•   Ljubljana, Slovenia: Piranske Soline - New York Times
•   Hitler Moniker Imperils Blind Beetle
•   The Swallow
•   The Plum  
•   The Norican Cow
•   The Štajerska Hen (The Styrian Hen) - by Matjaž Peterka
•   Triumph of the Panther Trade Mark
•   The Drežniška Goat - by Matjaž Peterka
•   The Bovška Sheep - by Matjaž Peterka
•   Slovenia lifts a glass to the EU
•   Drink globally to ward off 'cellar palate' - San Francisco Chronicel
•   Slovenian Wines
The hills are alive with heroic viticulture - Financial Times
•   Klopotec - Wikipedia
•   Slovenian Apples
•   The Slovenian Rabbit  
•   The Jezersko Sheep  

•   The Lipizzaner Horse
Dan Lipicanca - Praznik Slovenskega Bisera

•   The Zila Horse
•   The Isonzo Trout  

•   The Carniolan Bee
This honey of a museum celebrates art of beekeeping - Toronto Star
Slovenian exhibition at the International Green Week Berlin 2008
In these stinging times, we need some honey to relax

•   The Karst Shepherd  or Kraski pes
•   Knut und sein Ziehvater Thomas Dörflein
  
New York Times
New York, February 10, 2007
Ljubljana, Slovenia: Piranske Soline
By KATIE KITAMURA
Outside the stylish display window of Piranske Soline in the Old Town of Ljubljana, pedestrians slow to a stop, lured by the neat rows of plump canvas bags, stamped with a bold red logo and tied with a piece of twine.

But it is what is inside these bags that counts. They are filled with salt harvested from the Secovlje Salina Nature Park, on Slovenia's Adriatic coast. Deemed a national treasure, the salts sold at Piranske Soline are gathered from the park's salt pans using techniques dating from the 14th century. The salts have a flavor and texture that have made them a prized ingredient among European epicures and chefs, including Alain Ducasse.
Salt pans in Secovlje
"For more than 700 years the procedure of salt making hasn't changed," said Alojz Jurjec, director of Soline Pridelava Soline, the company that owns the shop. "Only sea, sun, wind and the hand of the salter are involved in this procedure."
The Piranske Soline shop, decorated in a style best described as neo-rustic, sells a range of products featuring salt in all imaginable permutations. In addition to the trademark bags of salt, there are salted chocolate bars and truffles topped with a sprinkling of fleur de sel, carefully nestled into black-and-white boxes. There are special salt waters formulated to treat rheumatism, luxurious salt scrubs, bath salts infused with rosemary and eucalyptus oils, and small glass tubs filled with viscous mud treatments.
And then there are the salt accessories: everything from salt keepers (especially popular are the pocket-sized wooden containers, engraved with the company logo and well suited for a picnic hamper) to salt mills, spoons and pestles.
The most popular items, however, remain the cooking salts themselves. The company's fleur de sel is especially popular, as is its Piran salt - a basic unground, unrefined sea salt that is scraped by hand from the salt basins at the park.
With its prime location in the center of the capital, tucked into a back street and nestled among fashionable cafes and shops, Piranske Soline is an enticing stop for both shopping and browsing. It also has stores in the seaside town of Piran and at the nature park itself.
Piranske Soline is at Mestni trg 19, 1000 Ljubljana (386-1-42-50-190, www.soline.si). It is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A 250-gram bag of fleur de sel costs 5.77 euros, or $7.50 at $1.32 to the euro. A kilogram bag of unground sea salt sells for 4.52 euros.
~~~~~
  
Hitler Moniker Imperils Blind Beetle
A blind cave beetle found only in Slovenia is under threat as collectors snap up the insects. Why? The creature has the misfortune of being named after Adolf Hitler.

DPA
The anophtalmus hitleri, or Hitler beetle, can fetch up to €1,000 from collectors.
Since nobody wants to have their child associated with the greatest villain of the 20th century, "Adolf" died out as a popular name decades ago. But now the Nazi dictator's name is posing a danger to a rare species of beetle.

Anophtalmus hitleri -- the insect's formal name -- has reportedly become so popular among neo-Nazis and collectors of World War II curiosities that the Hitler beetle is becoming hard to find.

"There's a real run on the animals. Collectors are encroaching on their natural habitats," Martin Baehr, a beetle expert at Munich's zoological research institute, told the DPA news agency. The institute's collection of beetles has been almost completely stolen, as they fetch upwards of €1,000 on the open market.

But how did unlucky beetle become saddled with its rather unfortunate name in the first place? Apparently Der Führer was flattered in the 1930s when Oscar Scheibel, a German insect enthusiast, discovered a blind cave-dwelling beetle in Slovenia and decided to give it Hitler's name. Maybe it was the bug's brown coloring -- matching Hitler's sartorial taste in uniforms -- that pleased the Nazi leader.
The Hitler beetle is found only in the caves of Solvenia. It's not unique enough to be of much scientific interest and apparently not on the verge of extinction.
mry/dpa
~~~~~
  
The Swallow
A symbol of nostalgia and freedom

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

In the Slovenian people's tradition, until this very day the swallow has played a particular role. It has sentimental value for one's home, and it is a symbol of nostalgia for those who were forced to leave their homeland. There are no written documents, whether the symbolic swallow was part of the Slovenian people's tradition since times immemorial, or a more recent token. Until now, neither an ethnological research nor particular studies have been carried out.

