Dishes that Serbs cooked from legumes. Serbian cuisine

Traditionally, in medieval Serbia, they ate twice a day, and breakfast came later, under the influence of the West. Until the middle of the 20th century, they ate mainly boiled food with a lot of vegetables: soups, stews, paprikashi, goulash. Therefore, it is not surprising that the spoon was the only cutlery for a long time.

People in Serbia still live and eat slowly, enjoying rough, sometimes greasy food, grilled dishes, great home-made spirits, desserts that do not spare walnuts, eggs and butter, and other manifestations of hedonism in nutrition, which in the Western Europe is practically banished from the menu. In Serbia, just like in any other country, the national cuisine is heterogeneous. The cuisine of Serbia was influenced primarily by Central European, Hungarian, Austrian, as well as Eastern, especially Turkish and Arab culture.

Modern Serbia has not been spared by other foreign influences. So, in the restaurants of large cities you can find Italian, Greek and French, Japanese, Chinese and Indian dishes, although in rural areas traditional national cuisine has been preserved to one degree or another. And the search for traditional Serbian cuisine will lead us to the distant Middle Ages.

Serbian cuisine recipes. Dishes for the holidays. National New Year's recipes.

First meal:

• Meat chorba
• Serbian bean soup
• Lean Spinach Soup
• Mushroom soup with white wine
• Lean squash soup
• Lean potato soup
• Lean chanterelle soup
• cabbage soup
• Lean potato and nettle soup
• Lean bean soup with sorrel
• Fish soup (Riblja Chorba) (the most traditional Serbian fish soup)
• Bean soup with smoked meats
• Serbian bean soup
• Bosnian goulash soup with minced meat
• Chorba in Serbian style with veal

Main dishes:

• Serbian potato with feta
• Serbian splash
• Pork rolls with mushrooms and cheese

• Marinated ribs in the oven
• Serbian sausages cevapcici
• Ribs in honey soy sauce
• Prebranac (Serbian baked beans)
• Chicken with green beans
• Serbian bean goulash
• Bread dumplings with vegetables
• Goulash with smoked sausages, beans and bell peppers
• Serbian splash with sauce
• Chicken liver in bacon
• Serbian trout
• Buzara from lobsters
• Montenegrin casserole

Salads:

• Salad with hot pepper and garlic
• Classic Shopska salad
• Salad with chicken, beans and mushrooms
• Serbian tomato salad
• Kosovo Bean Salad (Kosovska salata od pasulja)
• Parsley salad (Salata od persuna)
• Corn salad (Salata od kukuruza secerca)

Dough dishes and desserts:

• Fruit bowl (Vocni kup)
• Serbian walnut cake
• Gibanitsa
• Burek in Serbian

National drinks:

• Herbal tea
• Black coffee
• Local wines "Vranac" (Vranac - "black"), "Zupsko", "Prokupac", "Smederevka", "Riesling", "Merlot", "Sauvignon", Lutomer", "Traminer", "Podgorichko bielo", " Krstach, Dolyansko and Krmnichko, Sremski Karlovtsy, Vrsach, Zupa, Smederevo, Timok
• Wines from coconuts
• Grape moonshine "Lozovach"
• "Rakia" (grape, plum, pear, herbal, etc.)
• "Dunya" - quince brandy
• Juniper tincture "travaritsa"
• Vodka "prepechenitsa"
• "Shumadi tea"
• Grape brandy ("vshjak")
• Local beer "Niksicko" (produced in three versions - simply "Niksicko", "Nik" and "Nik-Gold")

Serbian cuisine is known for its generous use of bread. In medieval Serbia, bread was baked from "sumeshica" and "surazhica", a mixture of wheat, barley and rye. In those days, because of the great role of bread in nutrition, it was treated with special attention. The dough was kneaded, cabbage leaves were placed on hot coals, the dough was placed on it, it was also covered with cabbage leaves on top and covered with hot ash. Knead the dough for bread with both cold and hot water. Cold was used for corn tortillas and cornbread to prolong their shelf life. The upper social strata ate bread made from wheat, while the poor were content with bread made from oats, rye and buckwheat.

In medieval Serbia there were even laws that determined the standards for the quality of bread, and in accordance with written evidence, in Belgrade in 1660 there were 600 mills powered by horses or the waters of the Danube.

Kajmak is one of the rare truly Serbian dishes; connoisseurs of domestic cuisine consider the one that is made in the vicinity of Čačak to be the best. Serbs are sure that kaymak is a dish that cannot be made industrially, while retaining its appearance and aroma.

A characteristic feature is the widespread use of cheese - "kachkavali", "kachamak", "zlatibor", "lipsky" and "senichki", as well as local cheese made from cow's and sheep's milk, start almost any meal. Bread is also consumed a lot - like most other Slavic peoples, it serves as a symbol of harvest and prosperity, so there is always white bread "pogacha" and a special dish of bread, milk and cheese "popara" on the table.

In traditional Serbian cuisine, the place of honor belongs to the gibanitsy, the author of the Serbian cookbook of 1913, Sofia Maksimovich, collected 17 recipes for its preparation. The most famous are with poppy seeds, cherries, cabbage, spinach, pumpkin, noodles and semolina, but the real Serbian gibanica is made from a combination of cheese and kaymak. For traditional gibanits, hand-rolled cakes were baked, and always in a wood-fired oven.

Meat cuisine dominates the national Serbian cuisine. Pork is the most common dish on a Serbian plate, experts say that the best fried pork is cooked in restaurants between Gornji Milanovets and Mrchaevts. If you find yourself in the region of Raska or in eastern Serbia, don't miss the chance to try roast lamb. Ground meat came from the East, along with spices.

Traditional local dishes include chops stuffed with spices "veshalitsa", the famous minced meat sausages "chevapchichi", spit-roasted meat "biscuits", small pork and veal skewers "rajnichi", stewed with rice and vegetables meat "juvech" , lamb meat fried in a cauldron "yagnetina ispod sacha" (there is also "teletina" and "eretina" - goat meat), fried assorted pork cutlets, liver, sausages and meatballs with onion "mixed meso", chicken in mustard sauce or in kaymak , as well as lamb “kapama” stewed with onions, salad and yogurt, dried lamb “kastradina”, grilled meat “hayduk”, a very thin steak fried in breadcrumbs - “karađorđe schnitzel”, a huge cutlet fried on coals from coarsely chopped meat "splash", lamb baked with eggs and vegetables, stew "hunting cauldron", the famous dried ham "prosciutto" and dozens of other meat dishes. All kinds of vegetables, herbs and proya cornbread are sure to be served with the meat.

Serbs cook smoked meat incredibly carefully. It is dried in the wind, then in cold air, and only after that it is smoked. Sausages, cracklings and other pork products are presented throughout Serbia, but the inhabitants of Vojvodina were the first to learn how to make them from the Austrians.

Special article - vegetables. They are always served here, regardless of whether it is breakfast or dinner, as independent dishes or simply as a "green snack". Local salads are mostly very coarsely chopped vegetables seasoned with olive oil, but there are often very complex "compositions" of tomatoes, peppers, onions and numerous varieties of greens such as "srpska salad". Especially good are cabbage rolls "sarma", "pasul" (beans) in all forms, stuffed peppers, eggplants and tomatoes with layers of meat "moussaka", pickled peppers with spices, pumpkin "punyena tikvitsa" stuffed with meat and rice, stuffed kohlrabi cabbage, vegetable dumplings, Serbian bean goulash, tomatoes stuffed with smoked fish, numerous vegetable soups, courgette "yahnia", eggplant fried with onions and peppers and dozens of other delicious dishes.

Peppers - paprikashi, ajvar and pinjur spread from southern Serbia. Aivar is made from a large sweet red pepper pointed at the end, which grows especially well in the south of Serbia.

Honey in medieval Serbia played a very important role, as a rule, it almost completely replaced sugar. Beekeeping was especially developed in monasteries. Although the use of honey is now gradually losing importance, it is too early to completely write it off. Mead was very popular in its time, but its traditional recipe has almost been lost.

Local flour products and desserts "slatkishi" are good - the famous pie with cottage cheese filling "gibanitsa", a simple layered pie with cheese or meat "burek", "pita" made from thin dough with various fillings, potato burek "krompirusha", various pasta with all kinds of sauces and fillings (very Italian), donuts "priganitsa", pies with cheese, large pancakes with various fillings "palachinke", a pie with cheese and herbs "zelyanitsa", "slatko" (jam), nuts baked in cheese and strukli plums (not to be confused with Slovak or German strukli, which are a completely different dish), Turkish delight, honey-boiled alva nuts, various rolls with jam and vegetables, biscuits of all kinds, walnut sticks and more.

