Only two meals were traditionally eaten in medieval Serbia. Breakfast was introduced later under the influence of the west.
Geographical position
Serbia is situated in South-East Europe. It borders with Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the west, Romania and Bulgaria in the east and Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania in the south.
The continental part of Serbia abounds in mountains, forests, plains, valleys, lakes and rivers, of which the largest ones are the Danube, Morava, Sava and Tisa Rivers. Large limestone caves and mineral and thermal sources are also some of its natural riches.
Therefore it is not surprising that Serbia abounds in national parks as well: Djerdap, Fruska Gora, Kopaonik, Tara and Sar Mountain.
Serbia's geographical position, especially the location of the Morava River valley, has been the reason for the country's turbulent past. At the crossroads between the east and the west, the Morava River valley is the closest continental passage from continental Europe to Greece and Asia Minor.
Historical influence
Definitely the most dominant influence on Serbian cuisine is that of the Turkish cuisine. Most of the specialties of Serbian cuisine today are inspired by modified Turkish specialties, whereas the influence of the Austro-Hungarian cuisine is especially felt in Vojvodina.
Features of Serbian cuisine
In Serbia people still live and eat at a slow pace, enjoying the spicy and sometimes greasy food, barbeque, excellent domestic spirits, desserts rich in walnuts, eggs and butter, and all those hedonistic bites that the Western Europe has almost banished from the menu.
Kajmak (cream) is one of the rare authentic Serbian specialties. Local experts believe that the one made in the Cacak region is the best one.
Like other national cuisines, Serbian cuisine is not homogenous either. Pies, baklavas, tulumbe (traditional cakes), lamb and sheep meat dishes are characteristic of Kosovo. The Vojvodina region cuisine has, for example, taken on the features of Austro-Hungarian cuisine with a lot of dough and pastry, noodles, soft buns with various fillings (buhtle) and dumplings. People living in the Srijem region also have different culinary habits than the people living in the Banat or Backa regions.
Serbian cuisine was mainly influenced by the Central European, Hungarian, Austrian, but also Oriental, especially Turkish and Arabic cultures.
Present-day Serbia is subject to other international influences as well. In the restaurants of major Serbian cities you can find Italian, Greek, French, Japanese, Chinese and Indian specialties, while the rural regions have mainly preserved the authentic dietary habits. For information about the traditional Serbian cuisine we will go back into the Middle Ages.
Only two meals were traditionally eaten in medieval Serbia. Breakfast was introduced later under the influence of the west. Until the end of the 20th century people ate mainly stews: soups, thick broths, pepper stews, goulashes. It is not surprising then that for a long time the spoon was the only eating utensil.
Bread
Serbian cuisine is known for large quantities of bread used. In medieval Serbia bread was made from "sumješica" and "surazica", a mixture of wheat, barley and rye. Because it was so frequently used, people paid special attention to the art of making bread. They would make the dough; put cabbage leaves on the fire, which they would later use to cover the dough before burying it under the ashes. Bread used to be made with both cold and hot water. Proja and corn bread were made using cold water, in order to extend the period during which it could be used. The lower classes ate wheat bread, while those even poorer ate oat, rye and buckwheat breads.
Even the laws of medieval Serbia prescribed the standards for the quality of bread, and according to the written sources, there were, in 1660, 600 mills in Belgrade, run by horses and water-mills on the Danube River.
Dairy products
Kajmak (cream) is one of the rare authentic Serbian specialties. Local experts recommend the one from the Cacak region. The Serbs often say that kajmak is something that cannot be industrially made without losing its appearance and aroma in the process. The restaurant offering large cevapi with kajmak that was recently opened in LA speaks of the popularity of kajmak, and of even greater popularity of cevapi, grilled minced-meat fingers. This is interesting because, due to its popularity and visitor frequency, the restaurant attracted media attention and soon became a real hit among ethnic restaurants and a jet set gathering place. Besides cevapi and kajmak, its menu includes other specialties of the "Serbian-Turkish" cuisine as well, such as sarma (sauerkraut rolls filled with minced meat and rice), pies, lukmira (spring onions in kajmak), hurmasica (traditional cakes in syrup), tufahija (apple and walnut cake served with whipped cream) and baklavas. The best Serbian cheese can be found east of the Morava River.