It has to be assumed, that the symbolic meaning of the swallow originated from the times of Carantania or even from the elder period. I think I am not mistaken in saying that I ascertained a very similar meaning of the swallow, appearing in the people's tradition all over the Eastern Alps, this is, in the territory of the ancient Carantania. In this connection, I adduce as an example the famous waltz The Village Swallows from Lower Austria (Dorfschwalben aus Niederösterreich), composed by Johann Strauß. Hearing this waltz one experiences nostalgia in his inner self. It is the feeling of homesickness and longing for the one-time idyllic village, full of homeliness and serenity. A sentiment, which is characteristic for the people of the ancient Carantania (now Austria and Slovenia).

In the ancient Carantanian territory there are found two characteristic swallow species: the barn swallow (called in Slovenian kmecka lastovka, in German Rauchschwalbe), and the house martin (in Slovenian: mestna lastovka, in German Mehlschwalbe). Anyway, in the people's tradition special attention is paid only to the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), which in general is called »lastovka« (swallow). When it is necessary to distinguish it from the other species, it is called kmecka lastovka (rustic swallow) or vaška lastovka (village swallow), Dorfschwalbe in Austrian German.

In Slovenian tradition, the swallow does not represent a particular national sign. But it is a significant people's symbol. Besides being a symbol for home and native place, other nations consider it also the bearer of spring. Thus, it spends the winter far away in Africa and returns in April, when other birds already fatten their little ones. Then, it occupies its old nest, built from mud and blades, mostly fixed under the jutting roof and balconies. The swallows' vivacity and warbling is giving joy to the people. In the life of the rural people it also announces the rain. So, one is used to say: When the swallows are flying low, there will be rain. In agriculture rain is indispensable. The rural people have prayed to God for rain since time immemorial. Besides that, the swallow had no other prophetic role in the Slovenian tradition.

In the Antique

Considering the people of Carantania (Austria - Slovenia) as autochthon, one would expect that the swallow played a similar role as it did in the classical Greek and Roman times. Indeed, many parallels are found in this connection.  To the ancient nations, it generally symbolized the arrival of spring. In such a role, the swallow was regarded in Greece, where it was called helidon. Anyway, the well-known proverb: One swallow does not bring spring, we find already in Aristotle's (384 - 322 BC) Historia animalium. In the Greek world, the swallow was sung of in people's songs. A song, which originated from Rhodos, has been preserved, and children sing it in front of the doors or windows of moneyed people. The Egyptians do not regard the swallow as a holy bird. But their goddess Isis, so it says, changed into a swallow, when she arrived in Byblos.

Its prophetic role is expressed particularly in the case of Alexander, son of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus (295 - 292 BC), of whom Aelianus says: In his tent brooded a swallow and indicated therewith, that his future undertaking, that also was not a just one, would not be successful. In Latin, the swallow is called hirundo. The classical writers mention and describe it often. Besides many other authors, it is also mentioned by Pliny (23 BC - 79 AD) in his Historia naturalis, further on by Columella (1st century AD) in De re rustica, also by Varro (116 BC - 27 AD) in Res rustica, and others. Nearly all-lyric poets of the classic era praise it in their songs.

Old people liked to depict the swallow on epitaphs. On a marble stelae from Athens, for example, it appears as a much-liked plaything of the children. A swallow should have been seen on the tomb of Sophocles. On a Greek sepulchre, discovered in Via Latina in Rome (1843), the swallow appears together with a nightingale. Evidently, in the Greek world the swallow was a symbol of the laments for the defunct.

The symbolic meaning of the swallow attested in the works of the classic writers, has been more or less preserved in the popular tradition of all European nations. However, in the tradition of the Carantanians no trace was found of a symbolic connection of the swallow with the late people. Regarding the individual regions, the meaningfulness of the swallow is presented in different nuances. In the Eastern Alps, where at present-day German and Slovenian is spoken, the milieu of life is very similar. There, the swallows are part of the everyday picture, to which they, with their warbling and flying all around, are giving a poetic nuance.

The Slovenian Homesickness

Regarding the common Carantanian roots, I am not very familiar with the people's tradition of the present-day Austrian German speaking area, as to individuate, if the people there are treating the swallow in a similar way, as it appears in the sentimental and spiritual life of Slovenians. Some time, a comparative study should be made. At this place I only would like to point out the swallow's role in the Slovenian songs, where it appears in various life scenes. The composer of these songs really touched people's hearts. In the first line, text and melody of the songs stress the idyll of the native village, that immigrants have left behind with hopes to return again.