Among the sweets of Serbian cuisine, baklava undoubtedly belongs to the place of honor, which, like tulumba, and in general most cakes with sugar syrup, is part of the rich Turkish culinary heritage. Traditional Serbian sweets include pita with apples or cherries, semolina cakes, salcici, vanilla buns, koch and a variety of cakes that are rich in eggs, butter, chocolate and walnuts. These sweets perfectly complement the individual face of Serbian cuisine. "Jam" is a specific dish of Serbian cuisine, it is one of the methods of fruit preservation, which results in a product that is most reminiscent of Western jam. The most exquisite jams are made from wild berries, plums and apricots.

It is not known exactly when plum brandy began to be made in Serbia, but it is certain that it played a significant role in the Serbian diet. In the morning, after waking up, it was supposed to drink a glass of strong plum brandy (from 40 to 45 ppm), and less strong (17-18 ppm of alcohol), the recipe of which is almost lost in our time, was used as a digestif during lunch.

Local wines, although not very well known in international markets, deserve close attention. The hallmark of local winemaking is the tart Montenegrin "Vranac" (Vranac - "crow"), of which there are dozens of varieties. Also good wines are Zhupsko, Prokupac, Smederevka, Riesling and others. White wines are produced according to international standards, therefore they are known as Merlot, Sauvignon, etc. Local white wines include Lutomer, Traminer, Podgoričko bielo, Krstač, Dolansko and Krmnichko. The products of the Sremski Karlovtsy, Vrsach, Zupa, Smederevo, Timok wine cellars, as well as wines from Kosovo, are famous for their excellent quality. Good quality wines "Krstach" (dry white) are famous.

Of the strong drinks, grape moonshine "lozovach" and "raki" (grape, plum, pear, herbal, etc.) are good. The most popular Montenegrin grape brandy varieties "Prvienac", "Kruna" and "Lozova", as well as pear "Viljamovka", which is best made in Serbian Valevo (pot-bellied green bottle 0.7 l). Exceptional in taste are "shlivovitsa" (plum brandy, the most famous Serbian "Zhuta osa" - "yellow wasp"), "dunya" - quince brandy, juniper tincture "travaritsa", the strongest vodka "prepechenitsa" and "Shumadi tea", representing a hot rakia.

Grape brandy ("vshyak") has an extremely peculiar taste, home-made strong drinks, which are products of primary distillation with a strength of up to 48 "degrees" and higher, may seem unusual in taste. The local strong beer "Niksicko" is also very popular (produced in three versions - simply "Niksicko", "Nik" and "Nik-Gold").

in spices), rajnichi (skewers of pork and veal), dzhuvech (stew with rice and vegetables) - these names of Serbian dishes sound like music to the Russian ear. Quite simple, but very hearty and tasty food is very popular in this Balkan country.

Serbian cuisine, like many others, was formed as a result of mixing several culinary traditions - Slavic, Hungarian, German, Turkish and Mediterranean. As a result, Serbian cuisine is famous for its diversity.

If you like meat dishes, you should pay special attention to Serbian cuisine. They are made mainly from pork, lamb and goat meat, mostly baked on coals.

At the head of the Serb table is not only meat, but also vegetables - eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, onions. They exist in all manifestations: coarsely chopped, stewed, grilled, stuffed and as a filling.

And what are Serbian pies and pastry products worth: a pie with a filling of greens and Zelyanitsa cheese, palachinki pancakes, donuts "priganitsa", a burek pie. And, of course, all these pickles should be washed down with national plum brandy.

Zelyanica with herbs and feta

Yeast-free puff pastry packaging

bunch of dill

bunch of basil

Small bunch of green onions

Handful of black olives

Salt pepper

200 g crumbled feta

Egg for brushing

How to cook Zelyanica with herbs and feta :

Gently roll out the layers of dough in one direction (about 50 * 15 cm), grease with oil, leaving the edges unlubricated, put on a towel.

For the filling, chop all the ingredients, mix well, salt and pepper.

Put the filling on long pieces of dough, roll it into a tight “sausage” with a towel and fasten the edges, wrap in a spiral. Lubricate the surface with a slightly beaten egg.

Place the pie on a greased baking sheet and bake at 180C for about 30 minutes.

Zelyanica with greens and feta is ready!

Enjoy your meal!

Potatoes with garlic and feta

500 g peeled small potatoes

500 g tomatoes

handful of olives

150 ml vegetable broth

2 garlic cloves

A little vegetable or olive oil

Small bunch of oregano parsley

50 g butter at room temperature

How to cook potatoes with garlic and feta :

Remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes, cut into large enough pieces. Chop the greens, make deep notches on the potatoes.

Put the tomatoes in a greased baking dish, season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with oregano. Put the potatoes on top of the tomatoes with notches, pour in the broth and bake for 30 minutes at 200C.

At this time, crumble the feta, mix with chopped garlic, parsley, olives and butter.

Put the cheese mixture on the potatoes and bake it for another 7 minutes.

Enjoy your meal!

Juvech

500 g lamb

100 ml vegetable oil

700 g tomatoes

3 medium onions

3 art. rice spoons

1 small eggplant

200 g pumpkin pulp

2 paprika pods

A bunch of parsley and celery

How to cook juvech :

Cut tomatoes, set aside. Chop the remaining vegetables and herbs, add 2 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil, salt, leave for 15 minutes.

Put the tomatoes in a deep baking dish, put half of the vegetable mixture there, put pieces of meat on the vegetables, sprinkle with rice. Place the remaining vegetables in the next layer, pour oil from under the vegetables, pour in 2 cups of water.

Enjoy your meal!

fish paprikash

2 kg oily fish fillet

5 green peppers

4 bulbs

3 art. spoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

How to cook fish paprikash :

In a saucepan lightly fry the onion, sprinkle with red pepper.

Put the fish fillet on the onion, simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.

Pour in water so that it covers the fish, put the peppers cut into circles, salt and cook until the water is almost completely boiled away.

Serve stewed fish in a deep plate, sprinkled with herbs.

Fish paprikash is ready.

Enjoy your meal!

Serbia is one of the magnificent pearls of the Balkan Peninsula. Having absorbed centuries-old traditions and culture of neighboring countries, she transformed them into something unique and inimitable. This is fully reflected in the national cuisine.

spicy eggplant

Having the kindest feelings for vegetables, in Serbia they prepare various snacks from them. We cut 3 eggplants with a peel into longitudinal plates 1 cm thick, rub with salt and leave for 30 minutes. Fry 100 g of walnuts in a dry frying pan and grind with a rolling pin. We pass through the press 3-4 cloves of garlic, mix with juice and lemon zest, 20 g of chopped parsley, nuts, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 tsp. balsamic and a pinch of sugar. Fry the “tongues” until golden brown, pour over the sauce and let it saturate for 10 minutes. For the summer menu, such a simple appetizer is what you need.

Sausages like from a fairy tale

Hearty Čevapčići sausages are a favorite food in Serbia. We scroll in a meat grinder 500 g of pork and beef with an onion. To make the stuffing more tender, it is better to do this twice. Add 2-3 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tsp each. black pepper, paprika, salt and soda. The last ingredient is needed for the sausages to “grow up” during the frying process. Cover the stuffing with cling film and leave in the refrigerator for a day. Then we sculpt sausages 1.5 cm thick from it, roll in ground breadcrumbs and fry in oil with the addition of lard. If you are going on a picnic, take meat preparations with you. Grilled chevapchichi are delicious!

Beans in a new light

Prebranets is a dish that will rediscover beans for many. Soak 500 g of white beans overnight. In the morning, fill it with fresh water, bring to a boil and filter. Now pour boiling water over the beans, put a coarsely chopped onion, bay leaf and cook until tender. We will just have time to fry 4 onions in half rings with 5-6 cloves of garlic, 3 tsp. paprika, ½ tsp chili and a pinch of salt. We put a little beans in a refractory form, cover with a part of the fried onion. Repeat layers all the way to the top. We breed in 200 ml of a decoction of beans 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, pour vegetables and put the oven at 180 ° C for 25 minutes. Simple at first glance, the dish will surprise you with a rich unusual taste.

Trout with a soft heart

Serbian national cuisine is unthinkable without fish. Soak 70 g of prunes in boiling water. We clean the medium trout from scales, gut it, wash it and put steamed prunes inside. We combine 100 m of olive oil, 30 ml of wine vinegar, ½ bunch of chopped parsley and a clove of chopped garlic. Add 50 ml of water, fill the trout in a baking dish with this mixture and send it to the oven preheated to 200 ° C for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, mix in a saucepan beaten egg, 1 tbsp. l. fresh parsley, lemon juice and simmer over low heat until thickened. With this sauce we will serve tender fragrant trout.

