Serbian cuisine
Encyclopedia
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Serbian cuisine is a heterogeneous cuisine, sharing characteristics of the Balkans
(especially former Yugoslavia
), the Mediterranean (especially Greek), Turkish
, and Central Europe
an (especially Austrian and Hungarian) cuisines.
The national dishes include; Pljeskavica
(hamburger), Ćevapčići
(grilled minced meat), and Sarma
. The national drink is the plum brandy
Slivovitz
.
Serbian food is characterized, not only by elements of Serbia, but of former Yugoslavia as a whole. Peasantry has greatly influenced the cooking process. During the centuries under Ottoman rule, the Balkans received influences of the rich oriental cuisine, some of the most traditional dishes have common roots with those of Greece
and Turkey
. The centuries under Austro-Hungarian Empire richly influenced, especially in desserts. The spectra of Yugoslavia
has enriched all of the modern successor state's national cuisines.
In recent times the Serbian diaspora
has spread the cuisine across the world.
, archbishop of Tyre, who visited Constantinople
in 1179, described the Serbs: "They are rich in herds and flocks and unusually well supplied with milk
, cheese
, butter
, meat
, honey
and wax
".
The first published cookbook
in Serbia is Pata's Cookbook (Patin kuvar), written by Spasenija Pata Marković in 1907; the book remains in publication even today.
, lunch and dinner
, with lunch being the largest in the Mediterranean fashion. However, traditionally, only lunch and dinner existed, with breakfast being introduced in the second half of the 19th century.
It has unique mix of various traditions; Serbian confectioneries
often offer koljivo, baklava
, nut roll
and sachertorte
.
A number of foods which are simply bought in the West, are often made at home in Serbia. These include rakija (fruit brandy), slatko
, jam, jelly
, various pickled foods
, notably sauerkraut
, ajvar
or sausage
s. The reasons for this range from economical to cultural. Food preparation is a strong part of the Serbian family tradition.
Breakfast in Serbia is an early but hearty meal, although before breakfast most people usually take a cup of coffee
, in modern times maybe an espresso
. With the breakfast itself either a tea, milk, milk coffee
, or cocoa milk
is served, pastries or bread are served with butter, jam, yogurt, sour cream and cheese, accompanied by bacon, sausages, salami, scrambled eggs and kajmak.
There are two types of soups in Serbian cuisine: standard soups called supa, and soups with roux (browned flour) - called čorba. The most common are simple pottages made of beef
or poultry
with added noodles. Fish soup
(riblja čorba) and lamb soup (jagnjeca čorba) are considered to be delicacies.
is very popular in Serbia, and makes the primary offer of main courses in most restaurants. It is often eaten as fast food
.
Often made during svinjokolj:
Bread is the basis of Serbian meals and it is often treated almost ritually. A traditional Serbian welcome is to offer the guest with just bread and salt
; bread also plays an important role in religious rituals
. Some people believe that it is sinful to throw away bread regardless of how old it is. Although pasta
, rice
, potato
and similar side dishes did enter the everyday cuisine, many Serbs still eat bread with these meals.
In most bakeries and shops, white wheat
bread loafs (typically 600 gram
s) are sold. In modern times, black bread and various graham bread
variations regain popularity as a part of more healthy diets. In many rural households, bread is still baked in ovens, usually in bigger loafs. Also, the following breads and porridges are part of the traditional cuisine:
Serbian word for pie
is "pita", which should not be confused with Greek pita
. Greek pita is a kind of bread and is not called pita in Serbian (a similar pastry is called lepinja), while in Serbian language, "pita" refers to a pie in general, either one eaten in Serbia or a foreign one (such as apple pie
).
A number of Serbian pies are made with phyllo
, called "kore" in Serbian language. A common Serbian pie not made with phyllo is called "štrudla". To add to the confusion, it is not similar to strudel
, but rather to the nut roll
; but it is commonly made with poppy seeds
and not walnuts.
A Serbian pie could, in general, be called in two ways: according to its mode of preparation, and according to its filling (although not every pie is prepared with every filling). For example, a "bundevara" is a pie filled with pumpkin
and could refer to either a savijača (made of rolled phyllo
) or a štrudla
(made of rolled dough
). Both sweet and salty pies are made, and some pies could be prepared in the same way with either sweet or salty filling.
For an overview of Serbian pies, you may refer to this informative table:
Tart
s and similar pies have appeared in Serbian bakeries relatively recently and are not a traditional meal.
s and herb
s: practically only black pepper
and ground paprika
are in widespread use, along with parsley
used for soups. Other spices sometimes used include white pepper, allspice
, Coriandrum sativum, laurel
, celery
and clove
.
and abundance of water
result in a number of high-quality fruit juice
s and mineral water
s produced in Serbia, and being among its most widely known exports. There are few domestic carbonated soft drink
s however. An interesting traditional soft drink, made from corn
, now less commonly consumed is boza
. Kvas
is also being made by some breweries
.
Serbian coffee, Turkish coffee
prepared the Serbian way (домаћа кафа 'domestic coffee' or кафа 'coffee'. Especially strong coffee (without sugar and milk) is often referred to as 'Turkish' or 'black' coffee) is a traditional drink of Serbs. Tea
is far less popular and mostly herbal teas are consumed, drunk on their own or as supplementary medicine.
Of dairies, yoghurt
is common, as are kefir
and similar varieties.
The famous Serbian Knjaz Milos
mineral water is considered a national brand and can be used in any meal, also with the traditional greeting sweets "Slatko
".
s, the most popular are various fruit brandies
called rakija. Comparatively many people brew their own rakija, which is highly prized by friends and relatives. Various kinds of rakija are named after fruit they are made of; among the most known ones are:
is widely enjoyed in Serbia, which has 14 breweries (see Beer in Serbia
). Jelen pivo
is usually considered to be the best.
