Serbian cuisine
Serbian cuisine is the traditional cuisine of Serbia, sharing characteristics with the rest of the Balkan nations.
Historically, Serbian food is characterized by influences of Byzantine–Greek, Mediterranean, but also by Turkish and to a lesser extent of Central Europe Serbian law bans production and import of genetically modified food, which has caused a long-running dispute with the World Trade Organization, preventing the country from becoming a member of the organization.
Overview
The national dishes include gibanica, pljeskavica, ćevapi, and Karađorđeva šnicla. The national drink is the rakia.With Serbia being located on the crossroads between East and West, its cuisine has gathered elements from different cooking styles across the Middle East and Europe to develop its own hearty gastronomy with an intricate balance of rich meats, vegetables, breads, cheese, fresh pastries and desserts. It has much in common with the cuisines of neighboring Balkan countries. Its flavours are mild, fresh and natural. Seasonings are usually salt, black pepper and paprika, while ingredients are fresh and of good quality. Eating seasonal food is very important, and many dishes are strongly associated with a specific time of the year.
Most people in Serbia will have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, lunch being the largest. However, traditionally, only lunch and dinner existed, with breakfast being introduced in the second half of the 19th century.
A number of foods which are usually bought in the West are often made at home in Serbia. These include rakija, slatko, jam, jelly, various pickled foods, notably sauerkraut, ajvar or sausages. The reasons for this range from economical to cultural. Food preparation is a strong part of the Serbian family tradition.
History
, 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 The Big Serbian Cookbook, written by Katarina Popović-Midzina in 1877.
The best known Serbian cookbook is Pata's Cookbook, written by Spasenija Pata Marković in 1907; the book remains in publication even today.
An old Serbian legend says that during the time of the 14th-century Serbian Empire, under the rule of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan, meals in the Serbian palace were eaten with golden spoons and forks. Historians say that mediaeval Serbian cuisine mainly consisted of milk, dairy produce and vegetables. Not a lot of bread was eaten, but when it was, the rich ate bread made from wheat and the poor ate bread made from oats and rye. The only meat consumed was game, with cattle kept for agricultural use.
Meals
Breakfast
Breakfast in Serbia is an early but hearty meal, rich in calories and carbohydrates, meant to provide one with enough energy to start the day well. Bread is frequently eaten, served with butter, jam, yogurt, sour cream or cheese, accompanied by bacon, sausages, salami, eggs or kajmak. Many people would stop by a bakery in the morning to enjoy fresh pastries, such as pogačice, paštete, kifle, kiflice, perece, buhtle, pletenice, štapići, zemičke, djevreci, mekike and uštipci. Other common breakfast dishes include burek, kačamak and cicvara, popara, proja and čalabrca. Before breakfast most people usually have a cup of coffee, or perhaps espresso. With the breakfast itself either a tea, milk, milk coffee, or chocolate milk is served.Appetizers
is an assortment of small dishes and appetizers, though, unlike the Middle Eastern meze, it does not usually include cooked dishes, and is therefore more similar to Italian antipasto. A Serbian meze typically includes slices of cured meats and sausages, cheeses, olives, fresh vegetables and zimnica. Meze is served either to accompany alcoholic drinks or as a starter before a soup on bigger meals.Soups
Soups are eaten as an entrée at almost every lunch. They are considered to be very important for good health. There are two types of soups in Serbian cuisine: thin soups called supa, and thicker soups with roux or eggs called čorba. The most common ones are simple pottages made of beef or poultry with added noodles. Lamb, veal and fish soups are considered delicacies.| Type | Image | Serbian Cyrillic | Serbian Latin | Notes |
| Consommé | Домаћа супа | Domaća supa | A simple chicken or beef soup with noodles or dumplings. The most common entrée in home cooking. | |
| Veal soup | Телећа чорба | Teleća čorba | ||
| Lamb soup | Јагњећа чорба | Jagnjeća čorba | ||
| Fisherman's soup | Рибља чорба | Riblja čorba | A paprika-spiced fish soup, common in the Panonian region. | |
| Green soup | Чорба од зеља | Čorba od zelja | ||
| Tomato soup | Парадајз чорба | Paradajz čorba | ||
| Cauliflower soup | Чорба од карфиола | Čorba od karfiola | ||
| Egg drop soup | File:Egg drop soup - 蛋花湯 - | Supa s jajima (supa s dronjcima'' |
Main course
The main course is most commonly a meat dish. Besides roštilj which is very popular, braising, stewing and roasting in an oven are the most common cooking methods.| Type | Image | Serbian Cyrillic | Serbian Latin | Notes | |||