Soup for cultural exchange

Chorba soup - oriental shurpa in the Serbian version. Cut 500 g of veal into strips, mix with 2 chopped onions, lightly fry in oil. Pour in 30 ml of water, pour the celery root into cubes and simmer until tender. Bring to a boil 3 potatoes and carrot slices in a saucepan with water, put the veal with onions, 2 tomatoes without skin, medium chopped, and cook for 15 minutes. At the end, add fresh herbs. Chorba's secret ingredient is a special dressing. In a greased frying pan, fry 1 tbsp. l. flour with a pinch of paprika and add to the soup. To bring chorba to perfection, let it rest under the lid for half an hour.

Pie with a rich inner world

Another popular recipe of Serbian national cuisine is with different fillings. Knead the dough from 500 g flour, 300 ml water and ¼ tsp. salt, leave for 30 minutes. We combine 250 g of minced meat with chopped onion, 2 tbsp. l. dill, 3 garlic cloves, salt and pepper. We divide the dough into 4 cakes. We roll the first into the thinnest, almost transparent layer. To do this, grease the table with oil and pull the dough in different directions. In the center of the layer we put the second cake in the form of a square. We place on it part of the minced meat with grated cheese and wrap the edges of the lower layer. We do the same with other cakes. Lubricate the pies with oil, sprinkle with herbs and garlic and bake for 35 minutes at 200 ° C.

Berries in a milk cloud

Lovers of sweet pastries will be pleased with the most delicate dessert. Combine 6 raw proteins with a pinch of salt and 6 tbsp. l. sugar, beat until stiff peaks. Continuing to beat, we introduce the yolks with ½ tsp. baking powder. Add 4 tbsp. l. flour and semolina and knead the dough. Grease a baking dish with butter and sprinkle with flour. Pour the dough into it, sprinkle with fresh berries and put in the oven at 180 ° C for 25 minutes. At this time, dilute in 500 ml of hot milk 3 tbsp. l. powdered sugar and ½ tsp. vanillin. Ready cooled dessert, without removing it from the mold, cut into pieces. Pour it with milk and send it to freeze in the refrigerator.

Dishes of Serbian cuisine are quite familiar to us and are close in many respects. However, they always have a certain zest that makes them original and unique. Therefore, they will successfully enliven the everyday family menu and will surely please your loved ones.

Cooking and Drinking Serbia

The irresistible taste of Serbia...

The cult of hospitality

When you get to Serbia, wherever you are: in the capital or province, big cities or small villages, in any cafe and restaurant you will be fed with delicious and high-quality dishes. Serbs are good and attentive hosts. Waiting for a guest, they, according to ancient customs, open doors or gates wide open, as if saying "well arrived"(welcome)! The guest is seated in the most comfortable place at the table, treated to the best food and drink that can be found in the house, and they try to make the time spent in this house enjoyable. You definitely won't stay hungry after such "gatherings"!

Preserving the traditions of the people

Serbian cuisine can certainly satisfy any taste. Thanks to the centuries-old influence of different peoples who lived on this land, Serbian cuisine was formed as a result of mixing very different culinary traditions, which turned it into a rather distinctive phenomenon. In fact, the Serbian cuisine combines the spirit of European and Oriental, which led to the variegation and variety of dishes. A culinary connoisseur can easily identify the tastes characteristic of the cuisines of the Slavic countries, as well as Hungary, Germany, Turkey and the Mediterranean. In Serbia, the cuisine of the central regions, Vojvodina and coastal regions coexist, which differ markedly from each other. Today, Serbian cuisine has spread and become popular in many countries of the world.

The central regions of Serbia and the mountainous regions of Montenegro are famous for simple but very tasty dishes of vegetables and meat with spices. Meat dishes prepared mainly from lamb and pork. Characteristic feature - ubiquitous use kaymaka(milk froth made from specially fermented and salted milk). It is also served separately as a cold appetizer.

Traditional local dishes: chops stuffed with spices (hanger); minced meat sausages with spices cooked on a brazier, a Balkan version of kebab (chevapchichi); small skewers of pork and veal (rangers); grilled cutlet of coarsely minced meat (splashing); various types of spit-roasted meat - lamb, pork, veal (liver); casserole; meat stew with rice and vegetables (juvech); lamb, veal or goat meat "from under the sach"(meat cooked in a frying pan on a brazier under a massive lid); grilled meat platter (mixed meso), which includes pork cutlets, liver, sausages and meatballs with onions; oblong steak fried in breadcrumbs (karageorgiev schnitzel); the famous dried ham, reminiscent of Caucasian basturma (prshut) and dozens of other meat dishes. A variety of vegetables, herbs and cornbread are sure to be served with meat. (sorry).

Of the national dishes, we also recommend trying: cabbage rolls (sarmu) from sauerkraut or grape leaf, stuffed pepper, pepper caviar ajvar, a dish of fresh cabbage and lamb, beans with onions and bean soup, moussaka eggplant with minced meat, a special dish of bread, milk and cheese (in pairs).

For cooking, Serbs widely use cheese- Kachkaval, Zlatarsky and Senitsky, as well as local cheese made from cow, sheep and goat milk. consume a lot and of bread: like most other Slavic peoples, it serves as a symbol of harvest and prosperity, so there is always white bread on the table (rebate).

Good local flour products: pie with curd filling (gibanitsa); simple layer cake with cheese or meat (burek); pie with cheese and herbs (greenberry); puff pastry pie with various fillings (pita); potato burek (krompirusha). Also popular are various pasta with all sorts of sauces and fillings.

Among the local desserts, which are called sweeties, you can select donuts (priganits); pancakes with various fillings (palachinki); sweet puff pies (with nuts and raisins); strudel(poppy, apple, pumpkin); variety of rolls with jam and vegetables (rollati); walnut sticks; baklava, tulumba and urmashitsa(sweet cake in syrup); vanilla, baking all sorts and more.

The culinary tradition of northern Serbia, Vojvodina, differs significantly from the rest of the country. Vojvodina is known for its "sour dough", full strudel with poppy seeds, cheese, raisins and cherries smeared with egg yolk and baked on wood. Strudels can be replaced lazy pies, stuffed depending on the season with grated apples, cherries or sour milk cheese, to which a few eggs, raisins and grated lemon peel are added. Gurabia round or crescent shaped, made with fat, flour and sugar, are considered "poor" cookies. However, if you put half a walnut on top, they are already considered "master's".

Salchichi- purely Vojvodina pastries, typical at the time of slaughtering pigs. They are made from white flour puff pastry and fresh lard stuffed with apricot jam. When they are well baked and "bloom" they are sprinkled with powdered sugar. Here is the usual menu of a Vojvodinian during the slaughter of pigs: liver fried in a fatty net with onions, fried pork cheek, a little pork belly, paprikash with sauerkraut salad and for dessert - salchichi.

Slatko- jam, which in Serbia is customary to offer a guest along with a glass of cold water. Jam is traditionally made from strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, plums, quince and other fruits and berries. Serbs joke that at first sweetness is necessary in order to collect in one place in the stomach all the bacteria that need to be killed off with two glasses of the strongest slivovitz drunk at once. And after such a “cleansing” of the body, you can already have a proper meal. Plentiful appetizers are preferred here: smoked meats, cheese, eggs and shells or kaymak.

Good food requires quality drinks. Serbia, famous in Europe for the cultivation of grapes and fruits, is replete with fine wines and spirits. Many varieties of white and red wines are produced here, among which there are a large number of autochthonous ones: Zhilavka, Tamyanika, Zhuplyanka, Muscat Krokan. Prokupac, Vranac, Smederevka, Frankovka, Aurelius, Merlot, Burgundy white and red, Riesling and many others. National strong liquor, of course, rakia- fruit vodka. Try plum "sewing", pear "Williamovka", quince "dunya" grape "lozovachu" juniper "klakovachu", herbal tincture "travaritsu", "bakery"(twice distilled, strong brandy), "Shumadi tea"(hot brandy boiled with sugar).

Enjoy your meal!