Some specific kitchenware for Serbia are:
Serbian cuisine is a heterogeneous cuisine, sharing characteristics of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
(especially former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
), the Mediterranean (especially Greek), Turkish
Turkish cuisine
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine has in turn influenced those and other neighbouring cuisines, including that of western Europe...
, and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
an (especially Austrian and Hungarian) cuisines.
The national dishes include; Pljeskavica
Pljeskavica
Pljeskavica is a Serbian patty dish popular in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe.Pljeskavica is eaten in Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia, and can be found in Romania, and Bulgaria. Traditional pljeskavica is made from mixture of ground meats...
(hamburger), Ćevapčići
Cevapcici
Ćevapi or ćevapčići is a grilled dish of minced meat, a type of kebab, found traditionally in the countries of southeastern Europe. They are considered a national dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia...
(grilled minced meat), and Sarma
Sarma
Sarma may refer to:*Sarma , Brahmin surname in India*Sarma , a dish found primarily in the cuisines of the Middle East and eastern Europe*Sarma , three newest schools of Tibetan Buddhism...
. The national drink is the plum brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
Slivovitz
Slivovitz
Slivovitz or Slivovitsais a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. It is frequently called plum brandy, and in the Balkans is part of the category of drinks called rakia...
.
Serbian food is characterized, not only by elements of Serbia, but of former Yugoslavia as a whole. Peasantry has greatly influenced the cooking process. During the centuries under Ottoman rule, the Balkans received influences of the rich oriental cuisine, some of the most traditional dishes have common roots with those of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The centuries under Austro-Hungarian Empire richly influenced, especially in desserts. The spectra of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
has enriched all of the modern successor state's national cuisines.
In recent times the Serbian diaspora
Serbian diaspora
There are currently more than 3.5 million Serbs in diaspora throughout the world...
has spread the cuisine across the world.
History
WilliamWilliam of Tyre
William of Tyre was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from a predecessor, William of Malines...
, archbishop of Tyre, who visited Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in 1179, described the Serbs: "They are rich in herds and flocks and unusually well supplied with milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
, butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
, meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
".
The first published cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
in Serbia is Pata's Cookbook (Patin kuvar), written by Spasenija Pata Marković in 1907; the book remains in publication even today.
Overview
Most people in Serbia will have three meals daily, breakfastBreakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
, lunch and dinner
Dinner
Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...
, with lunch being the largest in the Mediterranean fashion. However, traditionally, only lunch and dinner existed, with breakfast being introduced in the second half of the 19th century.
It has unique mix of various traditions; Serbian confectioneries
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
often offer koljivo, baklava
Baklava
Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia....
, nut roll
Nut roll
A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from ground nuts and a sweetener like honey, then rolled up into a log shape. This 'log' is either left long and straight or is often bent into a horseshoe shape, egg washed, baked,...
and sachertorte
Sachertorte
Sachertorte is a chocolate cake. It was invented by chance by Austrian Jewish Franz Sacher in 1832 for Klemens Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. The Original Sachertorte is only made in Vienna and Salzburg, and it is shipped from...
.
A number of foods which are simply bought in the West, are often made at home in Serbia. These include rakija (fruit brandy), slatko
Slatko
Slatko is a thin fruit preserve made of fruit or rose petals in Serbian and also Jewish cuisine. Almost any kind of fruit can be used, like wild strawberry, blueberry, plum, and cherry...
, jam, jelly
Gelatin dessert
Gelatin desserts are desserts made with sweetened and flavored gelatin. They can be made by combining plain gelatin with other ingredients or by using a premixed blend of gelatin with additives...
, various pickled foods
Pickling
Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
, notably sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
, ajvar
Ajvar
Ajvar and aijvar is relish, made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chili pepper. Ajvar originates in the Serbian cuisine, and was therefore long known as "Serbian salad" or "Serbian vegetable caviar"...
or sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s. The reasons for this range from economical to cultural. Food preparation is a strong part of the Serbian family tradition.
Breakfast
Turkish coffee
Turkish coffee is a method of preparing coffee where finely powdered roast coffee beans are boiled in a pot , with sugar according to taste, before being served into a cup where the dregs settle...
, in modern times maybe an espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
. With the breakfast itself either a tea, milk, milk coffee
Milk Coffee
Milk Coffee is a Chinese pop-music group consisting of lead singer Fu Yan, and guitarist Ge Fei....
, or cocoa milk
Chocolate milk
Chocolate milk is a sweetened, usually cold, cocoa-flavored milk drink. It is created when chocolate syrup is mixed with milk . It can be purchased pre-mixed or made at home with either cocoa powder and a sweetener , or with melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, or chocolate milk mix...
is served, pastries or bread are served with butter, jam, yogurt, sour cream and cheese, accompanied by bacon, sausages, salami, scrambled eggs and kajmak.
- Various sorts of pastries (often with cheese or meat or filled with jam) (pogačicePogacaPogačice is a type of puff pastry. Pogača, Poğaça, Pogácsa or Pogacha is a type of pastry eaten in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Greece and Turkey with variations...
, pašteteTurnover (food)A turnover is a kind of pastry made by placing a filling on a piece of dough, folding the dough over, and sealing it. Turnovers can be sweet or savory and are often made as a sort of portable meal or dessert, similar to a sandwich....
, kifleKifliKifli is a traditional Hungarian, Serbian , Bulgarian Czech , Slovak and Polish yeast roll made into a crescent shape.-Method:...
that in Serbian usage may or may not be crescent shaped and may be sweet, but, may also be sprinkled with salt crystals, kifliceCroissantA croissant is a buttery flaky pastry named for its distinctive crescent shape. It is also sometimes called a crescent, from the French word for "crescent". Croissants are made of a leavened variant of puff pastry...
