Products and eating habits
As in the rest of the Balkans, sausages hold an important place. Serbia produces various varieties of sausages and salamis such as Petrovački kulen (dried and smoked sausage with paprika, chili pepper, garlic, and cumin), Sremska salama (similar but thinner sausage), Sremski kulen (smoked and chili pepper salami), and čajna kobasica (classic smoked salami). Pirotska peglana kobasica
is an amazing flattened dried sausage, shaped like a horseshoe, made from goat, sheep or donkey meat.Not forgetting, of course, various varieties of smoked dry-cured ham, such asUžička pršuta and Zlatiborska pršuta, prepared from beef or pork. Pečenica is cured pork tenderloin, while goveđa šunka is cured beef tenderloin. Both varieties are smoked. The term slanina
refers to a product close to smoked bacon or bacon. The one from the city of Užice is very famous.Serbian cheeses are divided into two main categories. The term sir refers to various cheeses in brine quite similar to feta cheese, and the term kačkavalj refers to a hard cheese, close to a gouda or Gruyere cheese. They can be made from cow's, goat's or sheep's milk. Only produced in the natural reserve of Zasavica, the pule is a cheese made from donkey milk, extremely rare and often considered the most expensive cheese in the world: about 550 € per kilo. Vurda is a fresh cheese made from whey and kajmak
is a very rich product made from slightly fermented cream, similar to mascarpone. The kafana ("tavern") is the Serbian restaurant par excellence. Often rustic and inexpensive, it offers good authentic food at a very affordable price. The portions are often generous. There are also kiosci - understand "stands" - where you can taste pizza, grilled sausages, sandwiches, etc. Finally, poslastičarnice are tea rooms. It is not unusual for Serbs to have a snack at work in the morning. Thus they rather have lunch in the early afternoon and thus have dinner late as well. Most restaurants are open from mid-morning until late in the evening, often without interruption. It is therefore possible to be served most of the day.The basics of Serbian cuisine
Originally from the Eastern Mediterranean, mezes are appetizers that take the form in Serbia of cold plates of cold meats and cheeses (srpska zakuska), topped with zimnica (vegetables in vinegar brine: carrot, tomato, cauliflower, gherkins, peppers, etc.). There are also several types of spreads. Absolutely emblematic,ajvar is a paste of red peppers, chili and garlic confit, popular throughout the Balkans. This condiment is traditionally prepared at home in September, then stored and consumed throughout the year. Mild or very spicy, it is served on slices of bread. Very similar, pinđur also contains eggplant, while ljutenica is prepared with tomato, eggplant, carrot, onion, garlic and chili pepper.Urnebes
is a spicy fresh cheese spread.Soups are common, but we will distinguish supa (a fairly light broth with sometimes noodles and meat) from čorba (a richer soup with pieces of meat or fish). Among the salads, the best known is probably šopska salata, with tomatoes, cucumber and finely grated sir. The srpska salata is even simpler and does not contain any cheese. Ruska salata, or Russian salad, is a mixture of diced potatoes, carrots, pickles, peas, hard-boiled eggs and ham, bound with a good amount of mayonnaise. Finally, tartar
is a recipe of cucumber with liquid yogurt.Grilled meats (roštilj) are ubiquitous on kafana menus. Unavoidable, ćevapčići or ćevapi are long croquettes of minced meat (beef, pork or lamb) cooked over a wood fire and served with chopped onion, kajmac and flatbread (lepinja). Another national dish, pljeskavica, is a kind of thick patty made of minced pork, beef and/or lamb and spiced up with fine spices. It is served in the same way as ćevapčići. There are several variations such as Leskovačka pljeskavica (very spicy), Šarska pljeskavica (filled with melting cheese) or Hajdučka pljeskavica (a mixture of beef and smoked pork). The ražnjići are skewers and the vešalica is a simple grilled pork tenderloin. Reserved for special occasions, pečenje
is a spit-roasted suckling pig.Other meat dishes include mućkalica, a stew usually made from pork with tomatoes, peppers and onions, often prepared with leftover grilled meat. With Hungary not far away, gulaš (beef or pork stew with paprika, potato and carrot) is very common. Karađorđeva šnicla is a pork or veal roulade with bacon and kajmac
, breaded and fried.Vegetable and starch dishes include đuveč, a kind of ratatouille with sometimes rice and meat, or sataraš, a lighter stew of peppers and tomato. Here the musaka can contain both eggplant and potatoes or zucchini. Sarma is a vine leaf or cabbage roll stuffed with ground beef and rice. There are various recipes for vegetables stuffed with minced meat such as peppers (punjene paprike) or zucchini (punjene tikvice). Pasulj is a spicy white bean stew, and prebranac is its baked version. Common at breakfast, kačamak is a kind of polenta (corn porridge) with fresh cheese. Finally, svadbarski kupus