Chicago 2000,
a group of Slovenian immigrants, mostly from Gornja Bistrica, Prekmurje (Pannonia)

I remember a song about the swallow, which in the period after the WW2 was nearly obligatory in the choir's repertory in Slovenia: … Mrzel veter tebe žene drobna pticica od nas... /The frigid wind is driving you, little bird, away from us…/. Its contents: In autumn the swallow, which until then sang to us from the linden tree, is driven away by the frigid wind. Every morning at an early hour it was singing to me, and  every evening its song was rocking  me sweetly into a dream. Now, from the dormer window of the church-tower it is warbling its last song, because across hills and valleys it will travel to warmer habitats. Now, it left me, and my heart is mourning… This melancholic song about the "swallow" is in fact an allegory of so many Slovenian people, who were forced to leave their country. They have been torn away from their native village. The need for survival, the "frigid wind", drove them away. They were leaving for America, France, Argentina, Canada, Australia…

Much like the swallows, they left for better environments. Although they will visit their place of birth once in a while, they never return back home. Parents, friends and acquaintances are fully aware of this. They are smiling, but their heart is filled with sadness. Out of these situations arose another very popular song: Oj hišica ocetova, Bog živi te. Zdaj se lociti morava, … A meni  nihce ne pove, al' te kedaj bom videl še, Bog živi te… /Oh, little father house, may God keep you. Now, we must separate, may God keep you,... But nobody tells me, if I will see you again. May God keep you/… Because, under the communist regime the word "God" was forbidden to mention in public, this song was only transmitted in Slovenian broadcast outside of Slovenia (Yugoslavia). It was in the 50s under the hard communist regime, manoeuvred by Belgrade.

In particular, the Yugoslav regime in a hidden way oppressed the Slovenian national sentiment and consciousness. In those days there was no television. The press and broadcasts were under control. Central Radio Lublana (Slovenia) was allowed to transmit Slovenian news, music and songs only in a limited measure.

The longing for freedom

As a consequence of this, the people in Slovenia liked to listen to foreign broadcasts of the free world in Slovenian language, those of Washington, London, Deutsche Welle and others. Particular popular were the Slovenian programmes of the neighbouring radio stations, like those of Radio Trieste - Trst (Littoral, Italy) and Radio Radio Klagenfurt - Celovec (Carinthia, Austria). The Slovenian broadcasts of Radio Klagenfurt - Celovec were everybody's favourite. Evidently, the Slovenian compatriots, who were preparing the shows, hit home for the people in Slovenia in a lot of ways.

One of the songs transmitted from Klagenfurt - Celovec was called Zlati casi/Golden times/ and became very popular in Slovenia. Its contents was as follows: Golden times, where have you hurried… I am hardly 20, and I must already go into the world. My mother cried, and she said to me: God be with you… This song reflected the fate of the then so many Slovenian boys, who escaped from communism into the free world. People all over Slovenia adopted this song as their own. Everyone, young and old could relate to this beautiful melody. And you could hear it everywhere. Therefore, Radio Lublana began also to transmit it. But in this transmission the song line Be God with you… was changed to Good luck with you…

In Yugoslavia, as already mentioned above, the mass media was not allowed to use the word "God". In those days freedom was more precious than material wealth. The "golden times" symbolized the happy days of youth at one's home-place. It was the free life of the Slovenian village, which gradually was more and more oppressed by the Yugoslav Communist regime, until it finally was going into decay. Perhaps, songs were also controlled. It was mandatory that at least one of the songs on the program of Slovenian choirs had to be a Yugoslav one.

Under such circumstances, one of the songs often transmitted by Radio Klagenfurt - Celovec, especially touched the people of oppressed Slovenia. It was the song about the swallow, which begins as follows: Léti, léti lastovka z menoj v moj rojstni kraj, tam, kjer zbujaš zdaj pomlad… Oh, ko mogel bi s teboj leteti zdaj… /Fly, swallow fly together with me to my birth place, where you are now waking up spring... Oh, if I could only fly with your /… Glej, tam na obrežju, kjer  je hiša zidana, tam že dolgo caka naju najina mamica /Look at the shore, where a house is built, there, already for a long time, our mother is waiting for  us/… In this song, the swallow appears as a symbol of freedom for the native village. I don't know the composer of this beautiful song. I can only remember the words and melody.


Slovenian Association, Melbourne (Australia)

The times, when this was happening, have already passed. The young people, who were leaving the then Slovenia for the free world, are now old and advanced in years. Many of them have died. They were very honest and diligent people! Regretfully, hardly any memories were written down about their life and fate. Most of them were not good in writing... These people possessed deep inner sentiments and spirituality, which was expressed above all in their songs.

The swallow is not a particular symbol of Slovenia, because it represents also in other people's tradition the longing for the native village. Beside that, its particular Slovenian meaning, as presented above, is also the longing for freedom.