, perecePretzelA pretzel is a type of baked food made from dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors in a unique knot-like shape, originating in Europe...
, buhtleBuchtelnBuchteln are sweet dumplings made of yeast dough, filled with jam, poppy seed paste or curd and baked in a large pan so that they stick together. The traditional Buchtel is filled with plum powidl jam...
, pleteniceVánockaVánočka is a bread, baked in Czech Republic and Slovakia traditionally at Christmastime. It is rich in eggs and butter, making it similar to brioche. Lemon rind and nutmeg add color and flavor; the dough can also contain raisins and almonds, and is braided like challah...
, štapićiBreadstickBreadsticks are generally pencil-sized sticks of crisp, dry bread originating in Turin and the surrounding area in Italy. They are originally thought to have been created in the 14th century; according to a local tradition, they would be instead invented by a baker in Lanzo Torinese in 1679...
, zemičkeKaiser rollThe Kaiser roll, also called a Vienna roll or a hard roll , is a kind of bread roll, invented in Vienna, and thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Joseph...
, djevreciDjevrekDjevrek or Gevrek is a ring-shaped bread-pastry, about 100g-200g a piece, simailar to simit covered with sesame seed, that is popular in the Balkans. It is typically used as a breakfast or snack dish....
) and especially often: - BurekBurekBörek is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka . It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kaşar; minced meat, or vegetables...
- KačamakKacamakKačamak or kachamak is a traditional Bosnian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Albanian and Montenegrin dish. It is also known as Bakrdan in Macedonia.-History:...
(also Cicvara) - a type of polentaPolentaPolenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier... - PoparaPoparaPopara , is a meal made with left over or fresh bread. It is mostly made in Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro. Popara is also used as a last name...
- ProjaProjaProja is a Serbian dish made of cornbread.It used to be popular in times of widespread poverty, mostly before the 1950's, but is now a common everyday meal...
(cornbread) - Čalabrca
- EggsEgg (food)Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
- Kajgana (scrambled eggsScrambled eggsScrambled eggs is a dish made from beaten whites and yolks of eggs . Beaten eggs are put into a hot pot or pan and stirred frequently, forming curds as they coagulate.-Sample preparation:...
) - Jaje na oko (fried eggs)
- Rovito jaje (soft-boiled egg)
- Kuvano jaje (hard-boiled egg)
- Kajgana (scrambled eggs
- Various sandwichSandwichA sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
es - BreadBreadBread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
with something:- Bread, (often butterButterButter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
) and honeyHoneyHoney is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans... - Bread, (often butter) and jam
- Bread, lardLardLard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
(or schmaltzSchmaltzSchmaltz or schmalz is rendered chicken, goose, or pork fat used for frying or as a spread on bread, especially in German and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Also is very common in Ukrainian cuisine Schmaltz or schmalz is rendered chicken, goose, or pork fat used for frying or as a spread on bread,...
) and saltSaltIn chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
and paprikaPaprikaPaprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot... - Bread, lardLardLard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
and sugarSugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet... - Bread and kajmak
- Kosovo bread (kosovska pogača)
- Bread, (often butter
- Sudžuk (also appetizer)
Soups
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
or poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
with added noodles. Fish soup
Fish soup
Fisherman's Soup or halászlé ; , ribena chorba; , ribina čorba) is a hot, spicy paprika-based river fish soup, originating as a dish of Hungarian cuisine, a bright red hot soup prepared with generous amounts of hot paprika and carp or mixed river fish, characteristic for the cuisines of the...
(riblja čorba) and lamb soup (jagnjeca čorba) are considered to be delicacies.
- Goveđa supa (Consommé)
- Teleća čorba (veal ragout soup)
- Jagnjeća čorba (lamb ragout soup)
- Fisherman's soup
- Čorba od ječma i sočiva (Barley and lentil soup)
- Čorba od zelja i sira
- Čorba od spanaća, koprive ili zelja
- Čorba od boranije
- Paradajz čorba (Tomato soup)
- Čorba od luka (Onion soup)
- Ljuta krompir čorba (Spicy potato soup)
- Čorba jajaruša (egg soup)
- Škembe čorba (tripe soup)
Main course
The main course is always with meat. The main courses which are not grilled:- Pecenje, RoastedRoastingRoasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered by some as a flavor enhancement. Roasting uses more indirect, diffused heat , and is...
meat (whole roasted pork, lamb and goat) - GulašGoulashGoulash is a soup or stew of meat, noodles and vegetables , seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is also a popular meal in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Scandinavia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia...
, (Goulash) - DolmaDolmaDolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions such as Russia, Middle East and the Caucasus and Central and South Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma. Common vegetables to stuff include onion, zucchini, eggplant,...
(Japrak) - Đuveč, stewed vegetables and pork meat similar to RatatouilleRatatouilleRatatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise.- Origin :...
- Karađorđeva šnicla (breaded rolled steak stuffed with kajmak and occasionally ham slices and cream cheeseCream cheeseCream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting, white cheese with a high fat content. Traditionally, it is made from unskimmed milk enriched with additional cream....
) - Kavurma (lamb or pig intestines)
- Wiener schnitzelWiener schnitzelSchnitzel is a traditional Austrian dish made with boneless meat thinned with a mallet , coated in bread crumbs and fried. It is a popular part of Viennese, Austrian cuisine and German Cuisine...
(Bečka šnicla) - MoussakaMoussakaMoussaka is an eggplant based dish of the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The best known variation outside the region is the Greek one.-Names and etymology:...