| Rotisserie | Печење | Pečenje | A whole pig or lamb roasted on a skewer over a fire. | ||||
| Gyro | Гирос,гира | - | - | - | |||
| Đuveč | Ђувеч | Đuveč | A vegetable dish similar to ratatouille. Either stewed or baked as a casserole. | ||||
| Karađorđeva šnicla | Карађорђева шницла | Karađorđeva šnicla | A breaded rolled steak stuffed with kajmak, sliced ham and cheese. | ||||
| Kavurma | Кавурма | Kavurma | Pig intestines, not to be confused with Turkish kavurma. | ||||
| Moussaka | Мусака | Musaka | A mince and potato, zucchini or eggplant casserole, common through the Balkans. | ||||
| Mućkalica | Мућкалица | Mućkalica | A spicy stew of pork, tomatoes and peppers. Typical of southern Serbia. | ||||
| Goulash | Гулаш | Gulaš | A paprika-spiced meat stew originating in Hungary that is popular throughout Central Europe and the Balkans. | ||||
| Rinflajš | Ринфлајш | Rinflajš | A beef dish from Vojvodina. Similar to Tafelspitz. | ||||
| Podvarak | Подварак | Podvarak | A fresh cabbage with grape vinegar casserole, usually with meat and other vegetables.jpg|100px | Пасуљ | Pasulj | A bean stew. | |
| Stuffed peppers | Пуњене паприке | Punjene paprike | Peppers stuffed with rice and minced meat. | ||||
| Stuffed zucchini | Пуњене тиквице | Punjene tikvice | Zucchini stuffed with rice and minced meat. | ||||
| Peas | Грашак | Grašak | A pea stew. | ||||
| Green beans | Боранија | Boranija | A green bean stew. | ||||
| Noodles with rice | Флекице с рижом | Flekice s rizom | |||||
| Vrsnjik | Вршњик | Vrsnjik | Meat and vegetables cooked under a sač. |
Roštilj (barbecue)
is very popular in Serbia. Grilled meats are the primary main course dishes offered in restaurants. They are commonly served as mixed grill on large oval plates. They are often also eaten as fast food. The cities of Leskovac and Novi Pazar are especially famous for their barbecue.| Type | Image | Serbian Cyrillic | Serbian Latin | Notes |
| Pljeskavica | Пљескавица | Pljeskavica | A ground pork or beef patty; National Dish | |
| Ćevapi | Ћевапи | Ćevapčići | Ground pork or beef meat sticks; National Dish | |
| Pork loin | Вешалица | Vešalica | Grilled strips of pork loin. | |
| Skewers | Ражњићи | Ražnjići | Chunks of meat and vegetables grilled on skewers. | |
| Sausages | Кобасице | Kobasice | Various sausages, usually with spices |
Bread
Bread is the staple of Serbian meals and it is often treated almost ritually. A traditional Serbian welcoming is to offer the guest with bread and salt; bread also plays an important role in religious rituals. Many 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 over time, many Serbs still eat bread with meals.In most bakeries and shops, white wheat bread loafs are sold. In modern times, black bread and various graham bread variations regain popularity. In many rural households, bread is still baked in ovens, usually in bigger loafs.
Salads
In Serbia, salads are eaten as a side dish with the main course. The simplest of salads are made of sliced lettuce, cabbage, tomato, cucumber or carrot, olives with oil, vinegar salt and spices.| Type | Image | Serbian Cyrillic | Serbian Latin | Description |
| Serbian salad | Српска салата | Srpska salata | Diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with a simple dressing of oil and vinegar. | |
| Shopska salad | Шопска салата | Šopska salata | Similar to the above Serbian salad, but topped with white cheese. | |
| Greek salad | Грчка салата | Grčka salata | Diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, topped with olives and feta cheese, and dressed with olive oil. Originally from Greece, but quite popular in Serbia. | |
| Cabbage salad | Купус салата | Kupus salata | Shredded cabbage with a vinegar dressing. | |
| Zimnica | Зимница | Zimnica | Pickled vegetables. | |
| Russian salad | Руска салата | Ruska salata | Diced boiled potatoes, carrots, pickles, green peas, eggs and ham, dressed with mayonnaise. | |
| Tarator | Тартар | Tartar | Yogurt with cucumber. |
Relishes
Dairy and meat products
Dairy products are an important part of the Serbian diet. Fermented products such as sour milk, kajmak, yogurt and pavlaka are common breakfast foods, consumed daily. White cheese, called sir are much more common in Serbia than yellow cheeses. There are numerous varieties, some of which have been awarded for their quality, such as the white cheese with walnuts from Babine, which won the 2012 "best autochtonic cheese" award. Serbian Pule cheese, made from donkey milk, is the most expensive cheese in the world. Although less common, several yellow cheese are locally produced.Every autumn or early winter, on an event called svinjokolj pigs are slaughtered and meat is dried in the cold air, cured and preserved for winter. Cured meats, bacon, salo, čvarci, Sausages such as krvavica and kulen are produced. Offal and cheaper cutts of meat are utilized as well, made into processed products such as švargla.
