with chunks of pork and millet, dusted with paprika",[283,284,285,286,287,288,289],"bujta repa","sour turnip stew","prekmurje","slovenian pork stew","kisla repa","millet stew","koline",{"slug":291,"title":292,"nativeName":293,"countrySlug":8,"region":294,"baseServings":214,"prepMinutes":295,"cookMinutes":77,"restMinutes":296,"difficulty":297,"course":298,"diet":299,"mainIngredients":300,"images":301,"keywords":305,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"idrijski-zlikrofi","Idrijski Žlikrofi (Pinched Potato Dumplings from Idrija)","Idrijski žlikrofi","Idrija, western Slovenia",60,30,"hard",[83],[],[89,101,141,250],[302],{"src":303,"alt":304},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fidrijski-zlikrofi\u002Fhero.svg","Small hat-shaped Idrija potato dumplings piled in a bowl with toasted breadcrumbs, butter and pork cracklings",[306,307,308,309,310,311,312],"idrijski žlikrofi","zlikrofi","slovenian dumplings","potato dumplings","idrija","bakalca","traditional speciality guaranteed",{"slug":314,"title":315,"nativeName":316,"countrySlug":8,"region":317,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":318,"restMinutes":79,"difficulty":80,"course":319,"diet":320,"mainIngredients":321,"images":323,"keywords":327,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"jota","Jota (Karst Sauerkraut, Bean and Potato Stew)","Jota","Karst and the Slovenian Littoral",110,[82,83],[],[322,89,87,122],"sauerkraut",[324],{"src":325,"alt":326},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fjota\u002Fhero.svg","Thick bowl of jota stew with borlotti beans, sauerkraut, potato and shredded smoked pork",[314,328,329,330,203,331,332],"sauerkraut stew","karst","slovenian bean stew","winter stew","trieste",{"slug":334,"title":335,"nativeName":336,"countrySlug":8,"region":337,"baseServings":214,"prepMinutes":338,"cookMinutes":339,"difficulty":80,"course":340,"diet":341,"mainIngredients":342,"images":345,"keywords":349,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"kranjska-klobasa","Kranjska Klobasa (Carniolan Sausage with Sour Turnip)","Kranjska klobasa s kislo repo","Carniola (Gorenjska and central Slovenia)",15,50,[83],[221],[343,322,344,122],"kielbasa","caraway",[346],{"src":347,"alt":348},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkranjska-klobasa\u002Fhero.svg","Plump poached Carniolan sausage on a plate with braised sour turnip, hot mustard and grated horseradish",[350,351,352,353,287,354,355],"kranjska klobasa","carniolan sausage","slovenian sausage","sour turnip","horseradish","protected geographical indication",{"slug":357,"title":358,"nativeName":359,"countrySlug":8,"region":360,"baseServings":361,"prepMinutes":339,"cookMinutes":362,"restMinutes":98,"difficulty":297,"course":363,"diet":365,"mainIngredients":366,"images":370,"keywords":374,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"potica","Potica (Slovenian Rolled Walnut Yeast Cake)","Orehova potica","Nationwide, with regional fillings",12,55,[364],"dessert",[248],[250,367,368,369],"walnuts","honey","butter",[371],{"src":372,"alt":373},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpotica\u002Fhero.svg","Ring-shaped potica cut open to show tight dark walnut spirals inside pale yeast dough",[357,375,376,377,378,379,380],"walnut roll","slovenian cake","yeast dough","povitica","christmas baking","potičnik",{"slug":382,"title":383,"nativeName":384,"countrySlug":8,"region":270,"baseServings":361,"prepMinutes":295,"cookMinutes":385,"restMinutes":386,"difficulty":297,"course":387,"diet":388,"mainIngredients":389,"images":392,"keywords":396,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"prekmurska-gibanica","Prekmurska Gibanica (Layered Poppy, Walnut, Apple and Curd Cake)","Prekmurska gibanica",70,240,[364],[248],[390,367,391,251],"phyllo-dough","apple",[393],{"src":394,"alt":395},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fprekmurska-gibanica\u002Fhero.svg","Wedge of prekmurska gibanica showing dark poppy, brown walnut, apple and white curd layers between pastry",[397,376,398,399,400,285,401],"prekmurska gibanica","poppy seed","walnut","layered pastry","festive dessert",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":76,"prepMinutes":77,"cookMinutes":78,"restMinutes":79,"difficulty":80,"course":403,"diet":404,"mainIngredients":405,"images":406,"keywords":408,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},[82,83],[],[86,87,88,89,90],[407],{"src":196,"alt":197},[4,199,200,201,202,203,204],{"slug":410,"title":411,"nativeName":412,"countrySlug":8,"region":413,"baseServings":214,"prepMinutes":242,"cookMinutes":243,"restMinutes":296,"difficulty":244,"course":414,"diet":415,"mainIngredients":416,"images":418,"keywords":422,"publishedAt":205,"updatedAt":205,"authorSlug":206},"slovenian-struklji","Štruklji s Skuto (Slovenian Rolled Curd Dumpling with Tarragon)","Skutni štruklji s pehtranom","Central Slovenia and Gorenjska",[83],[248],[251,250,417,252],"tarragon",[419],{"src":420,"alt":421},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fslovenian-struklji\u002Fhero.svg","Sliced Slovenian štruklji showing pale spirals of dough and white curd filling under toasted buttered breadcrumbs",[423,424,262,425,417,426,427],"štruklji","struklji","curd dumpling","slovenian dumpling","rolled dumpling",false,1787360071901]