(Мусака, Musaka, made with aubergines, potatoes or zucchini) - MućkalicaMuckalicaMućkalica is a dish in Serbian cuisine, made by mixing various meats and vegetables.Meat from different animals, as well as various cuts from the same type of animal are used to make a mućkalica: what a cocktail is for beverages, mućkalica is for barbecue. There are various regional styles of...
(pork meat pieces prepared on grill in pepper and tomato hot sauce) - Paprikaš (Паприкаш)(pork meat and pepper stew)
- Bećar paprikaš
- PodvarakPodvarakPodvarak is a Serbian dish made of finely chopped sauerkraut, onions and meat, usually pork roast or chicken, which are combined and baked in an oven. Another description is of podvarak is "roast meat en sauerkraut." Podvarak can also be baked with a variety of other vegetables and additional...
(stewed sauerkraut usually with meat and bacon pieces) - Prebranac, baked beans in sauce
- SatarašSatarašSataraš is a dish originally from Baranya made with bell peppers.It is also very popular throughout South-Eastern Europe, where it is made in many different ways....
, stewed vegetables, similar to RatatouilleRatatouilleRatatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise.- Origin :... - Stuffed Bell peppers (punjene paprikePunjena paprikaPunjena paprika is a dish made of peppers, stuffed with a mix of meat and rice in tomato sauce, the ingredients consisting of green or red capsicums, eggs, spices, salt, tomato, minced meat and rice....
) - SarmaSarma (food)Sarma is a dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat. It is found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire from the Middle East to the Balkans and Central Europe.-Etymology and names:...
(sauerkraut rolls) - TripeTripeTripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
s (škembići) - Noodles with poppyPoppyA poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
(Rezanci s makom) - PihtijePihtijePihtije , pivtija or pača is an aspic-like Serbian and Macedonian dish, generally made from low grade pork meat, such as the head, shank and/or hock made into a semi-consistent gelatinous cake-like form...
- PasuljPasuljPasulj is a white or brown bean dish, considered a traditional dish in Serbian and Bosnian cuisine, though it is nowadays popular throughout many Balkan nations...
(Bean thin stew) - Punjena paprikaPunjena paprikaPunjena paprika is a dish made of peppers, stuffed with a mix of meat and rice in tomato sauce, the ingredients consisting of green or red capsicums, eggs, spices, salt, tomato, minced meat and rice....
, peppered meat, onion and rice filled in peppersCapsicumCapsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in... - Punjene tikvicePunjene tikvicePunjene tikvice is a dish originally from Serbia and a common dish in all the Western Balkan countries. The placenta and seeds of lagrer, shorter, cyllindrical immature squashes are pulled off, and the further procceding is similar as for punjene paprike or sarma...
, stuffed zucchini - Grašak, Peas
- Wedding cabbage, (Svadbarski kupus) (cooked sauerkraut with smoked pork meat)
- Dumplings (valjušci or flekice) with potatoes or cabbage
- Meat and vegetables cooked under sačSAC-People:* Stuart Adam Campbell, a famous gamer who got 30 days playtime within two months of MW2's release in 2009-Computers:* Symposium on Applied Computing, an annual conference sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Applied Computing...
Roštilj (Grills)
GrillingGrilling
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below.Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly and meat that has already been cut into slices...
is very popular in Serbia, and makes the primary offer of main courses in most restaurants. It is often eaten as fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
.
- PljeskavicaPljeskavicaPljeskavica is a Serbian patty dish popular in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe.Pljeskavica is eaten in Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia, and can be found in Romania, and Bulgaria. Traditional pljeskavica is made from mixture of ground meats...
(hamburgerHamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
) National Dish - ĆevapčićiCevapciciĆevapi or ćevapčići is a grilled dish of minced meat, a type of kebab, found traditionally in the countries of southeastern Europe. They are considered a national dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia...
(ground meat sticks) National Dish - Vešalica (grilled strips of pork loin meat)
- Various sausageSausageA sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s - Mixed grillMixed grillMany regional cuisines feature a mixed grill, a meal consisting of a traditional assortment of grilled meats. Versions of the mixed grill include:...
(mešano meso) - SkewerSkewerA skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. They are used while grilling or roasting meats, and in other culinary applications....
ed kabobs (ražnjići) - Leskovački roštilj (LeskovacLeskovacLeskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
grills) - Gyros, various meats with tzatziki and Pita bread.
Appetizers
- MezeMezeMeze or mezze is a selection of small dishes served in the Mediterranean and Middle East as dinner or lunch, with or without drinks. In Levantine cuisines and in the Caucasus region, meze is served at the beginning of all large-scale meals....
, small dishes, appetizers- Turšija, pickled vegetables
Meat products
- ČvarciCvarciČvarci is a specialty of west Balkan cuisine, a variant of pork rinds. They are a kind of pork 'crisps', with fat thermally extracted from the bacon....
, pork crisp- Duvan Čvarci
- SlaninaSalo (food)Salo is a traditional Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian food: cured slabs of fatback , with or without skin. As a trend, the Eastern European one is salted or brine fermented, hence the names slonina/slana/szalonna...
, salted FatbackFatbackFatback is a cut of meat from a domestic pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue under the skin of the back, with or without the skin... - Various smoked hamHamHam is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
s (pršut, pršuta, pečenica):- Pečenica
- Užički pršut (UžiceUžiceUžice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...
ProsciuttoProsciuttoProsciutto |ham]]) or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto....
) - Zlatiborska pršuta (ZlatiborZlatiborZlatibor is a mountain region situated in the western part of Serbia, a part of the Dinaric Alps.The mountain range spreads over an area of 300 km², 27 miles in length, southeast to northwest, and up to 23 miles in width. The highest peak is Tornik at 1496 m...
ProsciuttoProsciuttoProsciutto |ham]]) or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto....