Pies
In Serbia, pies are very popular. They are eaten either for breakfast, dinner, or as a snack. Most commonly they are made with thin layers of phyllo dough. There are several preparation methods and numerous types of fillings, both sweet and savory. Usually, pies are named after either the preparation method, or the filling.One pie variety that is not made with phyllo is the štrudla, which, in turn, isn't similar to strudel, but rather to a nut roll.
| ↓ Filling | Form → | Ruffled phyllo | Rolled phyllo | Layered phyllo | Rolled dough |
| ↓ Filling | ↓ Serbian name → | Бурек | Савијача | Штрудла | |
| white cheese | Пита са сиром/Сирница | ||||
| white cheese and eggs | Гибаница | Gibanica | |||
| meat | Пита с месом | ||||
| potatoes | Пита с кромпиром/Кромпируша | ||||
| spinach, greens | Пита са зељем/Зељаница | ||||
| mushrooms | Пита с печуркама | ||||
| sour cherries | Пита са вишњама | ||||
| apples | Пита с јабукама | ||||
| pumpkin | Пита с бундевом/Бундевара | ||||
| poppy seeds | Штрудла с маком/Маковњача | ||||
| walnuts | Штрудла са орасима/Орасница | Česnica | |||
| no filling |
Sweets and desserts
Sweets are served at the end of meals. Sweets and desserts enjoyed in Serbia include both typically Middle Eastern and typically European ones, as well as some authentically Serbian ones. Besides the ones mentioned here, pies with sweet fruit fillings are also commonly eaten as desserts.| Type | Image | Serbian Cyrillic | Serbian Latin | Description |
| Plazma cake | Плазма торта | Plazma torta | A cake made with ground Plazma biscuits as the primary ingredient. | |
| Vasa's cake | Васина торта | Vasina torta | A walnut and chocolate cake. Amongst the more popular Serbian desserts. | |
| Dobos cake | Добош торта | Doboš torta | A five-layer sponge cake, layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with thin caramel slices. | |
| Reforma cake | Реформа торта | Reforma torta | A layered cake with chocolate butter-cream filling. | |
| Slatko | Слатко | Slatko | A fruit preserve. | |
| Ratluk | Ратлук | Ratluk | Turkish delight. | |
| Halva | Алва | Alva | Dense flour or nut-based sweet confections. | |
| Baklava | Баклава | Baklava | Sweet pastry made from layers of phyllo dough, filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. | |
| Tulumbe | Тулумбе | Tulumbe | A fried batter soaked in syrup. | |
| Tufahije | Туфахије | Tufahije | A dessert made of walnut-stuffed apples stewed in water with sugar. | |
| Kompot | Компот | Kompot | Kompot is a non-alcoholic sweet beverage, that may be served hot or cold. It is obtained by cooking fruit in a large volume of water, together with sugar or raisins as additional sweeteners. | |
| Quince cheese | Сир од дуња | Sir od dunja | A sweet, thick jelly made of the pulp of the quince fruit. | |
| Knedle | Кнедле са шљивама | Knedle sa šljivama | Boiled potato-dough dumplings filled with plums. Called gomboce in Vojvodina. | |
| Krofne | Крофне | Krofne | Airy doughnuts filled with chocolate or jam. | |
| Krempita | Кремпита | Krempita | A chantilly and custard cream cake dessert. | |
| Orasnice | Ораснице | Orasnice | Walnut cookies. | |
| Palačinke | Палачинке | Palačinke | Crêpes. | |
| Šampita | Шампита | Šampita | A whipped marshmallow-type dessert with fillo dough crust. | |
| Ruske kape | Руске капе | Ruske kape | ||
| Vanilla cookies | Ванилице | Vanilice | ||
| Uštipci | Уштипци | Uštipci | Doughnut-like fried dough balls. |
Ritual food
Drinks
Non-alcoholic
is the most commonly consumed non-alcoholic beverage in Serbia. It is mostly prepared at home, rather than bought in coffee shops, and preferably consumed in the company of friends or family. Slatko, ratluk and raki may be served alongside coffee. The majority of the Serbian population starts a day with a cup of coffee in the morning. Herbal teas are consumed as a medication, rather than a beverage. Yogurt and kefir are commonly consumed dairy beverages. They frequently accompany savory pastries. A beverage made from maize, called boza or kvas, used to be popular in the past. Today it is rarely consumed.A number of fruit juice and mineral water brands are produced locally. The Knjaz Milos mineral water is considered a national brand.