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Serbian food

Few people from my friends list wanted me to make this post for some time now, but I couldn`t find the time and patience to make it earlier; the reason is that I was so busy and tired.
But, now here it is. Enjoy smile

Serbian cuisine is specific for this part of Europe and during ages adopted some influences from other surrounding countries. In the north it is easy to recognize some Hungarian meals and in the south a lot of Turkish. Serbian food is strong, based on meat mostly and the produces of milk – cheese, kaymak and other varieties of sour cream. Fish too. I will try, in short, to represent some of the most common meals that we eat here.

Cheese may vary in taste and shape from north to south of Serbia. It can be found various types, from soft creamy sremski cheese to hard ones like sjenica cheese. They are salt, fat and piquant mostly.


Some sources say that kaymak is made only in Mongolia and Serbia, but I know it can be found in Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey too. According to Wikipedia, kaymak could be described as "a creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream" and this is the best explanation for someone who has never tasted it. Here it is enogh just to say kaymak and everyone will know what are you talking about. The best way to consume it is with dried meat or with chevapchichi (I always laugh when I see this word written this way). When you take a look at the photo, kajmak is that yellow thing smile


Almost every lunch we start with some kind of soup – chicken, beef, fish, lamb, with vegetables. There is one I prefer – veal cream soup bigsmile


Grilled meat is one of favourite way of preparing it.


It is made of pork and beef meat, chopped to tiny pieces, mixed with spices, but this can vary from place to place. Very tasteful, usually served with lot of onion and bread. If you find yourself somewhere in Balkan (south of Serbia or Bosnia) it is my recommendation.


The most famous are chevapchichi (lol) and pljeskavica, but if you need a lot of meat, you can just order plate with mixed grilled meat, like in picture below.


Serbian cuisine could not be imagined without sarma and prebranac. Sarma is made from chopped beef and pork meat, rolled into the pickled cabbage leaf, then cooked. The size of one sarma is usually from 5 to 15cm, depending on what you prefer. It is fat and strong food, usual for a winter.


Prebranac is cooked white beans, the most common recipe says it is white beans, a lot of onion, salt, pepper, dry grinded paprika and oil. It is usual to put some sausages too. It can be served warm or cold.


Usual way to prepare beans is to cook it, add some bacon or dried ribs, onion, garlic, carrots and tomato sauce.


In Serbia, salads are served as an addition to the main meal, and there are various kinds – plain ones as pickled or fresh cabbage, pickled cucumbers, cooked red beet, tomato, to mixed ones such as serbian salad (tomato, cucumber and onion with oil and salt and hot paprika)


or shopska salad (the same as previous but with white brine cheese).


Cakes we usually eat are very sweet, with lots of nuts, cream or fruits. There are a lot of kinds, too much to mention all, some of them are traditional Serbian, others are of Turkish or central Europe origin. I will just put few photos of them smile







It is usual to have a strong alcoholic drink at the beginning of a meal, usually with appetizer. Typically it will be some kind of rakija, colourless alcoholic beverage primarily made of distilled fermented fruits: plums, apples, pears, quinces or grape.


After the lunch there are red or white wine or beer.


There is something I almost forgot: burek and gibanica. Burek are dough layers stuffed with meat or cheese but could be also made with apples.


Gibanica is a Serbian phyllo pastry dish, made with Serbian white cheese, less common with other cheeses. There were times when I couldn`t imagine my breakfast without one of these. Best served with yoghurt happy



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At first, I tried to make this post bigger but got myself stuck in a too much details.Then, I decided to rearrange it, although I am sure that I have probably forgot some dishes. I hope that you enjoyed. If you are interested more in Serbian cuisine visit this article in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_food

FebruaryMilestone

Comments

Attila attilasoul Sunday, February 3, 2008 6:53:10 PM

I am glad that I ate my dinner before reading this, because it sure looks good.

Thank you for this post, it was very interesting. I am amazed at how much meat you eat. That plate with meat is really huge! bigeyes

MarcusFXM256 Sunday, February 3, 2008 7:23:14 PM

Wow, that food looks good; now I'm hungry!