) - ProsciuttoProsciuttoProsciutto |ham]]) or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto....
(pršut)
- Various sausageSausageA sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s (kobasice):- Blood sausageBlood sausageBlack pudding, blood pudding or blood sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking blood or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. The dish exists in various cultures from Asia to Europe...
(krvavice) - KulenKulenKulen is a type of flavored sausage made of minced pork that is traditionally produced in Croatia and Serbia , and its designation of origin has been protected. In parts of Slavonia, kulen is called kulin due to Ikavian speech.The meat is low-fat, rather brittle and dense, and the flavor is spicy...
- Sremska (Mixed pork-beef sausage)
- Srpska kobasica (Serbian sausage)
- Hot dogHot dogA hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
(viršle)
- Blood sausage
- Head cheeseHead cheeseHead cheese , or brawn , is a cold cut that originated in Europe. A version pickled with vinegar is known as souse. Head cheese is not a cheese but a terrine or meat jelly made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig , and often set in aspic. Which parts of the head are used can vary, but the...
(švargla) - Hladetina
- Pastrma
Dairy Products
- Kajmak
- Kiselo Mleko, Buttermilk
- YoghurtYoghurtYoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
- Pavlaka, heavy soured cream (smetana)
- White cheese
- Zlatar cheese
- Cream cheeseCream cheeseCream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting, white cheese with a high fat content. Traditionally, it is made from unskimmed milk enriched with additional cream....
- Kačkavalj yellow sheep milk cheese (CaciocavalloCaciocavalloCaciocavallo is a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep's or cow's milk. It is produced throughout Southern Italy, especially mostly on the Apennine Mountains...
) - Brined cheese
- FetaFetaFeta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese,...
, brined cheese of mostly sheep milk - Sirenje, brined cheese of goat, cow or sheep milk
- Feta
- Vlašić cheese (Vlašićki sir)
- Vurda, Sheep milk
- Siraz, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese
- Pule cheese, donkey milk cheese, most expensive cheese in the world
Bread and Porridges
Bread and salt
Bread and salt is a Slavic welcome greeting ceremony.The tradition, known by its local Slavic names , was also adopted by two non-Slavic nations — Lithuanians and Romanians — both of which culturally and historically close to their Slavic neighbours .When important, respected, or admired guests...
; bread also plays an important role in religious rituals
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
. Some people believe that it is sinful to throw away bread regardless of how old it is. Although pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
and similar side dishes did enter the everyday cuisine, many Serbs still eat bread with these meals.
In most bakeries and shops, white wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
bread loafs (typically 600 gram
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
s) are sold. In modern times, black bread and various graham bread
Graham bread
Graham bread was invented by Sylvester Graham in 1829 for his vegetarian diet. The Graham bread was high in fiber, made with non-sifted whole wheat flour....
variations regain popularity as a part of more healthy diets. In many rural households, bread is still baked in ovens, usually in bigger loafs. Also, the following breads and porridges are part of the traditional cuisine:
- ĐevrekDjevrekDjevrek or Gevrek is a ring-shaped bread-pastry, about 100g-200g a piece, simailar to simit covered with sesame seed, that is popular in the Balkans. It is typically used as a breakfast or snack dish....
, ring-shaped bread-pastry - KačamakKacamakKačamak or kachamak is a traditional Bosnian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Albanian and Montenegrin dish. It is also known as Bakrdan in Macedonia.-History:...
, made of boiled cornmeal, potato and, sometimes feta cheese or skorup (polentaPolentaPolenta is a dish made from boiled cornmeal. The word "polenta" is borrowed from Italian.-Description:Polenta is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal , which can be ground coarsely or finely depending on the region and the texture desired.As it is known today, polenta derives from earlier...
) - Pereca, baked snack of savory or sweet varieties (Pretzel)
- PogačicaPogácsaPogácsa is a type of savory scone in Hungarian cuisine. It is also popularly eaten in nearby Slovakia, where it is known as pagáč. The Hungarian word derives ultimately from the Latin panis focacius, i.e. bread baked on the hearth or fireplace , via the Italian focaccia and, more directly, south...
, type of bread - MasonicaPoparaPopara , is a meal made with left over or fresh bread. It is mostly made in Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro. Popara is also used as a last name...
, bread with milk, sugar and kajmak or sireneSireneSirene/ Sirenje or known as "white brine sirene" .Salads: Shopska salad with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and sirene. Ovcharska salad with the above mentioned vegetables, cheese, ham, boiled eggs and olives. Tomatoes with sirene is a traditional light salad during the summer.Eggs:...
(Popara) - Soda breadSoda breadSoda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a raising agent rather than the more common yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk...
- Languš, deep-fried flat bread
- Mekike, deep-fried pieces of dough
- Pita, pocket flat bread
- Somun
- Lepinje
- Užice lepinje
Pies
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
is "pita", which should not be confused with Greek pita
Pita
Pita or pitta is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent in Greece, the Balkans the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. The "pocket" in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough...
. Greek pita is a kind of bread and is not called pita in Serbian (a similar pastry is called lepinja), while in Serbian language, "pita" refers to a pie in general, either one eaten in Serbia or a foreign one (such as apple pie
Apple pie
An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. It is sometimes served with whipped cream or ice cream on top...
).
A number of Serbian pies are made with phyllo
Phyllo
Phyllo, filo, or fillo dough is paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine.-History:An early, thick form of phyllo appears to be of Central Asian Turkic origin...
, called "kore" in Serbian language. A common Serbian pie not made with phyllo is called "štrudla". To add to the confusion, it is not similar to strudel
Strudel
A strudel is a type of layered pastry with a — most often sweet — filling inside, often served with cream. It became well known and gained popularity in the 18th century through the Habsburg Empire....
