Bogračfest draws a crowd of thousands in Lendava

29. avgust 2016 ob 12.16 • Lendava - MMC RTV SLO

This year's Bogračfest was held as part of the Vinarium Festival. Several thousand visitors gathered for the festival in the Prekmurje town located in a tri-border area. Foto: Sandi Horvat

Lendava received the Bograč World Capital title in 2011. This year 88 teams took part in the bograč cooking competition. Taking part in this year's Bogračfest were organizations, associations and institutions from Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia.

This year's Bogračfest was held as part of the Vinarium Festival. Several thousand visitors gathered for the festival in the Prekmurje town located in a tri-border area. The main aim of the event is to preserve the traditional culinary heritage of the region, to promote culinary and wine culture, as well as having fun and socializing alongside a high-quality gastronomic offering.
"Although we had less teams apply for this year's Bogračfest compared to previous years, the atmosphere is the same, if not even better," was convinced the head of Bogračfest Igor Kolenko.
Every team that took part in the competition had to make 20 liters of bograč from ingredients provided by the organizers. That meant a total quantity of almost 1.800 liters of the Prekmurje dish. Every team had to prepare the famous dish from the same ingredients and according to the same recipe, however every experienced Bograč chef surely added a few secrets into his dish. The use of additional spices was allowed in the cooking process.

The competition took place under the wakeful eye of a four-member jury of renowned chefs and excellent culinary connoisseurs. At the end of the day they declared the 2016 Bograč Master and the best arranged cooking place. That is why many of the teams put extra effort in preparing their fire, cooking area and stands.

Some also offered additionally food from the region they represented, while others presented their region's dance and music. Passers-by were also showed different crafts. One of the Croatian teams showed the process of making flour by hand, while a Roma association from Lendava brought to life the old craft of sharpening knives.

"My wish is for this one-day event to grow into a several-day or even several-week event in the future," added Igor Kolenko. The festival organizers also prepared a rich accompanying event, ranging from animations for children in the town park to an entertainment program and street musicians. The awards ceremony was followed by a party in the center of Lendava, which went on long into the night.