Names of popular Serbian specialties

Kaymak

The word is of Turkish origin. Means milk foam - a dairy product similar to sour cream, made at home. It is made from salted upper layers of cream collected after cooling of boiled milk and laid out, as a rule, in wooden barrels. The milk is cooled in a special wide but shallow dish, usually made of wood. Depending on how long it was stored, it can be "young" or "old". Fresh kaimak contains twenty to thirty percent of moisture, and it leaves from a one-year-old. And it's almost pure fat! Therefore, kaymak is usually eaten with bread. Corn or wheat. In Serbia, there are usually two types of bread on the table - for every taste. And it is also considered a snack. Kaimak is an exceptional local product from the areas south of the Sava and Danube rivers. The most delicious and high quality kaymaks from mountainous areas (Zlatibor mountain range, Chachka region and northern Montenegro).

Senitsky cheese

One of the best white (village) cheeses produced in Serbia, from cities located in the mountainous Senica region.

paprika (pepper)

The English equivalent is "peppers", but the English also use the word "paprika". There are many options for its preparation, in addition, it is included in many dishes. Peppers are stuffed with meat or white cheese - in young summer or old winter. After grilling and removing the skins and seeds, all you need is salt, oil, vinegar, and peeled garlic to make a great salad. Many housewives preserve pepper for the winter. Dried and ground peppers are an indispensable spice in Serbian cuisine and are known throughout the world by their Serbian name. In late summer, the smell of stewed peppers comes from many homes in Serbia.

Aivar

A dish of Balkan cuisine, vegetable caviar, a pasty mass of overcooked or baked red bell pepper, to which eggplant is often added. The name of the dish comes from the Turkish word "havyar", which means "salted / salted caviar". It is used as a seasoning for side dishes and meat dishes, as well as an independent dish with bread. Aivar is most often used as a winter preparation, and the process of its preparation can take up to a day. Ajvar is cooked in open pots on a wood-burning stove, before which the pepper is first baked, carefully peeled, decanted and twisted. Before serving, a little finely chopped salted garlic is usually added. The spiciness and density of ajvar can vary from watery puree to thick paste. Interestingly, many peoples of the Balkan Peninsula (including Serbs, Croats and Macedonians) consider ajvar their national dish.

Sarma (stuffed cabbage)

Cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat or rice are suitable for vegetarians or fasting people. In winter, they are made from sauerkraut leaves, and in summer, many use grape leaves or any other edible green leaves. Served with yogurt or sheep's sour milk.

Proya

A variety of traditional cornbread. It can be served with cheese and kaimak, as well as with spinach, sorrel with vegetables in summer or with pickles in winter.

Ribla Chorba (fish thick soup - ukha)

Prepared from various freshwater fish, seasoned with hot pepper. There are many variations of this dish, which are served in floating river restaurants moored on the banks of the Sava and Danube, where high quality fish such as sturgeon or river perch are also prepared.

Pasul (Serbian beans)

Used in many national dishes. It varies in size, shape, color and culinary purpose. Fine-grained is suitable for soup with dried meat, sausage or bacon, and coarse-grained is excellent for boiling, followed by stewing in clay pots in the oven, with pieces of onion and pepper with the addition of bay leaf. So it turns out famous throughout Serbia "prebranac" or, as many joke, "Serbian caviar". This is beans stewed with onions and spices. Onions are used more than beans, which are brought to a state of airy softness, while retaining in some incomprehensible way the original shape.

Prosciutto (cured meat)

Fresh beef or pork (ham) meat is first salted, left "under oppression" for some time in a special wooden bowl in its own salty juice for pressing and better release of all the liquid, and then hung out in a draft, where it hangs until completely dry. This product is similar to Caucasian basturma. The most famous prosciutto are produced in the Uzice region (from beef) and in Montenegro (from pork).

Leskovacki woz (train in Leskovacki)

A special dish from Southern Serbia, namely from the city of Leskovac, after which this dish is named. "Train" means the way of serving. The dish consists of various types of meat cooked on a brazier and served one after the other during a long and enjoyable dinner. The "train" consists of cevapcic, pleskavica (Serbian hamburgers), schnitzel, and various meat sausages. The order of serving depends on the restaurant or on the desire of the guest.

Chevapchichi

Minced meat sausages cooked on a brazier, a Balkan version of lula kebab. Served with peeled (finely chopped) onions, sometimes with kaimak.

Liver (grilled meat)

Most often it means roasted on a spit or in a separate oven the carcass of a piglet or lamb. This dish is a must on the traditional festive table, especially during a wedding.

Slatkishi (sweets)

If we are talking about sweets, then East and West meet again in Serbia. Poppy strudel with nuts made in Vojvodina and multi-layer complex cakes are the legacy of Central Europe. Baklava, tulumba and urmashitsa (sweet cake in syrup) are a centuries-old tradition in the Middle East. Back in the 17th century, Belgrade baklava was praised by the famous Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi.

Slatko (jam)

Kind of sweetness with whole pieces of fruit. Many tourists expressed their special interest in this dish. Samuel Becket, Nobel laureate in literature, mentioned Serbian jam in his correspondence. A guest who comes to a house is immediately offered jam and a glass of cold water. Jam is also eaten in the morning, before breakfast, although this custom is slowly dying in the cities. The most delicious jam is made from strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, and quince. The choice here is unlimited and everyone can choose according to their taste.

Zhito

Sweetness, an analogue of the usual Russian Orthodox rice kutya, which is mainly served during religious holidays (church services, commemorations, family glory, etc.). It is a mixture of boiled whole and then ground wheat, nuts and sugar. In coffee shops, it is traditionally served with or without whipped cream.

pita

Pita from puff pastry with cheese or meat is the most favorite dish of all the Balkan peoples. The name "pita" is known to both Serbs and Greeks, Romanians and Hungarians.

It is made from thin layers of dough with various fillings, then rolled and baked in the oven. Depending on whether used as an appetizer, main course or dessert, pita can be stuffed with meat, mushrooms, white cheese, white cheese and spinach or greens mixture, apples or cherries.

One of the varieties of pita, similar to a casserole, is salted gibanitsa. In Serbia, they put cheese, kaimak or eggs in it. Pairs perfectly with red wine.

A few recipes for those who like to cook something delicious

"Grandma's Proya with Cheese"

• 12 tablespoons cornmeal
• 4 tablespoons wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (200 ml) yogurt
• 1 cup (200 ml) sparkling water
• 250 gr. white cheese
• 100 ml vegetable oil
• 1 sachet of baking powder

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl, but the cheese should not be crushed too much - it is better to leave large pieces. Grease a baking sheet (or molds for pro and muffins) with melted margarine and lay out the dough. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven, first 10 minutes at 200°C, then another 20 minutes at 180°C.

Cookies "Vanilla"

• 250 g butter or melted lard or margarine
• 500 g wheat flour (high quality)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 1 lemon
• 100 g plum or apricot jam
• 250 g powdered sugar
• 150 g walnuts
• 5 g vanillin
• 1/2 sachet of baking powder

1. Beat softened butter, yolk, sugar and egg. Add juice of one lemon. Pour flour, baking powder and mix the dough.
2. Put the dough on a board and roll it out with a thickness of 0.5-0.7 cm. Cut out cookies (circles, hearts, stars, flowers to taste) with cookie cutters, grease it with whipped protein. Grease a baking sheet with oil and arrange the resulting figures on it. Bake in the oven at 200-225°C until the dough turns white (10-15 minutes). Make sure the cookies don't burn or turn brown while baking, as vanilla is supposed to be white.
3. Remove the finished cookies from the oven, let cool. Fold the cookies in two pieces, after smearing the core with jam. Roll cookies in a mixture of powdered sugar and finely chopped walnuts.

Vanillas are served at weddings, on the days of the angel - a special holiday revered in Serbia, which allowed Christianity to be preserved during the Ottoman yoke, for all family holidays and just like that, for tea, without any reason.

• 1 veal leg
• 2 pork legs
• 800 g beef or pork legs (boneless)
• 1 large celery (root and leaf)
• 300 g carrots
• 150 g parsnip root
• 5 medium onions
• 3 heads of garlic
• 2 heads finely chopped garlic
• 4-5 liters of water
• 3 sachets of gelatin
• 2-3 tbsp. spoons of Vegeta

Meat, celery, carrots, parsnips, onions, and three whole heads of garlic, cover with water and cook for 3-4 hours, until the meat is completely boiled. Salt, but not much, as "Vegeta" is added later. Strain the meat and vegetables through a colander, but do not discard the broth. Cool the broth, then skim off excess fat with a spoon. Return the pot to the heat, bring to a boil and add the vegeta to taste. Prepare gelatin according to package directions and pour into broth. Finely chop the meat and arrange it in molds for jelly. If you don't have metal molds, you can use deep plates or bowls for jelly. Along with the meat, you can add finely chopped garlic to taste. Pour everything with ready-made broth from the pan. Chill the dish well before serving and let it thicken.