, but rather to the nut roll
Nut roll
A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from ground nuts and a sweetener like honey, then rolled up into a log shape. This 'log' is either left long and straight or is often bent into a horseshoe shape, egg washed, baked,...
; but it is commonly made with poppy seeds
Poppy Seeds
Poppy Seeds, released in 1971, was the second and final studio album from Vancouver, British Columbia band The Poppy Family. The album has yet to be released on modern formats and remains a rare vinyl....
and not walnuts.
A Serbian pie could, in general, be called in two ways: according to its mode of preparation, and according to its filling (although not every pie is prepared with every filling). For example, a "bundevara" is a pie filled with pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
and could refer to either a savijača (made of rolled phyllo
Phyllo
Phyllo, filo, or fillo dough is paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine.-History:An early, thick form of phyllo appears to be of Central Asian Turkic origin...
) or a štrudla
Nut roll
A nut roll is a pastry consisting of a sweet yeast dough that is rolled out very thin, spread with a nut paste made from ground nuts and a sweetener like honey, then rolled up into a log shape. This 'log' is either left long and straight or is often bent into a horseshoe shape, egg washed, baked,...
(made of rolled dough
Dough
Dough is a paste made out of any cereals or leguminous crops by mixing flour with a small amount of water and/or other liquid. This process is a precursor to making a wide variety of foodstuffs, particularly breads and bread-based items , flatbreads, noodles, pastry, and similar items)...
). Both sweet and salty pies are made, and some pies could be prepared in the same way with either sweet or salty filling.
For an overview of Serbian pies, you may refer to this informative table:
| form → | ruffled phyllo | rolled phyllo | layered phyllo | rolled dough | |
| ↓ filling | ↓ Serbian name → | burek Burek Börek is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka . It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kaşar; minced meat, or vegetables... |
savijača | štrudla | |
| white cheese | sirnica | ||||
| meat | |||||
| leaf vegetables, spinach | zeljanica | ||||
| leek | |||||
| mushrooms | |||||
| pizza topping | |||||
| white cheese and eggs | gibanica Gibanica Gibanica , pron. gheebanitsa, is a traditional Balkan pastry dish, usually made with white cheese, now popular throughout the Balkans.Gibanica is a traditional dish in parts of Balkan region... |
||||
| nothing | |||||
| sour cherries | |||||
| apples | |||||
| pumpkin | bundevara | ||||
| poppy seeds | makovnjača | ||||
| walnuts | orasnica |
Tart
Tart
A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard....
s and similar pies have appeared in Serbian bakeries relatively recently and are not a traditional meal.
Salads
In Serbia, salads are typically eaten with the main course and not as an appetizer. Common salads include:- Serbian saladSerbian saladSerbian salad is a vegetable salad, usually served during summer with roast meat and other dishes. It is made from diced fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and grated feta, usually seasoned with olive oil, salt and commonly feferon - a local hot pepper similar to cayenne pepper....
(српска салата, srpska salata) - Shop salad (шопска салата, šopska salata)
- Sheepherders salad (Čobanska salata)
- Greek saladGreek saladGreek salad is a summer salad in Greek cuisine.Greek salad is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumber, green bell peppers, red onion, sliced or cubed feta cheese, and Kalamata olives, typically seasoned with salt and dried oregano, and dressed with olive oil...
(Grčka salata) - Russian saladRussian saladSalade Olivier is a salad composed of diced potatoes, vegetables and meats bound in mayonnaise. The salad is usually called Russian salad in Western European and Latin American countries, and Salad Olivieh in Iranian cooking.-History:...
(руска салата, ruska salata) - Various simple salads (lettuceLettuceLettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, cabbageCabbageCabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
, sauerkrautSauerkrautSauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
, beetrootBeetrootThe beetroot, also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet or informally simply as beet, is one of the many cultivated varieties of beets and arguably the most commonly encountered variety in North America, Central America and Britain.-Consumption:The usually deep-red roots of beetroot are...
, tomatoTomatoThe word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
, cucumberCucumberThe cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
, carrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
, potatoPotatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
) - TaratorTaratorTarator or Taratur , is a traditional Balkan dish. It is a cold soup , popular in the summertime in Albania, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Armenia and in Cyprus...
, (Таратор) - Kisele (ukiseljene) paprike (roasted green papers with garlic and vinegar)
- Moravska salata
- UrnebesUrnebesUrnebes is a type of salad characteristic of Serbian cuisine prominent in the city of Niš and southern Serbia. It is made of cheese and hot chile peppers, with salt and other spices...
salata
Relishes
- AjvarAjvarAjvar and aijvar is relish, made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chili pepper. Ajvar originates in the Serbian cuisine, and was therefore long known as "Serbian salad" or "Serbian vegetable caviar"...
- LjutenicaLjutenicaLjutenica, Lyutenitsa or Lutenica , is a national relish of Bulgaria, Macedonia and Serbia....
- UrnebesUrnebesUrnebes is a type of salad characteristic of Serbian cuisine prominent in the city of Niš and southern Serbia. It is made of cheese and hot chile peppers, with salt and other spices...
- PinđurPinđurPinđur or Pindjur is a Serbian and Macedonian spicy relish form , and is commonly used as a summer spread.Pindjur is similar to ajvar but is generally made with aubergines...
Sweets
- AlvaHalvaHalva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.The term halva ,...
, flour-based and Nut-butter-based sweet confections. - BaklavaBaklavaBaklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia....
, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. - KompotCompoteCompote is a dessert originating from 17th century France made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are immersed in water and with sugar and spices added to the dish, over gentle heat. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder,...