Christopher DaSilvadannii Sunday, February 3, 2008 7:57:20 PM

Chevapchichi! yes

Nice post. Man I'd love to visit the Balkan and all of those places. up

I'm hungry now! chef

Spaggyj Sunday, February 3, 2008 8:39:18 PM

I'm hungry now after looking at all that food! Specially the cakes chef

Darkogdare Sunday, February 3, 2008 9:37:31 PM

@Tilla - and this is what you usually get in restaurants, for two persons bigsmile

@Marcus - thank you, you can take some of it, there is more than I can eat p

@Dannii - I know that down there in Argentina is a good barbecue, right? my cousin was there two years ago smile

@Kimmie - what do you like the most of what you have seen there? I can tell you what it is smile

EricCedarFox Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:05:38 PM

I haven't eaten anything today. I wish I had some of that great looking food! chef

Darkogdare Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:08:46 PM

Go on, help yourself, there is a plenty yes bigsmile

Martin Ouellettemartinouellette Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:15:55 PM

Wow... I'm SO hungry now. lol
Looks all good, I like to try food from all around the world always.
Nice post with all the pictures, a lot of work!
up

EricCedarFox Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:16:30 PM

bigsmile

Spaggyj Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:18:09 PM

The second picture - the brown and white layer ones up

Christopher DaSilvadannii Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:24:11 PM

Darko: Yup! bigsmile It's all about cow meat norris

I particulary LOVE cow brains, but this year I realised people find it odd scared

Martin Ouellettemartinouellette Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:27:38 PM

What about the sperm sacs (testicles) or the pee filters (kidneys)?
devil

Darkogdare Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:29:14 PM

@Kimmie - We call it oblande. This is combination of wafer sheets and a variety of creams. Common fillings are chocolate and different sort of jams. In this picture, the filling is made of poppy and sugar smile

@Martin - thanks, I have lost few hours in a two days and then had to make it all over again - too many details, unnecessary for this purpose...

Darkogdare Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:31:33 PM

In Vojvodina, northern part of Serbia, they prepare them as a delicacy; but I don`t like them;

Martin Ouellettemartinouellette Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:40:17 PM

Here too some people do. But I don't even like the liver..
Only thing I eat is the heart of a freshly killed virgin doe... devil
I take a bite like the natives do after the killing.

-Nah.. kidding.-
But I do eat it (cooked) thin slices in some butter, salt and pepper. A cold beer, some friends. Perfect.
Fresh it's really good.

Darkogdare Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:42:41 PM

Sounds nice. I have eaten pork heart, prepared as in goulash, with mashed potatoes smile

Martin Ouellettemartinouellette Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:56:48 PM

mmmmmm...
that's it, too much now.
6 pm here.

*going down for dinner*


MichelleCapegirl Monday, February 4, 2008 7:59:47 AM

all of this looks good to me. i think a south african could survive in the Bahamas. how do you prepare your Catnip?

Spaggyj Monday, February 4, 2008 8:31:40 AM

Poppy and sugar? Different... I couldn't handle the creams, unfortunately, they make me ill sad

Darkogdare Monday, February 4, 2008 11:51:55 AM

@Michelle - catnip? errr... confused now you lost me.....

@Kimmie - ill? how?

Spaggyj Monday, February 4, 2008 2:18:42 PM

I'm slightly lactose-intolerant - a bit allergic to dairy down

Darkogdare Monday, February 4, 2008 7:13:21 PM

Sorry to hear that sad

Martin Ouellettemartinouellette Tuesday, February 5, 2008 1:12:50 AM

cow

MichelleCapegirl Tuesday, February 5, 2008 4:02:28 AM

cownip?

catnip darks, catnip! *he forgot?* *drug blackout*?

me too the bread, darko. wheat intolerant.

Darkogdare Tuesday, February 5, 2008 5:40:56 AM

Wheat intolerant? I have never heard about it. Can you eat bread made of corn or rye?

MichelleCapegirl Tuesday, February 5, 2008 9:11:28 AM

it's more correctly termed "gluten intolerant". corn yes, as long as another flour is used, instead of wheat. most corn bread here is made with a mixture of maize and wheat flour. rye no.

i use rice noodles instead of wheat and eat gluten free bread made with a mixture of other flours. it's not easy to mimic what wheat flour brings to bread though. i'm also a bit lactose intolerant, but am ok if i have small amounts and boil the milk first. smile

Bojanrolling_thunder Tuesday, February 5, 2008 11:44:39 AM

Gawsh. Now I'm hungry.

Attila attilasoul Tuesday, February 5, 2008 11:59:01 AM

I'll have one of the first cakes, the round ones. p

Darkogdare Tuesday, February 5, 2008 3:42:06 PM

@Michelle - sorry to hear that sad I don't have such problems, I can eat everything...