Die Schwalbe
...Sinnend gedenk‘ ich der Zeit,
Da selber ich weilte
Ferne der Heimath.
Ein Abend war es wie heut -
Friedlich und sonnbeglänzt -.
Da sangst du mir in‘s Ohr
Den alten Heimwehklang,
Das süsse herzbezwingende Lied,
Dass mich verlangte
Mit brennender Sehnsucht
Nach jener Stätte
Der sonnigen Jugend,
Wo ich zuerst gesehn,
Schwingend um‘s Vaterhaus,
Dich, liebliche Schwalbe,
Du Vogel der Heimath.
Heinrich Seidel
Machen wir's den Schwalben nach (Die Czàrdàsfürstin)
...Machen wir´s den Schwalben nach,
baun wir uns ein Nest.
Bist du lieb und bist du brav,
halt zu dir ich fest.
Bist du falsch, oh Schwalberich,
fliegt die Schwälbin fort.
Sie zieht nach dem Süden hin,
und du bleibst im Norden.
Emmerich Kàlmàn
Vier Jahreszeiten
... Ich sah des Sommers helle Glut
Empörtes Land durchzieh‘n;
Sie stritten um das höchste Gut,
Geschlagen muß das freiste Blut

Doch jene, die zur Sommerszeit
Der Freiheit nachgejagt,
Sie schwanden mit der Schwalbe weit,
Sie liegen im Friedhof eingeschneit,
Wo trüb der Nachtwind klagt.
Gottfried Keller  
~~~~~
  
The Plum
It was already cultivated by the ancient Veneti
Its Venetic (Slovenian) name entered into all Romanic languages

by Dr. Jožko Šavli

Pre-European, and especially Middle European history has to be rewritten since the discovery of the ancient Veneti (Vends), the bearers of the Urnfield culture (after 1200 BC), and the Hallstatt culture (ca. 800 - 400 BC), having Central Europe leading the way. It is an all too familiar story, that in an uncritical way numerous cases have been ascribed to the Celts, which truthfully pertained to an older race, namely the ancient Veneti. It was them and not the Celts, who were the first builders of the European culture in its very extent.

Sometines, the root of a single word discovers a part of history. Indeed, I was somewhat surprised, when I came across the Latin etymon caespes in the Romanic etymological dictionary, quoting: it is about a Slovenian etymon, which passed into all Romanic languages (Meyer Lübke, 1936). In Slovenian language, the corresponding form of this etymon is cešpa (pron. tcheshpa), i.e., the plum (Prunus domestica L.). But in what period could have it entered into Romanic languages? In general historians quote, that the Slovenians came from the Balkans and arrived in the Eastern Alps as a part of the Slav population ("Alpine Slavs") not earlier then after 568 AD. The only unique Romanic speaking people that bordered their territory have been the Friulians.

At that time, Friuli was a duchy of the Lombard Kingdom in Italy. Its inhabitants, as some indices show, still spoke Slovenian. Besides, it is not very probable, that the aforesaid Slovenian etymon was first adopted from the Friulians, and that it thereafter entered into Romanic languages. This would mean, that until then this fruit was unknown to the Romanic speaking world. Impossible!

Sloe or blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.), from which the plum and the bullace developed.

The Latin form caespes very probably derives from the same primordial word as cešpa. The latter, in its concrete meaning, could only have entered the Romanic languages through the ancient Venetic substrate, and not from Latin. It is also possible, that both forms of this etymon, the Latin and the Slovenian (Venetic) one, derived from a previous Indo-European or even from an older Afro-European word (before (2000 BC). The stones of this fruit have been found already in Neolithic finding places (after 4000 BC) around the lakes of northern Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Thus, the original word of this stone-fruit species could be connected with these findings, and later the ancient Veneti also could have inherited it.

The meaning of the Latin caespes does not refer to the plum as such. In sense of the dictionaries, it means sod. Between the young plants of an uncultivated surface soil those of the blackthorn or sloe - Prunus spinosa L. are frequent. It is possible that the general meaning of the caespes in Latin is connected with such a superficies. I suppose, besides the indefinite etymon in Latin, a more concrete word for plum was used in the province. This is evident from the derivations of this word in other languages. In Italian, the etymon cespo means a pile of grass and young plants - mucchio d'erbe e di virgulti (Pianigiani 1988), whereas the prugna means the very plum. In Friulian, the plum is called ciespe (Pirona 1967).

Cešpa (Prunus domestica L.)

The linguists, who were unaware of the ancient Veneti, did not make any efforts to construct the original Venetic etymon for plum. Anyway, it seems that in the northern part of Middle Europe several different forms developed from this word. We find szwiestki in Polish, švestka in Czech, Zweschpen in Bavarian, Zwetschge in Austrian, and generally Zwetsche in German. That the Slovenian word cešpa is borrowed from the Bavarian (Bezlaj 1976), and that the corresponding German etymons are borrowed from Romanic languages (Snoj 1997) is not possible.


The Plum (Prunus domestica L.), cešpa in Slovenian. In Middle Europe its cultivation was already very probably developed by the ancient Veneti.

Slovenian linguists in their explanations, because of being under surveillance of centralistic Belgrade, did not quote Meyer-Lübke. The latter did not feel constrained to suit to the ideological model referred to the origin of Slovenians; therefore his quotation regarding the origin of the etymon cešpa was free. Indeed, this etymon does not pertain to the vocabularies of the Southern Slavs (Yugoslavs). And neither do the Slovenians pertain to this linguistic group.

The prevailing opinion (Wissowa 1938) was, that the wild species of the plum were first diffused not only in the Orient, but also in the Southern, Western and Central parts of Europe. As already mentioned, this has been concluded from the finds of fruit stones excavated in Neolithic finding places. I tie to these finds also the etymons of caespes and cešpa with the corresponding forms.

Further the opinion prevails, that in the Roman world the words prunum (fruit) and prunus (tree) were introduced after the arrival of the cultivated plum from the Orient. The etymon prunus has been mentioned for the first time by Cato (234 - 149 BC). But it is not very likely that it has been borrowed from the Greek language. The Greeks called the prunum generally kokkumeléa. In Greek language the word proumen is found only once, mentioned by Theophrastus (340 - 288 BC). Evidently, the word prunum is of another, probably of oriental origin. Besides, in Greece plums do not prosper very well, instead of them the bullaces (damsons) were diffused.