Gibanica (layered cake with various fillings)
Gibanica (layered cake with various fillings) has a special place in the traditional Serbian household. Sofija Maksimovic collected 17 gibanica recipes in her cookbook from 1913. The most famous are the ones filled with poppy seeds, cherries, cabbage, spinach, pumpkin, noodles or semolina, however the real Serbian gibanica is made from a combination of cheese and kajmak (cream). The dough skins of traditional gibanica cakes were prepared manually and were baked in wood-fired ovens.
Meat dishes
Meat dishes, mainly pork, predominate in Serbian national cuisine. The experts say that the best pork dishes are prepared in restaurants between Gornji Milanovac and Mrcajevac. Do not miss out on the opportunity to try lamb if you find yourselves in the Raska region or eastern Serbia. Boiled knucle with horse radish, young goat meat and veal in sauce, pork in sauce, the Karadjordje steak and stuffed hangers are also some of the Serbian meat specialties. Minced meat came from the East together with the spices. Serbian cuisine abounds in cevapcici (grilled minced-meat fingers), culbastija (Serbian-style pork steak), Leskovac muckalica (mixed meat), raznjici (minced-meat grilled on skewers) and pljeskavice (grilled minced-meat patties).
The Serbs pay much attention to the process of meat-drying. The meat is dried in the wind, cold air, and then smoked. Sausages, greaves and other pork products are frequently found across Serbia, however they were first prepared by the people of Vojvodina who learned how to prepare them from the Austrians.
Peppers
Pepper stews, ajvar and pindjur relishes are dishes that came from southern Serbia. Ajvar is made from big, pointy, thick, red peppers, grown in southern Serbia.
Honey
In medieval Serbia honey played a significant role, completely substituting sugar at most times. The beekeeping activity was mainly undertaken by monasteries. Although the use of honey is not that frequent today, it is however not negligible. The most popular honey product was medovina, the mead, whose traditional recipe has almost completely disappeared.
Cakes
Among the Serbian cakes, the throne unquestionably belongs to baklavas that are, as tulumbe and most of the cakes with sugar toppings, part of the rich Turkish culinary heritage. Traditional Serbian cakes include apple and cherry pies, semolina cakes, salcici, vanilin kiflice (moon-shaped vanilla biscuits), soufflés and numerous other types of cakes, rich in ingredients such as eggs, butter, chocolate and walnuts, that complement the excellent Serbian cuisine perfectly.
"Slatko" is a distinct specialty of Serbian cuisine. It represents a way of conserving fruit most similar to the way western jams are made. The finest slatko delicacies are made from wild fruit, plums and apricots.
Coffee - a ritual or...?
Turkish coffee drunk in Serbia is very different from the one drunk in Turkey. It is characterized by a strong aroma. However, the most important thing to know is that your host might consider your refusing to have a cup of coffee during your first visit to them or the fact that you do not drink coffee at all a very rude gesture.
Sljivovica (plum brandy)
The origin of plum brandy production is unknown, but it is known that sljivovica has played a very important role in Serbian cuisine. Upon waking in the morning people used to drink hot, recooked plum brandy (from 40 to 45 promille), while the milder (17 to 18 promilles of alcohol), whose recipe has almost disappeared, was consumed as an after-drink.
Holidays
People did not save on food at holidays even in the time of poverty. A holiday table includes ham, eggs, bacon, cooked eggs, "ricotta cheese", young kajmak and pihtija (jelly) for starters. When the atmosphere gets heated, various stews (corbe) are served, as well as sarma (sauerkraut rolls filled with minced meat and rice), prebranac (a type of beans), podvarak (a dish made from sauerkraut, onions and pork roast) and finally roast meat to crown the evening. The meal is completed with traditional Serbian cakes. There is a special dish for each religious holiday. Grain and slave cakes were eaten on various saints' days, colored eggs at Easter, and cesnica (a type of Christmas bread) at Christmas.
Fast facts
- Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, is almost 7 000 years old.
- Roman Emperor Constantine the Great was born in Nis in 274.
- The "Karadjordje steak" was named after Djordje Petrovic, the leader of the First Serbian Uprising.
- Only in the Dominican Republic are greaves, a Serbian specialty, prepared in almost the same way as they are in Serbia.
Travel tips
For those wishing to spend a good time in Belgrade:
- International Theater Festival in September.
- Classic Music Festival in October.
- Belgrade International Film Festival.
- Try the dishes made from minced meat, dried meat, kajmak, pies and the traditional Serbian specialty known as "slatko".
- Take home with you the "Serbian schnaps", that is plum brandy.
- Keep in mind that the selection of vegetarian dishes is not too big.