The recipe was sent by Tina Divjak, who represents CNVOS organisation (Zavod center za informiranje, sodelovanje in razvoj nevladnih organizacij). There are many stories about the origin of this dish. It is called the emperor’s omelette (Kaiserschmarrn) in honour of Franz Joseph I, the longest-reigning ruler of the Habsburg monarchy. According to one legend, the court cook was unsuccessful with his crepes, so he added dried sultanas, sprinkled them with icing sugar and served them as a completely new speciality. According to another, the cook prepared the dish for the Emperor’s beautiful wife Sissi, who was famous for her narrow waistline. Apparently, she did not eat the sweet dish and the Emperor reluctantly accepted it, saying ‘Give me that mess! (Schmarrn).’ It is not a traditional Slovenian dish, but since Slovenia was also ruled by the Habsburgs, it was adopted there, too. Šmorn is the perfect Sunday breakfast dish, and you’ll probably always find the ingredients in your kitchen. If you’re in Ljubljana on Friday, buy some Šmorn at the market in the city centre. Just remember – Slovenians love this dish, so you might have to stand in a queue for it!
Recipe for four
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs (yolks and whites separately)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 200 g flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 300 ml milk
- 50 g butter
- 1 handful dry raisins
- powdered sugar for sprinkling
- jam for serving
Preparation:
- Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Mix the egg yolks, add flour and sugar, and then slowly add milk, mixing all the time, until a thick, smooth batter is formed. Carefully stir in the whipped egg whites – start with two tablespoons, then gradually add the rest.
- In a frying pan melt half the butter over a medium temperature and pour half the batter onto it. Sprinkle evenly with the dried raisins. When the bottom of the thick pancake turns golden brown and the surface is no longer liquid, carefully turn it over with a spatula. Fry for a few more minutes, then use the spatula to cut the pancake into small pieces. Stir to make sure they fry evenly on all sides.
- To finish, sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve with a delicious homemade jam.
