There is no such thing as a single, uniform, distinct Slovenian cuisine. In the opinion of some experts^[who?], there are more than 40 distinct cuisines in a country, whose main distinguishing feature is a great variety and diversity of land formation, climate, wind movements, humidity, terrain and history.

In the northeast there is the expanse of the Pannonian plain, in the east, the green and hilly Lower Carniola region, in the south the Karst and the Adriatic coastline, in the north-west the Alps, the marshes and the wine producing hills of Styria. All these factors influenced the development of the great variety and range represented by Slovenian cooking. To give some examples: crayfish mainly came from Krka (Slovenia) and its tributaries , pršut (Karst leg ham) can be dried only by the winds of the Karst and the coast.

In addition, Slovenia is a borderland country. It borders on four states with established and distinct national cuisines, namely Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. Slovenian cuisine is divided into town, farmhouse, cottage, castle, parsonage, and monastic Slovenian cuisine. The first Slovenian cookbook was published in Slovenian by Valentin Vodnik in 1799. Many Slovenian dishes are based on the use of animal fat; ocvirki, zaseka, bacon, lard, drippings, mushrooms, pork, flour-based dishes, potatoes, beans, butter, cream and eggs. For example: 24 eggs go into Gorenjska prata.