In opposition to this, in Italy the plum cultivation was widely spread in the period after Cato. Says Pliny (23 BC - 79 AD): pruna omnia post Catonem coepisse manifestum erit. The cultivation flourished during the imperial period, when nearly a dozen species were planted. Evidently, in this period the word prinum prevailed. Then, or even after the end of the Roman Empire, when Germanic kingdoms were established in large parts of the Roman territory, this etymon entered in the form of Pflaume also the German speaking world, where, beside the Zwetsche, it has been preserved until nowadays.

During all these times, as it seems, the etymon cešpa continued to be used in the Venetic substrate of Middle Europe. This does not mean, that the Veneti were not influenced by the Roman methods of fruit cultivation at all. Anyway, this occurred in less measure as it has been supposed. In this connection I think, even the modern Italian word susina, which besides the word prugno is used for plum, derives from the Venetic substrate. In Slovenian (very close to the ancient Venetian), its meaning, because of a similar verb "sušiti" (to dry), has been soon identified with "dried fruit". However, the Italian linguists (Pianigiani 1988) try to derive the susina from the Latin sucinus meaning "resinous, or of amber colour" (resinoso o del color ambra), which do not correspond with realty. The susina bear witness of the ancient culture of plum drying, which still today is practised. Another product of this fruit is the very qualitative plum brandy, žganje (cešpovec) in Slovenian.


A blue and yellow variety of the grafted bullace (Prunus insistitia L.)

Cimber (Prunus insititia L.) -. It is also called cibora in Slovenian, Krieche in German, generally bullace (also damson) in English. It is often considered a species of the plum, and is denoted by the name Prunus domestica ssp. insititia L. This fruit was also widely cultivated by Romans as well as by Greeks. Like the plum, it must be considered an autochthon fruit tree in Europe.

The bullace differs from the plum by its ball-shaped form. Its pulp is attached to the fruit stone. Even by this fact the Slovenians distinguish it from the plums, for it can be of different colours, mostly blue, yellow or red. This fruit is appreciated because it matures before the plum, when other fruits are not ripe. His value on the market has been, however, very moderate until now. Anyway, new and new varieties are acquired by crossing with similar fruit trees. The early maturity is preserved in the crossed species, what is very important. But also the flavour and the beautiful coloured appearance is improved constantly.

Sliva (Prunus domestica L. var. syriaca)

In the Slovenian language certain confusion is found regarding the use of the etymon sliva, which in the last time was introduced instead of cešpa. Undoubtedly, the ancient Slovenian denomination of the plum has only been cešpa. Anyway, in Southern Slav languages it is called sliva. I suppose, at first the term sliva has been diffused in the eastern Slovenian territory, which borders on the Southern Slav linguistic area. Because of the influence from this area, this etymon is found in Slovenian records already in the 16th century (Megiser). In recent times, it completely prevailed in Lublana, because this type of fruit is brought to market in large quantities from the South. So the name was fully adopted by the people of Lublana, as well as by the press editorships, TV and other central institutions. The Slovenian school books are also printed in Lublana, and in this way the word sliva has improperly entered the educational language.


The mirabelle plum (Prunus domestica L. var. syriaca), called originally sliva in Slovenian. The species one time have been imported from the Orient.

In modern Slovenian it is already considered a linguistically »correct« word. Anyway, in the western part of Slovenia, i.e., in Littoral and Istria, where the Southern Slav linguistic influence could not be perceived, a more original terminology connected with the fruit cultivation has been preserved. There, the word cešpa is exclusively used for the (blue) plum, whereas the word sliva denotes another species, the (yellow) mirabelle plum. From the differences in terminology, one can also deduce the historical origin of the aforesaid plum species.

In Slovenia, and as I imagine also in Middle Europe, the plum (cešpa) and the bullace (cimber) trees are growing wild. This proves that in this territory they have been an indigenous species. In opposite to this, the mirabelle plum (sliva) has to be planted still today, and it grows only well in calm places, where it has more warmth. This fact clearly shows that it originated from the Orient, from where it was imported in former times. As its Southern Slav name »sliva« bears witness, it was introduced to Slovenia through the Balkan area.

Regarding the above exposed facts, we come to the conclusion that the primordial name cešpa, is very probably of pre-historical origin, from which the German, Czech, Polish, Friulian and other language forms have been derived. Its primary meaning must have been still a general one, as the Latin caespes as well as the Italian cespuglio (bush) bear witness. Later, the word in its first form (now unknown) began to be referred to the plum (Prunus domestica L.), which were started to be cultivated.

Already the Neolithic people developed the plum from the sloe (Prunus spinosa L.). This cultivation, very probably with the same name - was taken over by the Veneti, who were formed as a definite people in the Lusatian culture (after 1500 BC). In my opinion, in their language the previous general etymon for the similar species became the concrete name for the cultivated plum. Because modern Slovenian is the most original descendant of the ancient Venetic language, the linguist W. Meyer-Lübke (1936) concluded, that the Slovenian cešpa entered into all Romanic languages. In fact, he described a previous Venetic term, but at the time of his research, the ancient Veneti people were not known or discovered yet. - Thus, we must suppose, that the Veneti were also the first cultivators of the plum and other fruits in Europe?


Victoria, a red variety of the grafted bullace.
Bibliography:
•   W. Meyer-Lübke: Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg 1936
•   Fr. Bezlaj; Slovenski etimološki slovar I, Lublana 1976 (cešplja)
•   M. Snoj: Slovenski etimološki slovar, Lublana 1997 (cešplja)
•   O. Pianigiani: Dizionaro etimologico della lingua italiana, Genova 1988 (cespo)
•   G. A. Pirona - E. Carletti - G.B. Corgnali: Il nuovo Pirona, vocabolario friulano, Udine 1967
•   G. Wissowa: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (Bd. XI, 2), Stuttgart 1938 (Pflaume)
~~~~~
  
