Lovers of one of the most popular Slovenian traditional dishes gathered in large numbers in the northern town of Črna na Koroškem on 7 September for the 24th World Festival of Sautéed Potatoes.

Over 50 teams of onion and potato roasters prepared the dish out of 50 kilos of spuds each following their own recipes but also the ten "commandments".

The event is organised in a different town every year by the Society for Sautéed Potatoes with Onions as Independent Dish.

The official part started with the society's fanfare and anthem to pražen krompir as the dish is known in Slovenian.

Home Fried Potatoes, as the anthem has been translated into English, was authored by the famed Slovenian late popular music composer Mojmir Sepe and late lyrics writer Dušan Velkaverh.

Once the anthem was over, the participating teams started serving out the dish to the visitors for free one scoop at a time as decreed by the ten commandments.

The visitors were invited to taste the dish at several different stalls and come back for another helping if still hungry.

The ten commandments also ban the use of industrially pre-prepared potatoes and decree the teams hand their recipe in writing to the organisers.

They are also encouraged to wear distinctive outfits and promote their town or organisation in a humorous way.

Since the beginning of the festival, one of the rules has been no plastic at the event, Stane Menard, the society's president, told the Slovenian Press Agency.

The society cultivates its own potato field on the outskirts of Ljubljana.

According to the official recipe on its website, pražen krompir is made from 23 kilos of potatoes, 4.6 kilos of yellow onions, 1.23 kilos of pork lard, 1.36 kilos of pork cracklings and sea salt, the amount of which depends on the climate conditions on the frying location.

However, the participating teams can well give the dish their own new twist as long as they stick to the prescribed minimum amount of the main ingredient.

One of the teams making the dish this year were Koroška philatelists.

In tribute of the festival, a commemorative envelope and postcard have been issued. The national postal company issued a regular postage stamp dedicated to sautéed potatoes in 2012.