is a cabbage pot filled with meat.Salty pastries are very common in Serbia. The term pita (nothing to do with Greek flatbread) refers to a wide variety of pies usually made with paper-thin filo pastry and filled with meat, cheese, spinach, potatoes or leeks. Sometimes the word burek is used if it is filled with meat. Zeljanica contains spinach and krompiruša contains potatoes. Gibanica
is halfway between a pie and a gratin and consists of filo pastry soaked in a mixture of fresh cheese and egg and baked au gratin. The proja is a soft corn bread, common for breakfast and to accompany mezes. Not to mention many other savory pastries, often eaten for breakfast such as kifle (brioche croissants), pogačice (shortbread), zemičke (brioche rolls), perece (pretzels) or sesame brioche rings.Desserts and drinks
Turkish influence obliges, one finds many desserts with oriental accents like the baklava, composed of filo pastry filled with walnuts and other nuts, the whole soaked in syrup. Let's also mention ratluk (local name for loukoum, a soft candy made of starch and syrup),alva (nougat with sesame seeds) or tulumbe
(kind of churros soaked in syrup).The proximity to Austria has given the Serbs a taste for a large number of pastries such as strudels, here called štrudla. Note that in Serbia they don't use filo pastry but a thicker pastry dough to make these crispy rolls which can be filled with poppy seeds (štrudlasa makom), morello cherries (sa višnjama) or apples (sa jabukama). Serbs are also fond of pancakes (palačinke), filled doughnuts (krofne) or small plain doughnuts (uštipci). They can be accompanied by slatko, a preparation halfway between a jam and fruit in syrup. Orasnice are shortbread croissants with walnuts, while tufahije
is a poached apple topped with walnuts and whipped cream.Named after the Moskva Hotel in Belgrade, Moskva šnit torta is a multi-layer walnut cake with whipped cream and pieces of peach and cherry. Vasina torta is a chocolate and walnut cake decorated with whipped cream, while Plazma torta is made with a base of Plazma cookie powder - very common in the Balkans - and whipped cream. Reforma torta is a multi-layered nut cake with chocolate cream. There are mille-feuilles-like desserts, either filled with whipped cream and custard (krempita) or with melting meringue (šampita). Ruske kape
("Russian hats") are small cakes filled with custard, covered with chocolate and rolled in shredded coconut. Traditionally, Turkish coffee(Turska kafa) is consumed in Serbia. Coffee and water are brought to a boil and when the mixture begins to simmer it is poured into a small cup where a large part of the coffee grounds settle at the bottom. It is locally called domaća kafa - understand "domestic coffee" - because it is traditionally prepared at home and not in restaurants. Today, Serbs are increasingly enjoying espressos and cappuccinos.Wines, beers and rakija
Viticulture in Serbia has existed for over two thousand years. Today, it is trying to rebuild itself thanks to the many private producers who have built more modern wineries and have become widely known outside the country's borders. Serbia produces a wide range of wines in several wine regions: Palić, Vršac, Fruška Gora, Župa, Negotin, Oplenac, Knjaževac and Smederevo.
Traditionally, vranac and car lazar were the most emblematic wines of the country. But in recent years, new wines have come to the tables, such as ždrepčeva krv, kraljica milica or white rieslings from Vojvodina, not to mention prokupac and žilavka. Bermet is an aromatic sweet dessert wine from the Fruška Gora region, which was already popular at the Imperial Court in Vienna more than a hundred and fifty years ago.
Beer(pivo) is very popular in Serbia. The Apatin brewery, founded in 1756, produces Jelen beer, the most popular beer in the country. Other beers include Lav, Zaječarsko, Valjevsko and Apatinsko. Serbia's national drink, rakija is a fruit brandy - most often grape - that is about 40 proof, but some home-made products can be much stronger. In Serbia, there are about 10,000 private producers of rakija, but only about 100 wineries produce quality spirits. The šljivovica is a variant based on plums. Neither an aperitif nor a digestive, rakija is enjoyed in small sips during a meal, even though it is inseparable from mezes. If it is drunk iced in the summer, in the winter it is prepared in the manner of mulled wine with sugar(kuvana rakija) before stretching it with a little water.
