Nataša Horvat

“It’s a Roma custom.”

Podgradje, Slovenija, 2025

In this interview for the Roma Soul Food project, Nataša Horvat reflects on how her relationship with Roma cuisine developed over time, especially after moving into a Roma settlement and discovering traditional dishes such as kotlovska pogača, sweet cabbage, turnip, molčike and goulash. She compares her childhood meals with the richer food customs of the Roma community, where holidays bring full tables, many kinds of meat, homemade sweets and shared celebration. The interview also highlights the simplicity of traditional Roma dishes, often made from flour, salt, water and available ingredients, while showing how food knowledge is learned through family and community support. Nataša also connects food with health and social circumstances, noting that healthy eating often depends on what people can afford.

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Original language: Slovene/Romani