The Norican Cow
The oldest and autochthon breed of Austria and Slovenia
Its origin goes back in the pre-Roman period

by Dr. Jožko Šavli
The Pinzgauer cow, named after a district in Salzburg, is an old cattle breed, which  has been preserved in the Alpine area of the Salzburger land, in western Carinthia (Austria), and in the Julian Alps of Slovenia. It is an ancient breed, which inherited its unique genetic value from the Norican cow, whose traces go back to the old Noricum, the one-time Roman province in the Eastern Alps. It has been proven, that after the decline of the Roman Empire, the survival of this breed was secured exactly here in the central part of the Eastern Alps. The consistent and gentle treatment in its rearing took also place during the period of Carantania and the following Austria, until nowadays.
The Tolminska cow, a variety of the Belan (Pinzgauer) cow, is an autochthon breed on the southern side of the Julian Alps (Slovenia).

In the Julian Alps, two types of varieties of the Norican cow have been preserved, named after the region of Tolmin and Bohin. Their characteristic colour is dark red; the cow is white on the back, on the posterior part and on the abdomen. The dark red colour appears as large spots. In Slovenian, one says "cikasta" (spotty), and consequently the name Cika (pron. tsika) was given to such a cow. This cattle breed had also names like Dromna, Plejža, Fletna, Detela, Kostanja, Breza, Sovra (greyish), Bavha (beige), Majhna, Pišena… But because of easy pronunciation, the Slovenian press, in their articles, improperly nick named the entire breed cike (spotty cows). In this way, the very origin of the breed got totally ignored.

The origin of the Norican cow
It is interesting to know, what several scholars adduce concerning the origin of the cattle in the area of the Eastern Alps (Noricum). Most of them agree, that in very ancient times the primordial cattle there was a Primigenius brachyceros brachycephalus type (i.e., a short-horned and short-headed cattle). The elements of this type of cattle have been preserved in different breeds until today. After some estimation, it is assumed that the Romans introduced also the long-horned cattle in the Alps.

Anyway, in the 19th century the ideologies of the national movements had an influence, too, on the explanations concerning the origin of the cattle in Noricum, i.e., the later Carantania - Austria. In sense of ideological interpretations, the "long-horned, light, one-coloured Hunnish-Slav cattle" were introduced by the "Slavs" upon their arrival in the Eastern Alps (supposedly in the 6th century AD). However, there are no records confirming their arrival, only the short-horned cattle are found in the Eastern Alps. Therefore, one must ask oneself, where did the long-horns vanish to? This lack corresponding data is normally surmounted by scientific philosophizing, or it is simply ignored.

Such incorrect explanation had been given about the origin of the Norican cattle, which stood unchallenged for many years. It has been optimized and copied and has been preserved in this way until today. Influenced by this type of ideology, the Austrian (German speaking) scholars still insist, that the "Slavs" from the Alpine region were rearing the (long-horned) "Avarian-Slav cattle", whereas the "Germans", in distinction to them, supposedly reared the red and red-spotted "Bavarian-German cattle" (Kaltenegger 1897). Nevertheless, this statement is pure ideological and cannot be substantiated with supporting elements, as we find it preserved in Alpine stock farming.

Based on these elements, we come to the conclusion that already in the Late Antique several sub-species of breeds existed in Noricum. And until today breeders are selecting animals for special purposes, they mainly focus on milk production and quality of meat as well as adaptability to pasture conditions, i.e., in the lowland or in the mountains. - For example, from one of the ancient breeds, the Bern cattle (Switzerland), the modern Simmental cattle was bred. It is also known under the name of Fleckvieh, of which approximately 30% are intensively reared in many regions of the Eastern Alps (Austria and Slovenia). This breed pertains to one of the best brands, well adapted to the lowland. Today, it is widely spread all over the world.

