ROLLING PIN
IN THE KOČEVJE REGION, WOMEN USED WOODEN ROLLING PINS, KNOWN AS "NÜDL BELGA" IN KOČEVAR DIALECT, TO MAKE FINE EGG NOODLES, BUTTER POTICA (A TYPE OF SLOVENIAN CAKE), OR STRUDEL. TOGETHER WITH THE DOUGH ROLLING BOARD, KNOWN AS "NÜDL PRATT" IN KOČEVAR DIALECT, THE ROLLING PIN WAS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL FOR KOČEVAR COOKS.
The wooden rolling pin is a household tool used for rolling dough. It consists of a cylinder and two handles, which can be fixed or rotating. It is typically made of beech wood and comes in various lengths. Cleaning it is simple, just wipe it with a damp cloth. Wooden rolling pins are products of wooden goods, so-called "dry goods," which have been widespread in the Kočevje-Ribnica area since at least the Middle Ages. The local residents sought income and an additional means of survival by making various wooden objects for everyday use. Due to poor natural conditions, such as karst terrain, unfavorable soil for agriculture, and impoverishment of the population due to Turkish invasions, Emperor Frederick III granted the Kočevje and Ribnica residents the right to free trade in their own products without paying taxes in 1492. This meant the expansion of trade in dry goods, which traveling merchants, known as peddlers (German "Hausirer"), sold throughout the Austro-Hungarian lands until the beginning of World War II. Before World War II, crafts that were passed down from generation to generation were divided by households.
In villages, different families each engaged in one activity. Products of home woodworking were typically made from autumn to spring when other farm chores were done, and beforehand – throughout the year – they prepared the necessary materials. The term "dry goods" now encompasses more than twenty different crafts and trades: coopering, spoon-making, basketry, lattice-making, hoop-making, turning, coopering, toothpick-making, joinery, tool-making, toy-making, and souvenir making, etc. Since 2002, "Ribnica Dry Goods" has been protected with a geographical indication of origin. The area of Ribnica's dry goods includes many municipalities in the LAS area: Ribnica, Sodražica, Loški Potok, Kočevje, Dobrepolje, Velike Lašče, as well as Bloke. Wooden rolling pins are still made by turners. In the early 1950s, turning was limited to villages: Grdi Dol, Podklanc, Sodražica, Sušje, Zamostec, Zapotok, Brinovščica, Hrustovo, and Male Lašče. In the Ribnica Valley, turning was a cottage industry, especially in mills or homes near water, as they mostly turned with water power. There weren't many foot-powered lathes. Turners also worked with (Kočevje) charcoal burners while watching over the heap to prevent it from burning too much, partly also with coopers. In the Kočevje area, wooden rolling pins for dough, known as "Nüdl Belga" in Kočevar dialect, were used by women to make fine egg noodles, butter potica (a type of Slovenian cake), or strudel. Along with the dough rolling board, known as "Nüdl Pratt" in Kočevar dialect, the rolling pin was an indispensable tool for Kočevar cooks.