Prof. dr. Janez Bogataj is a doctor of ethnology and professor of history
of art. In 1971, he graduated in ethnology and history of art at the Faculty
of Arts in Ljubljana. After his graduation, he was employed in the Dolen-
jsko Museum, where he was custodian for two years. From 1975, he was
employed at the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at
the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana, where he was active until his retirement in
2009, when he was given the honorary title of Professor Emeritus. Occa-
sionally he lectured also at the Faculty for Tourist Studies in Portorož and
the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. In 2003 he received the
Murko Award. In 2015, the President of the Republic of Slovenia awarded
him the Order of Merit.
Professor Janez Bogataj is active in research and documentation of cul-
tural heritage and gastronomy, and is member of many professional bod-
ies for furthering the recognisability of brands of Slovenian regional foods
and drinks. He has been instrumental in establishment of many delicacies
of Slovenian gastronomy in the European Union. In 2018, he collaborated
with the Slovenian Government in applying for the designation of Slove-
nia as European Region of Gastronomy 2021. He is a member of the In-
ternational Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT), a
founding member of the Honourable Wine Convent of St. Urban in Ljublja-
na, a member of the international association Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, and
recipient of prestigious awards for his numerous books on cultural heritage
and gastronomy. Five of his books received Best in the World Cookbook
Awards. The author’s scientific and professional work and experience are
reflected in the comprehensive collection Gastronomy of Slovenia, the
fundamental work on Slovenia’s gastronomic cultural heritage.