Another breed of cows in the Eastern Alps is the Murbodnervieh (light brown), called pomursko in Slovenian, because it is diffused particularly in the upper Mura and Enns basin (Styria). Another one is the Tuxer Vieh (black-spotted), found in the upper Enns Valley. But these are crossbreeds, in which the ancient Norican stock has been blurred. - Yet, in spite of the crossing, the ancient Norican stock has been preserved in some breeds and in their sub-species. Their visual and physiological attributes are prevailing in such a manner, that one can see them at first sight. Among these breeds, the Blondvieh or Plava cow and the Pinzgau cow are undoubtedly the most characteristic ones.
The Plava cow - This beautiful breed is diffused in eastern Carinthia, and in the nearby Styria and Slovenia. It can be of white, of fair or even of light yellow colour. The weight of the Plava cow is ca. 500 - 600 kilograms. Some say, that it originated from crossbreeding of the "Celtic" with the "Middle German" mountain cattle. Others say, with more probability, that this breed represents a transition from the Pannonian steppe cattle to the Alpine one. Anyway, it too descends from an ancient Norican breed.

The Plava cow (Blondvieh), an autochthon breed of Norican roots from eastern Carinthia (Austria). She is a pleasant and friendly cow, as her looks bear witness.

Since the end of the 18th century AD, this breed spread very fast throughout Carinthia, Carniola and Styria. The dairy-farm of Mariahof near Neumarkt (Styria), a property of the St. Lambrecht monastery, was in the 19th century the most important rearing centre of this breed. Therefore, it was also called the Mariahofer cattle. The milk yield of this cow is high in quantity and quality in respect to others; it gives excellent meat and is very fertile. Today, this type of cattle has been reduced to the area of eastern and central Carinthia, as well as to the district of Waldviertel in Lower Austria. The breed is under protection.
In the 19th century the Plavka was mostly diffused in Carniola (Slovenia). Then, in Upper Carniola the breed was crossed with the Belan (Mölltal), and in Lower Carniola with the Murbodner. In this way, the Carniolan yellowish brown breed arose. In Slovenia, this new breed represents today approx. 30 % of all cattle.

The Pinzgauer cattle
As already mentioned, the Pinzgauer name stems from their origination in the Pinzgau Valley (Salzburg, Austria). It has to be considered, in spite of several cross breeding experiments, as the most genuine Norican breed. It is undoubtedly autochthon, even though in Austria, for ideological reasons, one would represent it of "Bavarian" origin. Consequently, with regards to the place of origin of the Norican (Pinzgauer) cow, we find still today the following romantic story in the Austrian technical literature:

About 500 AD, Alpine herdsmen, who ran their cattle on small, widely scattered, rocky pastures, began to develop a breed of red and white cattle from the native red Bavarian cattle. These early cattlemen selected animals that could withstand the harsh conditions and still produce meat and milk. Farmers in the highly productive valleys and other lush areas of Bavaria developed larger, brown and spotted (or "flecked") breeds of cattle from this native seedstock, and the Pinzgauer was born. As history progressed, the Pinzgauer attained their present form and colour.

"Bavaria, about 500 AD"?! Needless to say, that this story has no base. But this case has to be seen also from another viewpoint. The survival of this ancient breed from the times of Noricum until nowadays implies, that besides other things, the autochthon people in this area cannot be any other but the Carantanians (Slovenians). Therefore in Slovenian language, many pristine etymons concerning the ancient Alpine pasturage have been preserved, like tamar (cattle hurdle) or even planina (Alpine meadow) etc. It may sound very uncommon, but even the facts about  roots and autochthonal cattle breeding was denied through concealment! Anyway, this breed is of a particular species.

Typical cow stalls on the planina (Alpine meadow) called V Lazu (1560 m), found high up in the Julian Alps above the Bohin Valley (Slovenia).

The modern Pinzgauer (Austrian source) - This cattle possess a combination of high milk production and excellent fattening qualities. Alpine grazing and harsh weather conditions generated the strong constitution, ranging ability and soundness seen in the breed today. Unusually thick hides provide resistance to insects, and dark eye pigmentation virtually eliminates eye disease. The quiet nature of the breed is an asset during every level of production… from birth to slaughter. Pinzgauer adapt to climate changes well, as herds thrive in Brazil as well as in Canada.

Years of selection in the rough mountain climate has resulted in an adaptable, hardy breed known for its ability to produce despite environmental extremes or quality of feed. Genetic research and performance testing in the mother country of Austria comes from a Pinzgauer Herd Book that is over 400 years old, with a focus on selective breeding being recorded at the end of the 18th century.

From the 1820s, there are records of exportation of Pinzgauer cattle into the territory of present-day Romania, Czechia, Slovenia, Croatia. A group of Pinzgauer cattle were sent to the Paris World Exhibition, in 1871. In the early 1900s, a large number of breeding cattle was exported to South Africa.

In Austria, Pinzgauer are dual-purpose cattle with emphasis on milk production, and it was from this stock that the Canadian imports were chosen, in 1972. Pedigrees contained cows that had achieved elite status for milk production, and test results from the Maishofen Bull Stud indicated high daily gains with excellent feed efficiency. Although the ultimate purpose of the Canadian Pinzgauer is beef production, the fact that milk production has been stressed for many years greatly enhances the value of the breed, and has truly created the best cow in the Canadian beef industry. Longevity and an inherent ability to adapt to extreme climates and adverse conditions are beneficial to beef producers across Canada, as well as the rest of the world. Pinzgauers are known for their fertility as well as their exceptionally docile nature.

