Monika Sandreli

“Those dishes were very simple, but tasty.”

Murska Sobota, Slovenia, 2025

In this interview for the Roma Soul Food project, Monika Sandreli recalls childhood food as simple, tasty and closely connected to family, nature and the knowledge of her grandmother. She remembers everyday meals such as polenta, white coffee, soups, stews, Roma flatbread and traditional dough-based dishes like malčiki, pradohumer, nokelen and gumbovci, as well as festive foods such as retaši, doughnuts and other homemade pastries. Monika also reflects on the importance of herbs, homemade teas, garden produce and seasonal food for health, contrasting this with today’s faster and less mindful eating habits. Although she now lives outside the Roma settlement, she continues to prepare traditional dishes and pass this food knowledge on to younger generations, seeing food as both cultural heritage and an investment in future health.

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Original language: Slovene/Romani