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Maria Theresa and the fruit growers: Prgarija

Prge are dried pears of the variety known as tepke, which the inhabitants of the village of Zasip used to grind into flour and then use to make bread, strudels and other sweet treats. You can still sample delicious recipes made using prge in Zasip today.

Who brought tepka pear trees to Zasip, how did their fruit find its way from Gorje all the way to the imperial court in Vienna, and what is the drink that local people call Gorje merlot?

Audio guide
Intersting facts

What you can see at this point

Zasip and prge

As you walk across the pastures on Hom, the village of Zasip slowly comes into view. This little village of around 1,000 souls is also known by the nickname Prgarija (“place of prge”), while its inhabitants are called Prgarji. What are prge? They are dried pears of the variety known as a tepka. At one time, a tepka tree grew by every house. People dried the pears, ground them into flour and used it to bake bread. Visitors to the village can still sample dishes made from pear flour today: bread, soufflés, fritters, rolls, strudels, pear-filled pastry parcels, and so on.

 

Marija Theresa and the tepka pear

Some of the credit for the large orchards of hardy tepka pear trees belongs to Empress Maria Theresa, who, as part of the battle against hunger, gave orders that everyone was to plant at least one pear tree next to their own house. The tepka was a high-yielding variety that would thus provide sustenance during the cold infertile winter months. Legend has it that anyone caught disobeying the Empress’s order was subjected to a beating – hence the name tepka (from tepsti, to beat or thrash).

 

Fruit growing tradition

It is not only pears that grow in Zasip. Fruit growing was a widespread activity right up until the end of the nineteenth century. Local farmers grew the finest varieties of fruit and sold them in Bled and even in the imperial court in Vienna. Good apples were very highly prized and were sold for the same price as meat.

 

Pear water

Pear water was a very popular beverage used to quench thirst. Local people like to tell the story of how a thirsty grandmother once sent her young grandson off with a can to fetch her some pear water from the pear tree by the stream. The boy did as he was told, but the “water” in his can looked so dirty that he poured it away and filled the can with fresh water from the spring instead. His grandmother was not best pleased to be given plain old water instead of the sweet pear beverage she was expecting.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants also thrive in the villages of this area. People use it to make blackcurrant juice, which they humorously refer to as “Gorje merlot” because of its intense red colour. They also use blackcurrants to make jam and syrups. The Pr’Andreco farm in Zgornje Gorje makes an innovative blackcurrant wine from blackcurrants, water and sugar – something you will not find anywhere else in Slovenia.