Sarma - sauerkraut stuffed cabbage

• 100 g fat
• 300 g onion
• 1 large head of garlic
• 700 g ground beef
• 300 g minced pork
• 150 g rice
• 1 st. a spoonful of salt
• 1 st. a spoon
• ground red sweet pepper
• 2 tbsp. spoons of Vegeta
• 500 g pork ribs
• 2-3 heads of sauerkraut

Peel the onion and grate it on a coarse grater. Heat the fat in a pan and fry the onion (about 10 minutes). Rinse the rice and mix it with minced meat. Salt, add "Vegeta" and red pepper. Divide the cabbage heads into leaves and cut off the roots of the leaves so that only the soft part remains. If you are cooking small cabbage rolls, cut the leaves in half. The optimal leaf size is 15-18 cm long and 7-9 cm wide. At the bottom of a large saucepan (which is suitable for the oven), lay out the parts of the leaves that you cut. Put the filling on each sheet and roll the stuffed cabbage so that the edges are inside. Spread the cabbage rolls evenly into the pan. When the first row of cabbage rolls is laid out, top with a few spare ribs and garlic. Continue laying out new layers of cabbage rolls. When the pot is full, cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining cabbage and pour over hot water. Cover the pot with foil and place it in the oven at the highest temperature. When the contents boil, reduce the temperature to 100-150 ° C and bake the cabbage rolls for about 3-4 hours.

• 500 ml warm milk
• 1/4 cube fresh yeast
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 kg soft flour
• A little salt and sugar
• 500 ml oil

In a large plastic bowl, combine salt, sugar, yeast and eggs, beat with a mixer. Add milk and flour and continue beating for 5-8 minutes. Leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Pour the oil into a small saucepan and heat it well. Stir the dough with a ladle. Spoon batter (1/2 tablespoon) into hot oil. Shake the pan a couple of times while frying so that the donuts rise evenly. Flip them to the other side and when they are golden brown, place them on a paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Serve warm with cheese, kaimak, ajvar, jam, honey...

• 250 ml milk
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 200 ml oil
• 700 g flour
• 250 g margarine
• 100 g sesame seeds

Place yeast, sugar and salt in warm milk and sprinkle with a little flour. Leave for twenty minutes for the yeast to rise. Then add butter, egg and flour. Knead the dough well and divide into six equal balls. Roll each ball with a rolling pin so that you get a circle and spread each circle with margarine (use 200 g of margarine for this, leave the rest for later). Lay out three rolled circles on top of each other. Cut the dough into triangles like pizza slices. Roll the bagel from the wide end to the narrow end. Arrange the rolls on a buttered and floured baking sheet. Cut the remaining margarine into as thin leaves as possible and place on top of each bagel. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Leave 90 minutes for the dough to rise. Bake the bagels in the oven at that temperature of 200 degrees until they are browned.

• 250 g beef or pork fillet
• 50 g. kaimak
• 30 g flour
• 1 egg
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• Salt pepper

1. The fillet is cut in the middle, but not completely, so that you can “open” it. With a chop hammer, we break the fillet to a thickness of 6 mm to make a rectangle. At the same time, for the convenience of folding, it is recommended to leave one side thicker than the rest.
2. The resulting schnitzel is salted and peppered.
3. On the inner, thicker side of the fillet, a kaymak is placed (in the absence of it, it is possible to use a cream of cheese from butter and sour cream), which is wrapped in such a way that a tight roll is obtained.
4. In turn, the schnitzel is rolled in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. This operation is performed twice. After that, the roll must be rolled on the table, pressing it tightly with your hands to secure the breading well.
5. The schnitzel is fried on all sides in a large amount of oil in a frying pan or deep fryer.

Karageorgiev schnitzel is served with french fries and tartar sauce.

To make homemade tartar sauce, you need the following ingredients:

• 200 g mayonnaise
• 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream
• 3 medium sized sour cucumbers
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small onion
• some parsley
• Pepper (optional)

1. Finely chop or mash the onion and sour cucumbers.
2. Mix mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard, then add chopped cucumbers, onion and parsley.
3. Add salt to taste and lemon juice.
4. Mix the resulting mixture well, and then refrigerate.

Classic salad "Urnebes"

• 500 g full-fat cheese (hard)
• Half a glass of vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed hot pepper
• Garlic

Chop the cheese. Add vegetable oil, ground and crushed pepper and crushed garlic. Mix well and serve with an ice cream scoop.

Quite often, for the preparation of Urnebes, ajvar (caviar from red bell pepper) is used instead of crushed hot pepper. In addition, some chefs add kaymak and salt the salad to taste.

Cake dough: 500 g flour, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, a pinch of salt, water.

• 250 g of cheese and 250 g of kaymak (500 g of sour milk cheese)
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200 ml vegetable oil
• 200 ml mineral sparkling water
• A little milk or yogurt (in case the filling is too thick)

Korzhi

Sift flour, mix with vegetable oil, adding a pinch of salt and a little warm water. Knead not too hard dough. Divide the dough into ten equal parts and knead each part separately once again on the board. After kneading, balls are formed, which are lubricated with vegetable oil. Cover and leave the dough for 0.5-1 hour. On a clean, floured surface, roll out layers 2-4 mm thick. Let them dry a little, and then adjust to the size of the baking sheet (or other desired shape) on which the cakes will be baked. Bake the cakes in the oven on both sides.

In Serbia, special thin sheets for gibanica are widely used, resembling a thin translucent sheet of paper. This makes the preparation of gibanica even easier.

Actually gibanitsa

1. Break the eggs into a fairly deep bowl, add salt, mineral water and oil. Mix the resulting mixture well with a whisk for churning.
2. Add cheese and kaimak or sour-milk cheese, which can be pre-salted to your liking.
3. With light movements, mix the cheese and kaimak with the mixture obtained earlier so that small crumbs remain.
4. If the filling is too thick (depending on the size of the eggs and the dryness of the cheese), add some milk or yogurt.
5. At the bottom of a fairly deep baking sheet, previously greased with vegetable or butter, put 2 cakes as a forgery. The cakes between are lightly sprinkled with vegetable oil.
6. Set aside 3 cakes to the side, and the rest are crumpled in turn (like a sheet of unnecessary paper), dipped well in the prepared filling mixture and laid out with each other over the entire area of ​​​​the baking sheet.
7. If all the cakes (except those left aside) are well moistened and laid out, and the filling remains, then the already laid out cakes are poured with it.
8. With the remaining cakes, cover the resulting mass on top.
9. We put a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 250°C, where the gibanica is baked for about 5 minutes (until it is lightly browned), after which the oven temperature should be reduced to 200°C. Depending on the power of the oven, the gibanica is baked for another 25-30 minutes, until the edges begin to flake off the mold.
10. After turning off the oven, leave the bowl for another 5 minutes so that it “calms down”, then remove and lightly sprinkle with mineral water.
11. Cover the fold with a clean kitchen towel or piece of cloth and leave to cool for a few more minutes.

Cut warm gibanica with cheese into large or small pieces (optional) and put on a plate or serving dish. Serbian gibanica with cheese is used as a warm or cold snack, as well as for breakfast or dinner with yogurt or sour milk.

Uzhitskaya "Lepin's Set"

Uzhytsia "komplet lepinya" (literal translation "kit-flat cake") is a well-known specialty of the Uzhitsky region, characterized by simplicity and cheapness of preparation, and served even in restaurants. If someone brought this dish to you on a plate, you would probably ask: “What are we talking about, because this is an ordinary flatbread?”. However, you will be wrong set lepinya - "set-flat cake".

• Flat cake - should not be fresh, “yesterday's” is best, with a diameter of 10-15 cm
• 2 tablespoons of old kaimak (kaimak must be old, not young)
• 1 egg
• 1 incomplete ladle of meat liquid left in the bowl after roasting pig, lamb, or other young pets. In terms of its composition, it is not only fat (although it contains the most), but also meat juice, which has a specific taste and smell, depending on the type of meat.
• Salt (to taste)
• Vegetable oil
• Yogurt (kefir or sour milk) - optional.

Meat liquid in the Serbian city of Uzhice can be easily and free of charge in one of the many barbecue houses, where it is collected in baking sheets or other deep dishes when frying meat.

Since this specialty is very quick to prepare, it is best to eat it for breakfast, because it's real calorie bomb- a unique source of energy for the whole day.

Depending on how many people you are cooking, how many cakes you will need.