Many nations around the world have recognized the qualities of Pinzgauer cattle and use them as pure-breds or in crossbreeding programs to improve the native cattle. The world stock of Pinzgauer cattle, which amounts to 1.3 million heads, is divided among 24 nations (8 of which are European) and 4 continents. According to their historical development, the breeding areas in Austria (200,000 heads) as well as in Bavaria (West Germany) and South Tyrol (Italy - amounting to 50,000 heads), are the original breeding grounds.

Anyway, 85% of the world's stock is situated outside of Austria, and is distributed as follows: Europe - Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, Russia, Bavaria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and England. Africa - South West Africa (Namibia) and the Republic of South Africa, where Pinzgauer have been bred for over 100 years (approximately 100,000 heads of pure-bred cattle), Mozambique, Angola, Zaire, West Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana. South America: Brazil, Bolivia, Equador and Argentina. North America: Canada and the United States. Australia and New Zealand.

In the Julian Alps
The Pinzgauer cattle appears in several varieties, and it is not certain, that even that of the Pinzgauer discrict, because of its name, is the most original. On the southern part of the Tauern - Ture mountain ridge, in Carinthia, we find in the Möll (Mela)Valley another variety called the Mölltaler. In Slovenia, this variety is diffused in the Julian Alps under the name Belan cow, after the site of Bela (Vellach) in the Möll Valley. Under the name Pezzata rossa norica (red Norican cow) it is also to be found in the mountain area of the nearby Friuli province (Italy). The Pinzgauer breed and its Belan variety vary from each other in some attributes but not in their appearance. In both cases it is all about the ancient Norican cattle.

In the Julian Alps the Belan cattle is still today widely spread. In the 19th century, there were imported bulls from the Möll Valley as to improve the local cattle. There, some variety of the ancient Norican (Pinzgauer) cattle must have been already preserved. Thus, still today the appearance of the (improved) cattle of the Julian Alps does not distinguish from that of the Möll Valley and of Pinzgau.

Anyway, in the different regions of the Julian Alps there arose two sub-species of the cattle: a) the Tolminska cow (Tolminska krava), which is diffused in the west-southern part, and b) the Bohinska cow (Bohinska krava), found in the north-eastern part. The differences between them are a few only. The cow weights ca. 400 - 550 kilograms, and gives ca. 2,000 litres milk per year. Both sub-species are adapted for Alpine pastures.
After the WW1, the Tolmin and the Bohin regions were separated by a state border. The first one came under Italy, the second under Yugoslavia. On the Italian side, in spite of the contraries in policy against the Slovenian people, some improvements were made that lead to better dairy farming in the Julian Alps. But the breeding of cattle remained as it was in previous times. On the Yugoslav part, in the Bohin region, a Cattle-Breeding Committee was founded. It started with systematic selection of Bohin sub-species, and as early as in 1925 the first breeding bulls were selected.

Dairy products - The most important factors of cattle rearing in the Julian Alps are milk and dairy products. Their quality depends on the meadow grass. Products from the high Alpine pastures, called "planinski" in Slovenian, taste much better than those from the valleys.

Cheese (sir, in Slovenian) is the most important of all dairy products. In the Julian Alps, two types of cheese are produced, and have been named after the area of their origin: the Bohinski cheese and the Tolminski cheese. Here are at stake the autochthon and traditional species of hard full-cream cheese. They are produced in loaves of 3,5 to 5 kilograms and mature after 60 days. From such a cheese a meal called frika, which is eaten with polenta, is very tasty and abundant. - In the nearby Friuli province a similar cheese, called Montasio, is very appreciated.

Loaves of Tolminski cheese (Slovenia). It is a full-cream cheese, produced in a classic manner and protected by the trade mark Tolminc. From it the very savoury meal called frika is prepared.

The butter (maslo, in Slovenian), also of excellent quality, is the second dairy product. Since the 19th century it was exported to large cities like Graz or Vienna and Trieste - Trst. To the latter, boxes filled with 50 and 100 kilograms of butter were sent from Bohin. - The third product is the curd (cottage cheese) (skuta, in Slovenian). Normally, it was consumed at home. When salt is added, it keeps for weeks. Salted curds are mostly consumed with potatoes. Also the curd soup, called skutnica, is appreciated. From unsalted fresh curds and some sugar, the famous strudel (in Austria called Topfenstrudel) is prepared.

A picturesque scene from the festival called Cow ball (Kravji bal), which each year is celebrated in Bohin Valley (Slovenia), when the cattle is driven down from the Alpine meadows.

This is only part of the ancient genuine culture of the Julian Alps. Life was simply, but full of good will, experience and spirituality. In the Bohin Valley, for example, the well-known Kravji bal (Cow ball) is celebrated on the day, when the cattle are driven down from the Alps. A tradition which is connected with nature, without artificial products!
Bibliography:
•   F. Kaltenegger: Rinder der österreichischen Alpenländer, Wien 1897/5, 1904/6