, pieces of fruit in sugar syrup (compote) - Doboš Torta, five-layer sponge cakeSponge cakeSponge cake is a cake based on flour , sugar, and eggs, sometimes leavened with baking powder which has a firm, yet well aerated structure, similar to a sea sponge. A sponge cake may be produced by either the batter method, or the foam method. Typicially the batter method in the U.S. is known as a...
, layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with thin caramel slices. - Jam (džem and pekmez - preserve)
- SlatkoSlatkoSlatko is a thin fruit preserve made of fruit or rose petals in Serbian and also Jewish cuisine. Almost any kind of fruit can be used, like wild strawberry, blueberry, plum, and cherry...
, fruits in jelly (Fruit preservesFruit preservesFruit preserves are preparations of fruits and sugar, often canned or sealed for long-term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves today often involves adding commercial or natural pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used, as well. Prior to World War II, fruit preserve...
) - Kadaif, (Knafe) sweet pastry of Kanafeh layers
- Kitnikes, jelly sweets
- KnedleKnedleA Knedle is a fruit-filled dumpling. Knedles usually use potato dough and are filled with fruit. For example, knedle made with plums is a Polish, Croatian, Bosnian and Serbian sweet dish that is often eaten as a sweet dinner....
(Knedle sa šljivama - also called Gomboce in BanatBanatThe Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
) - Kuglof
- Krofne, doughnuts filled with custard, chocolate, cream or jelly (Berliner)
- Kitnikes
- Krempita (custard pieCustard pieA custard pie is any type of uncooked custard mixture added to an uncooked or partially cooked crust and baked together. In North America, custard pie commonly refers to a plain mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and sometimes nutmeg combined with a pie crust...
) - Makovnjača
- Medenjaci
- Oblande (Oblatne)
- Orasnice
- PalačinkePalatschinkenPalatschinke is the Austrian and Bavarian name of the thin, crêpe-like variety of pancake common in Central and Eastern Europe.-The pancake:...
(crepes) - Plazma torta, torta of Plazma keks
- Profiterole (princes krofne)
- Serbian Cherry pie(Pita od Višanja- sour cherries and walnuts with fillo dough)
- Salčići
- Šampita, Tasty whipped marshmallow-type desert with fillo dough crust
- Šenokle
- Šerbet
- ŠtrudlaStrudelA strudel is a type of layered pastry with a — most often sweet — filling inside, often served with cream. It became well known and gained popularity in the 18th century through the Habsburg Empire....
, layered sweet pastry - Ratluk, sweet jelly confections (Turkish delight)
- Ruske KapeRuske KapeRuske kape are a type of cake dessert served in ex-Yugoslavia countries, especially in Bosnia, the Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia. It usually comes in a , round serving and includes coconut around the edge or sometimes crushed walnuts. The top is usually chocolate drizzled with vanilla...
- Reform Torte see information about torteTorteA torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake that is filled with buttercreams, mousses, jams or fruits. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished . A torte is made with little to no flour, but instead with ground nuts or breadcrumbs, as well as sugar, eggs, and flavorings.- Origin...
- Sutlijaš, rice pudding with cinnamon
- Tatlije, sweet pastry
- TufahijeTufahijeTufahije is a Bosnian dessert made of walnut-stuffed apples stewed in water with sugar, very popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia. Tufahije were introduced to the people in Balkans during the Ottoman rule, although the dessert originates from Persia.- Serving :Tufahije are...
- Tulumbe
- Urmašice
- UštipciUštipciUštipci are doughnut-like balls popular in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. They are similar to krafne but with more of a soft, bread-like feel to them. They are easier to make than krafne, and they do not necessarily have to be sweet...
- Vanilice
- Vasa's torte (Vasina torta - traditional Serbian cake (torteTorteA torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake that is filled with buttercreams, mousses, jams or fruits. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished . A torte is made with little to no flour, but instead with ground nuts or breadcrumbs, as well as sugar, eggs, and flavorings.- Origin...
) rich in chocolate, nut and orange flavour (see recipe in external links)) - ŽitoZitoZito is a last name of Italian origin. It comes from the word "Zitu", meaning "young bachelor".Zito can refer to:*Barry Zito, a baseball pitcher*Chuck Zito, stuntman and actor*Torrie Zito, pianist and musical arranger-conductor...
, ceremonial sweet made of wheat, walnuts and some raisins)
Ritual
- ČesnicaCesnicaA česnica is the ceremonial, round loaf of bread that is an indispensable part of Christmas dinner in Serbian tradition. The preparation of this bread may be accompanied by various rules and rituals. A coin is often put into the dough during the kneading; other small objects may also be inserted...
, Christmas bread - Koljivo, boiled wheat - ritual food during slava
- Slavski kolač, prepared for slavaSlavaThe Slava , also called Krsna Slava and Krsno ime , is the Serbian Orthodox tradition of the ritual celebration and veneration of a family's own patron saint. The family celebrates the Slava annually on the patron saint's feast day...
s. - žitoZitoZito is a last name of Italian origin. It comes from the word "Zitu", meaning "young bachelor".Zito can refer to:*Barry Zito, a baseball pitcher*Chuck Zito, stuntman and actor*Torrie Zito, pianist and musical arranger-conductor...
, sweet prepared for slavas
Spices and seasoning
Serbian cuisine is generally lacking in spiceSpice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s and herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s: practically only black pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and ground paprika
Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot...
are in widespread use, along with parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
used for soups. Other spices sometimes used include white pepper, allspice
Allspice
Allspice, also called Jamaica pepper, pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or newspice, is a spice that is the dried unripe fruit of Pimenta dioica , a mid-canopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world...
, Coriandrum sativum, laurel
Bay Laurel
The bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
, celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
and clove
Clove
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...
.