1. Cut the cake horizontally so that the lower part is like a dish, and the upper (smaller) part is like a lid that needs to be separated.
2. In the lower part, make a recess, pulling out the middle from it, and put a border in this recess, which must be rubbed well. With a knife in several directions, make holes in the cake.
3. Break the egg directly into the cake (the egg can be pre-beaten) and spread it with light movements until everything is well connected.
4. If necessary and desired, add salt and return the middle, which was taken out from the bottom of the cake.
5. Preheat the oven at 250°C.
6. Grease a baking sheet or other fairly deep dish with vegetable oil and bake the bottom of the cake without a “lid” at a temperature of 250-300 ° C for 5-10 minutes.
7. Kaymak has melted, the egg is covered with a crust, and the cake is “smoking”? This is a sign that she is ready.
8. Dip the “lid” of the cake into the filling and bake it from 30-40 seconds to several minutes.
9. Separate the middle in the lower part of the cake from the walls, drawing a knife along its contour, and slightly cut it in the center. Pour the meat liquid over the center.
10. Cover the resulting “set” with the “lid” removed from the oven. This top, crispy layer of the flatbread is used to dip it into the filling of kaymak, egg and meat liquid.

You can put ham or bacon on the filling, but this is not necessary: ​​many people like it more when the tortilla is just well baked. The set of lepin is served hot and consumed with some cold, refreshing drink (if possible, yogurt). Basically a set of sculpting eat with hands first dipping the top into the filling, then moving on to its outer part. At home, it is possible to prepare a good version without the use of meat liquid, replacing it with more kaimak to give the necessary juiciness. However, in this case it will be “only” a cake with kaimak and eggs, which cannot be called a “lepin set”.

Important note: the meat liquid itself is very salty, so the use of salt is not necessary, especially since one of the ingredients is old kaimak, which is also quite salty.

How is homemade rakia made?

Rakia (general name for fruit vodka) can be found in every Serbian home. Real rakia the longer it is stored, the better it becomes. We recommend trying plum "sewing", pear "Williamovka" quince "dunya" grape "lozovachu" juniper "klakovachu", tincture "travaritsu", "bakery"(twice distilled strong vodka), "Shumadi tea"(hot brandy)… From natural Serbian brandy (of course, drunk in moderation) there is no hangover and headache!

Fruit picking is the first step in the production of rakia. It is made from grapes, plums, quince, apricots, figs, pears or dogwoods. The harvested fruit is crushed and then placed in a wooden barrel. The mass is mixed several times a day: the more often, the better. The resulting fruit pomace is popularly called trope.

The process of fermentation, or fermentation, usually lasts from 15 to 30 days. After its completion, the distillation process begins, i.e. to distillation, for which special boilers are used. In Serbia, some families still have hand-forged copper cauldrons.

Fruit pomace is added to the cauldron almost to the top, after which the cauldron is closed with an oval lid that collects vapors and discharges them to the condenser. The vapors are cooled using water in tubes, or the tube is simply placed in a barrel filled with cold water. At the end of the tube there is a faucet from which alcohol flows. Rakia flows in a thin stream, and it is believed that the quality of rakia is better, the thinner the stream. The boiler is usually placed on a three-legged stand or a special firebox, under which a fire is kindled. Beechwood is the best wood for a fire, as it is believed to provide the ideal temperature for distillation. The temperature must not exceed 300°C.

The fortress of brandy is 50% vol. (20 degrees Hess). In the old days, the strength of the resulting brandy was determined by the duration of the bubbles on the walls of the dish into which it was poured. The number of degrees was defined as the number of seconds the foamy wreath remained on the surface of the vessel.

According to ancient customs, rakia was driven in the evening or on a holiday, when the owner had no other business. Passers-by who saw the smoke could, without waiting for a special invitation, come to the distillation ritual.

The distillation process of one boiler lasts approximately 4 hours. In Serbian, Montenegrin and Bosnian villages, it is customary to gather during the rakia-making season. The pagan vigil at the cauldron is a great excuse for a pleasant pastime and a long conversation, which are accompanied by a continuous tasting of new brandy for a snack.

Unlike the traditional approach, according to modern science and technology, the quality of rakija is determined by its ease of drinking, transparency, the presence of taste and aroma of the fruits from which it is made. To do this, it is necessary that aromatic substances, volatile acids, ethers and esters, higher alcohols, etc. are transferred to the distillate through steam. aroma, but there are “impurities” that, in small quantities in relation to water and alcohol, can give the drink a character without violating its quality. When it comes to the strength of brandy, it must be borne in mind that even Mendeleev in his dissertation of 1865 established that for human consumption, for resorption, an alcohol solution of 40% by volume is the most suitable. Producers often make the mistake of leaving fruit rakia with a much higher concentration of alcohol. Why is it wrong? Yes, because with such a concentration of alcohol in brandy, neither aroma, taste, nor bouquet, the presence of which is a criterion for high-quality alcoholic beverages, is no longer felt.

"Shumadi tea"(boiled or hot brandy)

• 2 l strong brandy
• 3 liters of distilled water
• 1.2 kg sugar

Before boiling, strong brandy is diluted with distilled water. Moreover, for 0.5 liters of strong brandy (between 40 and 45 degrees of strength) there should be 0.75 liters of water. Then sugar is added. The resulting mixture is boiled until all the sugar has melted.

The drink prepared in this way is drunk while hot, as can be seen from its very name.

Place an order or ask a question

We have long intended to write a large detailed material on the most important topic: Serbian cuisine. And all of a sudden we found a wonderful article just on this topic! It tells both about the main features of Serbian cuisine, and about the main recipes. So - enjoy!

Story

Serbian cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Balkan country of Serbia, which is in many ways similar to the cuisines of other Balkan peoples, especially the former Yugoslavia. The peasantry strongly influenced the processes of food preparation. Due to numerous influences, Serbian cuisine has incorporated elements from different Middle Eastern and European cuisines to develop its own rich cuisine with a complex balance of meat, cheese, fresh pastries and desserts.

The 12th-century historian William of Tire described the Serbs thus: "They are rich in herds and pastures, extraordinarily well supplied with milk, cheese, butter, meat, honey and wax."

An old Serbian legend says that during the 14th century Serbian Empire, when King Stefan Uros IV Dušan ruled, dishes in the Serbian palace were eaten with golden spoons and forks. Historians say that medieval Serbian cuisine mainly consisted of milk, dairy products and vegetables. In those days, not much bread was consumed. But when they did, the rich ate bread from wheat, and the poor from oats and rye. The only meat consumed was game, and cattle were kept for agricultural purposes.

Featured Products

plant food

Serbian lands are fertile, rich in fruits, vegetables, cereals.

Meat and fish

Fish and meat form the basis of Serbian cuisine. Meat is eaten here of various types: beef, pork, lamb. It is fried, smoked, grilled, sausages are made.

Traditional Serbian meat products are simple ham, bacon, dried ribs, lard and pork rinds called čvarci, as well as various types of sausages.

Dairy

Serbian cuisine involves a large number of different dairy products: kaimak, sour milk (buttermilk), yogurt, pavlaka (sour cream), white cheese, cream cheese, vurda (sheep's milk), sirak.

Kaymak is a dairy product, thick and fatty, obtained by skimming milk from cream. It is usually added to dishes or eaten with bread for breakfast. The easiest recipe is lepinja with kajmakom (lepinja sa kajmakom), a traditional Serbian flatbread with kajmakom.

Serbian cheeses:

• Cerski cheese (cerski sir) - from goat's milk, traditionally produced in the mountainous region of Cer.
• Homolje is a salty white cheese made from the milk of cows, goats or sheep, traditionally produced in the Homolje valley and in the mountains.
• Krivi Vir caciocavallo (krivovirski kačkavalj) is a yellow hard cheese made from sheep, cow and goat milk, originally from the Zajecar region, named after the Serbian village of Krivi Vir.
• Mokrin (mokrinski sir) is a white pickled cheese named after the village of Mokrin.
• Pirot caciocavallo (pirotski kačkavalj) is a hard cheese produced in the Pirot region.
• Pule (pule) - smoked donkey cheese made in Zasavice, the most expensive cheese in the world, costs 1,000 euros per kilogram. The high price is due to the peculiarities of production: only about a hundred donkeys provide milk for this cheese, they are milked by hand three times a day. From 25 liters of milk, only 1 kg of cheese is obtained.
• Shar (šarski sir) is a hard cheese made in the Shar Mountains in Kosovo. Traditionally, it is made from sheep's milk. The main reason why sheep's milk was commonly used was because the cows failed to climb the highlands and get to their favorite herb, dill, which is very common in the highlands over 1100 meters and which gives this cheese its main characteristics. Although the cheese is popular in its hard form, there is also a soft version. Hard or soft, for decades the cheese was made by hand in old wooden shepherds' huts or in the homes of mountain villagers. Recently, however, companies have launched industrial production lines of this product.
• Sjenica (sjenički sir) is a white brine cheese made from sheep's milk, originally from the Peshter Plateau.
• Zlatar (zlatarski sir) - white salty cheese from the Peshter plateau, made from cow's milk.
• Kashkaval (kačkavalj) is a yellow hard cheese made from cow's or sheep's milk.
• Sirac (Sirac) - from unpasteurized cow's milk.

