Slatko is a thin fruit preserve made of fruit or rose petals in Serbian

Serbian cuisine

Serbian cuisine is a heterogeneous cuisine, sharing characteristics of the Balkans , the Mediterranean , Turkish, and Central European cuisines....

 and also Jewish

Jewish cuisine

Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...

 cuisine

Cuisine

Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...

. Almost any kind of fruit can be used, like wild strawberry, blueberry

Blueberry

Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...

, plum

Plum

A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...

, and cherry

Cherry

The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....

. Traditionally, honored guests in a Serbian home are greeted with a spoonful of slatko.

Slatko is ideal as a topping for ice cream, waffles shortcakes, and as a filling in pancakes.

Traditional hospitality ceremony in Serbian homes starts with slatko and a cup of water.

Variants

The most usual types of slatko are those made of whole strawberries, slightly unripe skinned plums, or sour cherries. Other fresh fruits like raspberries, sweet cherries, watermelon cubes, rose petals, quinces, grapes, figs, skinned apricot halves or quarters, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, or red currants can also be used. If a plum slatko is prepared, walnut halves may be added to the mixture, or even inserted into the plums themselves to replace the pits. Frozen berries and fruits may be used too, but the amount of water and the cooking time should be adjusted accordingly.