@Bojan - well, I think you know what I was talking about here bigsmile


@Tilla - dumplings filled with plums; I like them, too bigsmile

r♡serose-marie Tuesday, February 5, 2008 9:48:00 PM

Yum! chef
Is prebranac something like pasulj (sorry, don't know how to spell it)?
My favourite rakije is pear bigsmile! cheers

VesnaVecana Tuesday, February 5, 2008 9:53:13 PM

Woooow, nice post!
All that dishes, mmmm... and you cooked it all by yourself. smile

Darkogdare Wednesday, February 6, 2008 5:38:42 AM

@Rose-Marie - yes, prebranac is pasulj but white one and bigger then the yellow one; maybe you have tried it in one of your visits to Subotica up and rakija of pears (Viljamovka) has really nice taste bigsmile

@Vesna - yes, probably I cook better than you p

VesnaVecana Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:09:05 AM

Hahaha... and you are probably right! And I believe that you were just thinking about calling all of us and cook same delicious diner. lol

Darkogdare Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:39:50 AM

For so many people??? No way, I will call for food delivery in that case p And order beans for all... and some onion and pickled cucumber for salad... no bread bigsmile

r♡serose-marie Wednesday, February 6, 2008 9:02:58 PM

Yeah... my mother used to cook some of these dishes too, though bigsmile.

Darkogdare Wednesday, February 6, 2008 9:14:27 PM

I supposed so. What did you prefered most?

r♡serose-marie Wednesday, February 6, 2008 9:18:22 PM

I actually liked the pasulj, and sarma when I got older (I hated it when I was young). And cevapcici on the grill in the summer bigsmile.
By the way, we do have something similar to sarma in Sweden too, called kåldolmar. King Karl XII brought it back to Sweden after a couple of years in the Ottoman Empire.

Darkogdare Wednesday, February 6, 2008 9:55:52 PM

Sarma has its origins in Turkey and Greece, and sometimes, it is used vine leaves instead of cabbage.
Do you remember something we call ajvar? Excellent to eat with almost every dish bigsmile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajvar

r♡serose-marie Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:03:11 PM

I heart ajvar! Fortunately, I can get it here too. The hot one yes

Darkogdare Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:10:28 PM

Imported from Balkan countries? Or you make it by yourself? bigsmile

r♡serose-marie Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:15:03 PM

It's imported. I can't make it awww.
Can you?

Darkogdare Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:22:32 PM

No. But my grandmother, mother, aunt, father,......., they all know how to make it and it is delicious, believe me bigsmile
But needs a lot of roasted paprika, then peeling it, grinding, cooking, putting in clean jars..... A lot of job. I suppose it is easier to go to shop and buy it. But it never has a same taste.....

r♡serose-marie Wednesday, February 6, 2008 10:41:09 PM

I guess you're right, but it's a brilliant option for those of us who are... well, cookingly challenged p.

Darkogdare Thursday, February 7, 2008 5:27:13 AM

up

dɹɐzılpǝkɔıw ɐʞɐ ɹǝɥgɐllɐg lǝbɐsıwickedlizard Thursday, February 7, 2008 9:54:06 AM

that looks good!!!! yummy! wink

Darkogdare Thursday, February 7, 2008 10:51:49 AM

It tastes better than it looks bigsmile

Bojanrolling_thunder Friday, February 8, 2008 3:03:52 PM

Burek are dough layers stuffed with meat or cheese but could be also made with apples.



Oh, I LOVE burek with cheese. But it has to be greasy and the cheese has to melt. x)

Anyway
In Bosnia, for instance, Burek is only stuffed with meat. Cheese burek is called cheese pie there.

And, in Subotica, there are different kinds of burek. Burek with chocolate cream, for example x)

I've also heard about the banana burek O_o but haven't tasted it x)

Darkogdare Friday, February 8, 2008 3:11:04 PM

Burek with chocolate cream??? Banana burek??? yikes This is not Serbian traditional recipe at all bigeyes
But, you are right, it would be interesting to taste it bigsmile

Bojanrolling_thunder Friday, February 8, 2008 3:29:30 PM

Well... Burek is originally from Turkey, I think. What's serbian traditional in it? x)

Darkogdare Friday, February 8, 2008 4:04:55 PM

You are right, but adopted a 200 years ago (or more), it became almost like a domestic food bigsmile

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