In Serbia, the Balkan Cheese Festival is held annually.

Spices

Spices in Serbian cuisine are used very sparingly. Basically, it is black ground pepper and various herbs.

Traditional dishes

Bread

Bread is the basis of Serbian cuisine and plays an important role, including in religious rituals. The traditional Serbian reception is to offer the guest only bread and salt. Some people believe that it is a sin to throw away bread, even stale bread. Despite the fact that pasta, rice, potatoes and similar side dishes are now firmly established in everyday Serbian cuisine, many Serbs still accompany all meals with bread. In many rural households, bread is still baked in ovens, usually in large loaves.

Pogacha (pogača) - round bread, which is usually baked in the form of a "family" of several rolls. It happens both sweet and salty, with the addition of, for example, cheese or potatoes to the dough. Many Serbian rituals are associated with this bread. For example, it is customary to bake a pogachu when a child was born in the family, on the first and fortieth days of the baby's life. There is also a tradition of preparing pogacha for Christmas as a symbol of well-being and dividing it among all family members, breaking it into pieces.

Chesnica / Christmas pogacha (česnica / Božićna pogača) - in the Serbian tradition, they are cooked according to various rules and rituals. Often a coin and other small items are placed in the dough while kneading. At the start of Christmas dinner, the garlic is turned three times counterclockwise before being broken to share among family members. The person who finds a coin in his piece of bread will be extremely happy next year. Often the top surface of the bread is painted with various symbols.

Kifla (kifle) - bagels, which in Serbian cuisine can be either sweet or sprinkled with salt crystals. They are prepared in the form of a classic crescent or straight.

Langos (Languš) is a flatbread fried in oil, made from yeast dough, originally from Hungarian cuisine, but popular in Serbia.

Mekike is a fried yoghurt-based tortilla from Bulgaria, similar to the Hungarian langos.

Gevrek (zhevrek) - kovriga, a large bagel sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Proya (Proja) - Balkan bread made from corn flour, with the addition of baking powder, sunflower oil, sparkling water and salt. The ingredients are mixed and baked in a greased form (5 cm high) until golden brown. It is usually eaten with sauerkraut (Kiseli kupus) and Pavlaka. Proya was popular during times of poverty, mainly until the 1950s, but is now a common everyday food.

Lepinja (lepinja) - a flat cake with a pocket inside, an analogue of the Greek pita, usually eaten with kaymak or various meat fillings.

Pita is the Serbian name for a pie, and not at all for a flatbread, as in all countries. A number of Serbian pies are made from thin stretch filo dough. For example, cheesecake (sirnica) or greenery (zeljanica). A Serbian pie made from a different dough is called štrudla. But it doesn’t look like a strudel at all, but rather like a roll with a filling. Most often with poppy seeds (Makovnjača) or walnuts (orasnica). Pies can be with both sweet and savory fillings. With pumpkin filling, pies (bundevara) are made of both the first and second types.

Soups

Goveđa supa - consommé, clarified broth, usually from beef or poultry, seasoned with noodles.

Teleća čorba - with veal stew.

Jagnjeća čorba - thick lamb soup, considered a delicacy.

Čorba od ječma i sočiva - made from barley and lentils.

Paradajz čorba - tomato soup.

Čorba od luka - onion soup.

Ljuta krompir čorba - spicy potato soup.

Čorba jajaruša - egg soup.

Škembe čorba - from offal.

Grašak - pea soup.

Fisherman's soup (riblja čorba / halászlé) is a Hungarian dish that is also popular in Serbia. First, a special broth is prepared by long (about 2 hours) cooking of fish heads and tails with vegetables. 10 minutes before readiness add hot paprika, fish fillet, caviar and milk.

Prebranac - a soup of baked beans with meat (usually smoked bacon, sausages, ham), is a typical winter dish. Another name is Pasulj. There is a Serbian idiom "prosto kao pasulj", which translates to "as simple as pasul".

Tarator (Tarator) - a cold summer soup of cucumbers with walnuts, herbs, garlic and spices, filled with sour milk (kisele milk) or yogurt, originally from Bulgaria.

Serbian main dishes

Pleskavica (Pljeskavica) - a fried dish, a large spicy pork, beef and lamb meat patty, the national dish of Serbia. Serbian cuisine is unthinkable without splashing. Served with onion, kaimak, ajvar (vegetable caviar) and spicy cheese salad (urnebes), either on a plate with a side dish or with a Serbian flatbread like pita - lepinja. Recently, Pljeskavica has gained popularity elsewhere in Europe and is served in specialty fast food restaurants in Germany, Sweden and Austria. And a variant of a very spicy, with onion, splash, called Leskovac Pljeskavica, is the official brand of Serbia.

ćevapčići - fried sausages made from minced meat (beef, lamb or pork or mixed). They are usually served 5-10 pieces on a plate or in a flatbread (lepinje or somun), often with chopped onion, sour cream, kaymak, ajvar, feta cheese, crushed red pepper and salt. Chevapchichi appeared in the Balkans during the Ottoman Empire. Now popular in Eastern Europe (Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania), and in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are considered a national dish. The word "ćevap" comes from the Persian word "kebab", and "čići" is the ending, in the South Slavic languages ​​\u200b\u200bdenoting a diminutive form.

Kačamak - dense porridge made from cornmeal, with white cheese and kaymak. Usually served with minced meat fried in oil, boiled grape juice, milk, yogurt, honey, sour cream or bacon.

Popara is a porridge made from bread. Boil milk or water, add sliced ​​​​fresh or stale bread and leave for a few minutes to swell. Then a spoonful of warm lard or kaymak is poured onto the steam. Or topped with feta or white cheese.

Karageorgiev schnitzel (Karađorđeva šnicla) - rolled steak stuffed with kaymak or ham and cheese and baked in breadcrumbs. In Serbia, it was dubbed "girl's dream" because of its shape, reminiscent of the phallus. The dish got its name in honor of the first leader of Serbia, the Serbian prince Karageorgi.

Muchkalitsa (Mučkalica) - Serbian dish, stew with vegetables. Its name comes from mućkati, which means "to tremble, stir, mingle". Pieces of various meats are stewed with vegetables. The most popular variant is Toplička mućkalica, which is usually made from cold barbecued meat stewed with various other ingredients.

Rinflajš is a Serbian dish traditionally prepared in the province of Vojvodina. The name rinflajš is borrowed from German and comes from the word rindfleisch, which means "beef". It is prepared from a whole beef brisket, which is slowly boiled in a broth with carrots, bell peppers, parsnips, onions, parsley and cauliflower. Served with vegetables from the broth, as well as mashed potatoes and tomato sauce made from flour boiled in tomato juice with sugar and paprika. Rinflaish is usually eaten during Sunday lunches.

Podvarak (Podvarak) - Serbian dish, popular in the Balkans, roast with sauerkraut. The main ingredients are sauerkraut or fresh cabbage, fried finely chopped onions, and meat (usually roast pork or lightly cooked chicken), which are then combined and baked in an oven. The dish is usually seasoned with very finely chopped bacon (usually fried along with onions), garlic, paprika, and sometimes tomato sauce or chopped sausages. The meal is often made in large quantities for family gatherings during the winter, as an addition to the table at Christmas, or for family celebrations in the days after Christmas.

Wedding cabbage (svadbarski kupus) is a traditional Serbian dish. The main ingredients are cabbage, cut into small cubes, and meat (pork, bacon), which are stacked in layers. Prepared by slowly baking for many hours in a large clay pot. The dish is traditionally served at weddings and other large events. Also in Serbia, in Mrčajevci, the Cabbage Festival is held annually, where a wedding cabbage cooking contest is held. The winner gets a golden pot, second place gets a silver pot. In 2012, the festival attracted over 100,000 visitors over three days.

Hanger (Vešalica) - fried strips of pork loin.

Stuffed peppers (Punjene paprike) - peppers stuffed with minced meat with rice in tomato sauce.