Non-alcoholic
High quality and quantity of fruitFruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and abundance of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
result in a number of high-quality fruit juice
Juice
Juice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
s and mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
s produced in Serbia, and being among its most widely known exports. There are few domestic carbonated soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s however. An interesting traditional soft drink, made from corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, now less commonly consumed is boza
Boza
Boza, also bosa , is a popular fermented beverage in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and also Poland and Lithuania...
. Kvas
Kvass
Kvass, kvas, quass or gira, gėra is a fermented beverage made from black...
is also being made by some breweries
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
.
Serbian coffee, Turkish coffee
Turkish coffee
Turkish coffee is a method of preparing coffee where finely powdered roast coffee beans are boiled in a pot , with sugar according to taste, before being served into a cup where the dregs settle...
prepared the Serbian way (домаћа кафа 'domestic coffee' or кафа 'coffee'. Especially strong coffee (without sugar and milk) is often referred to as 'Turkish' or 'black' coffee) is a traditional drink of Serbs. Tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
is far less popular and mostly herbal teas are consumed, drunk on their own or as supplementary medicine.
Of dairies, yoghurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
is common, as are kefir
Kefir
Kefir is a fermented milk drink that originated with shepherds of the North Caucasus region, who discovered that fresh milk carried in leather pouches would occasionally ferment into an effervescent beverage...
and similar varieties.
The famous Serbian Knjaz Milos
Knjaz Miloš
Knjaz Miloš AD is a carbonated mineral water producer and distributor based in Aranđelovac, Serbia.Knjaz Miloš has been produced and sold since 1811...
mineral water is considered a national brand and can be used in any meal, also with the traditional greeting sweets "Slatko
Slatko
Slatko is a thin fruit preserve made of fruit or rose petals in Serbian and also Jewish cuisine. Almost any kind of fruit can be used, like wild strawberry, blueberry, plum, and cherry...
".
Alcoholic
Rakija
Of distilled beverageDistilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
s, the most popular are various fruit brandies
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
called rakija. Comparatively many people brew their own rakija, which is highly prized by friends and relatives. Various kinds of rakija are named after fruit they are made of; among the most known ones are:
- Šljivovica (slivovitz, plum brandy), National Drink
- Šumadija tea,
- Lozovača (grape brandy)
- Viljamovka / KruškovacKruškovacKruškovac is a type of rakija made by distilling fermented pears, and has an alcohol content of around 25%. It is characterized by its sweet pear aroma and distinctive yellow color. It is a popular drink in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and in other states of the former Yugoslavia...
(pear brandy) - KlekovačaKlekovačaKlekovača is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps of western Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near Drvar and Bosanski Petrovac. The highest peak is the Velika Klekovača at ....
, - Jabukovača, applejackApplejack (beverage)Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, popular in the American colonial period.Applejack was historically made by concentrating hard cider, either by the traditional method of freeze distillation or by true evaporative distillation. The term applejack derives from jacking, a...
- Stomaklija,
- PelinkovacPelinkovacPelinkovac is a bitter liqueur based on wormwood , popular in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as in Slovenia, where it is known as pelinkovec or pelinovec....
, (a wormwood liqueurLiqueurA liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
milder than AbsintheAbsintheAbsinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
)
Beer
BeerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
is widely enjoyed in Serbia, which has 14 breweries (see Beer in Serbia
Beer in Serbia
Beer in Serbia is not well known or famous outside of its national borders.-Packaging:Beer for home consumption is mostly sold in 0.5-litre glass bottles, while 0.34-litre bottles are now obsolete and used only in expensive bars. Most bottles in use are deposit-type . Cans are more common...
). Jelen pivo
Jelen pivo
Jelen Pivo is a light beer produced by Apatin Brewery ltd. Jelen Pivo contains 5% alcohol, belongs to the class of light lagers, and is made of high-quality hops, barley and yeast. Besides Serbia, Jelen Pivo can also be found on the markets of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia,...
is usually considered to be the best.
Wine
- ProkupacProkupacProkupac is a red Serbian wine grape that is often used to produce darkly colored rosé. The grape is noted for the high sugar levels it can achieve prior to harvest and the high levels of alcohol it can produce following fermentation.-Synonyms:...
- Vranac
- KrstačKrstacKrstač is an ancient variety of grape that is indigenous to Serbia and Montenegro. A high quality dry white wine is made of it. The wine may be rich, of harmonious bouquet and of light yellow color with 12.5% alcohol.- Synonyms :...
- SmederevkaSmederevkaSmederevka is a white wine grape variety grown in Smederevo, Serbia and in Tikveš wine-growing region of Macedonia. The variety's name is derived from the name of Serbian city Smederevo...
- TamjanikaTamjanikaTamjanika or Temjanika is a type of grape, a variety of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, grown in Serbia and Macedonia. It is named after tamjan , due to intense scent from ripe grapes, which can be sensed several meters away. Berries are small, green, yellow or pink, almost perfect balls...
Kitchenware
- Đuveč
- Grne
- SačSAC-People:* Stuart Adam Campbell, a famous gamer who got 30 days playtime within two months of MW2's release in 2009-Computers:* Symposium on Applied Computing, an annual conference sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Applied Computing...
External links
- RecipeSpin Includes some Serbian recipes
- PanonskiKuvar.com - Online Serbian recipes.
- Nigella.com - very good English language recipe for Vasa's Torte - delicious traditional birthday cake with origin from ParaćinParacinParaćin is a town and municipality in Serbia, located in the valley of the Velika Morava river, north of Kruševac and southeast of Kragujevac. In 2011 the town has total population of 24,573 and it has a civil airport, also known as Davidovac Airport....
, Serbia. - SerbiaTouristGuide.com Includes Serbian recipes
- Balkan Cuisine Serbian recipes
- Slivovitz shop