Stuffed zucchini (Punjene tikvice) - zucchini or zucchini stuffed with minced meat and rice. In Serbian cuisine, stuffed peppers and zucchini are often served together as one dish.

Guvech (Đuveč) - stewed vegetables with pork, similar to ratatouille.

Moussaka - The Serbian version is usually made with ground pork or beef and potatoes, which are layered and baked under a hat of yogurt mixed with a raw egg.

Mućkalica (diced pork with peppers and tomato sauce)

Kulen (Kulen) - spicy pork sausage with the addition of paprika. Sremsky kulen is a national Serbian variety of kulen, originally from the Vojvodina region. Now it is mostly made at home. It is considered a delicacy, so they eat it for holidays and celebrations. Also in Serbia, an annual festival of sausage producers is held - Sremska Kuleniada (Sremska Kulenijada).

Salads and appetizers

In Serbia, salads are usually eaten with a main course rather than as an appetizer.

The simplest of salads is made from chopped lettuce, cabbage, sauerkraut, tomato, cucumber or carrot without any complicated manipulations and sauces. Sometimes only oil, vinegar and salt are added.

More elaborate salads are prepared in a similar way, but mixed with several types of vegetables along with white cheese, garlic and other spices. These salads include:

• Serbian (srpska salata) - tomatoes, cucumbers and onions seasoned with olive or sunflower oil.
• Shopska (šopska salata) - tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions and cheese, national Bulgarian salad.
• Greek (Grčka salata) - cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, feta, olives seasoned with olive oil.
• Kisele paprike / Turšija - fried green peppers marinated with garlic and vinegar.

There are salads with complex preparations that can be served as part of the main course:

• Russian (ruska salata) - our "Olivier".
• Urnebes (Urnebes) - a snack typical of Serbian cuisine, prepared from cheese and hot chili peppers, with salt and other spices. Sometimes garlic is used. Typically served as a side dish with a barbecue. The name is translated from Serbian as "mess".

Ajvar - vegetable caviar made from baked sweet peppers. Usually harvested for the winter and eaten with bread or meat dishes.

Lutenica (Ljutenica) is a snack similar to ajvar, which is also harvested in jars for the winter.

Pindjur is another variety of vegetable caviar, this time from eggplant.

Meze is a set of small snacks, originally from Greek cuisine, but popular in many countries of Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Turšija - pickled vegetables, an appetizer included in the meze, which is often served with rakia.

desserts

Vasina cake (Vasa's Torte / Vasina torta) is a traditional Serbian cake, consisting of several layers: a thin cake, a chocolate layer and a protein cap. It was especially popular until the 1990s.

Dobos torta (Doboš torta) - a five-layer biscuit with chocolate butter cream and covered with thin caramel slices, originally from Hungarian cuisine.

Plazma torta is a cake made with a favorite local brand of biscuits called "Plazma".

Reform cake (Reform torte) - a multi-layer cake with chocolate butter cream between the cake layers.

Slatko (Slatko) - confiture from fruits, berries or rose petals, prepared in Serbian and Bulgarian cuisine. Most often, strawberries, blueberries, plums and cherries are used for cooking. They are eaten separately, offered to guests with glasses of water, and also used as a topping for ice cream, waffles and pancakes.

Kitnikes - quince marmalade. The name comes from the German Quittenkäse, which translates as "quince cheese".

Krofne (Krofne) - airy donuts stuffed with custard, chocolate, cream or jelly. Known as the Berliner.

Uštipci are donuts similar to krofne, but softer and more bready. They are easier to make than krofnas and don't have to be sweet. In restaurants, they are usually served with jam, kaimak or cheese, as a breakfast or dessert.

Bundevara is a Serbian sweet pie made from rolled filo like a strudel, stuffed with sweetened grated pumpkin pulp, sometimes topped with nutmeg, cinnamon, raisins, or grated lemon zest. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve hot or cold.

Krempita - a pie with a thick layer of thick custard between two layers of thin stretch filo dough.

Shampit (Šampita) - a pie similar to krempit, but instead of custard, meringue is put in the filling.

Serbian Cherry Pie (Pita od Višanja) - filo pastry pie stuffed with sour cherries and walnuts.

Russian caps (Ruske kape) are small round cakes with vanilla filling, chocolate icing on top and coconut flakes or crushed nuts on the sides. Served chilled, usually on colorful plates, drizzled with chocolate. Eat with a fork or like a cake, with your hands. They got their name because they look like Cossack hats. Popular in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia.

Tufahije is a Bosnian dessert made from apples stuffed with walnuts and stewed in sugar syrup. Served in a large glass cup with syrup, in which it was stewed, and garnished with whipped cream. It is very popular in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Macedonia. It became widespread in the Balkans during the reign of the Ottoman Empire, originally from Persia. The name comes from the Arabic word "tuffāḥa", which translates as "apple".

Sutlijaš - rice pudding with cinnamon.

Makovnyacha (Makovnjača) - poppy seed roll.

Medenjaci - gingerbread.

Palačinke is a Serbian version of pancakes.

Urmašice - dessert made from biscuits drenched in sugar syrup.

Zhito / Kolivo (Žito / koljivo) - a ceremonial sweet dessert made from wheat, walnuts and raisins, an analogue of Russian kutya or sochiva.

Serbian confectioneries often offer halva (Alva), baklava (Baklava), knafe (Kadaif).

Beverages

Boza is a traditional soft drink made from corn.

Turkish coffee made without sugar and milk is a traditional drink of the Serbs. Tea is much less popular. Basically, if they drink, then herbal teas, more often as a means of traditional medicine.

Also in Serbia they drink kefir, yogurt, kvass, compote.

The famous Serbian mineral water "Prince Milos" is considered a national brand, it is served with any meal, as well as with the traditional welcome sweet Slatko.

Alcohol

Serbian cuisine without alcohol? It's impossible! Even people who know absolutely nothing about Serbia know the names "rakia" and "slivovitz".

Rakia (Rakija) - a strong alcoholic drink based on various fruits. It is famous for its mild taste, as well as the fact that it does not cause a hangover. In Serbia, it is often done at home, which is highly appreciated by friends and relatives. The most famous names of rakia:

• Slivovitz (Šljivovica) - plum, is considered the national drink of Serbia,
• Lozovača - grape,
• Vilyamovka / Kruškovac (Viljamovka / Kruškovac) - pear,
• Klekovača - juniper,
• Jabukovača - apple,
• Stomaklija - herbal,
• Medovaca - honey,
• Pelinkovac is a wormwood liqueur, milder than absinthe.

Beer and wine are also widespread in Serbia.

Main types of wine

• Prokupac is a Serbian red frost-resistant grape with high sugar levels and high alcohol levels after fermentation, often used to produce dark rosé.
• Riesling is made from white grapes.
• Smederevka (Smederevka) - from a variety of white grapes grown in Smederevo in Serbia.
• Tamyanika (Tamjanika) - from a variety of white muscat grown in Serbia and Macedonia. Wine with an intense fruity aroma and taste with characteristic nutmeg notes of cinnamon, basil, pineapple and strawberry. Red Tamyanika is a rarity, but it is of exceptional quality.

Serving and etiquette

Food is very important in the life of Serbia, especially during religious holidays such as Christmas, Easter.

Serbs offer guests bread and salt as a greeting. Also, traditionally, all guests in a Serbian house are treated with a spoonful of sweets and a glass of water as soon as they sit down at the table. Especially honored guests are offered to try sweetko twice, although any guest can ask for another taste to honor the hostess. For the second taste, you need to use a new clean spoon. Asking for a third time, if not offered, is considered bad manners. Honey can be offered to guests in the same way.

In Serbia, three meals are accepted: breakfast, lunch and dinner, with lunch being the longest, following the Mediterranean fashion. However, earlier it was customary only to have lunch and dinner, breakfast was introduced only in the second half of the 19th century.

Breakfast in Serbia is an early but hearty meal. For breakfast, they usually drink tea, milk, coffee with milk or cocoa, eat pastries or bread with butter, jam, yogurt, sour cream and cheese, as well as bacon, sausage, salami, scrambled eggs and kaymak.

In Serbian cuisine, in August-September, it is customary to make various preparations for the winter, which are called the common word "winter". A number of products that in the West are simply bought in a store are made at home in Serbia. For example, brandy, various jams, candied fruits, preserves, jelly, pickles, sauerkraut, ajvar (vegetable caviar) or sausages. Moreover, this is justified not only by economic reasons, but also by the cultural characteristics of the people. Food preparation is a powerful family tradition in Serbia.