Serbian food culture is a mix of Turkish cuisine, Greek cuisine, and all the cultures that have passed through the Balkans. Generally speaking, the food in Serbia is heavily meaty but there are options for vegetarians, too. There is also a large variety of cookies, especially during the Orthodox Christmas time in December and January; so as a large variety of fruits imported from Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey. The most important meal for Serbians is usually at lunchtime.
If it’s your first time in Southeastern Europe, you’re likely to try some dishes you have never seen before. Some popular dishes in Serbia, such as the ćevapi and burek, are also popular in Bosnia so as in other Balkan countries. Heated debates on who makes the best ćevapi, or the best burek, the best rakija may come up among locals, or where a certain dish is originally from – that’s life in the Balkans. In this post, we go with traditional food you can find at local markets in Serbia, the most popular dishes and drinks, and Serbian street food that you find in Belgrade and in other cities that you visit.
Serbian Food at Local Markets
Kaymak Cheese
Kaymak cheese is a popular Balkan dairy usually made from unpasteurized cow or sheep milk, consumed not aged or matured for some pastries, similar to clotted cream that you find in Central Asia and in some Caucasus countries. In Serbia, you find kaymak at the local food markets and usually serves as a sauce for popular dishes such as the ćevapi and pljeskavica, or an appetizer with bread.
Mladica Cheese
Mladica in Serbian means something like young, fresh cheese to be precise. The mladica cheese, or mladi, is a soft cheese, mild and creamy found all over the Balkans. It has a gelatinous texture, normally unpasteurized.
Ajvar
Ajvar (pronounced as “ai-var”) is a roasted red pepper sauce popular all over the Balkans, that remembers caviar, usually consumed saucing other dishes or as a jam. Traditionally, ajvar is prepared during autumn and largely consumed along with winter. You can find ajvar at local food markets, supermarkets, and local restaurants.
Halva
Halva is originally from Eastern gastronomy and spread all over Eastern Europe during the Ottoman Empire, including in Serbia. It can be made from sesame seeds or from flour or nuts. It’s prepared in hundreds of types across the world, and I have eaten halva in Israel, Ukraine, Russia, India, and from Turkey by travelers I’ve met on the way.
Pekara: the Balkan Fast Food
Pekara is a kind of bakery and fast food that is popular all over the Balkans, and it’s no different in Serbia. Pekaras are open day and night all over the main cities, the main option for street food in Serbia; it’s the place where many locals go to eat during break time or after partying at night for curing hangover at affordable prices. Dishes like ćevapi and pljeskavica are more than enough when you’re hungry and are running short on time.
What to Eat at Pekaras & Restaurants in Serbia?
Ćevapi
Ćevapi, ćevapčići in the plural, is known as the national dish of Bosnia but also popular in Serbia as well as in other Balkan countries. It’s basically minced meat grilled in the form of meat fingers, usually served with pita bread and onions. It’s also interesting to taste ćevapi with the kaymak cheese and ajvar, as many locals do. It costs around USD 4- USD 5 at the pekaras and in most of the local restaurants. In Belgrade, a restaurant to eat a ćevapi is Restaurant Drama Ćevapi.
Pljeskavića
Pljeskavića (pronounced as “plies-ka-vitsa”) is a grilled spiced meat patty, combining pork, beef, and lamb, maybe the national dish of Serbia. Actually, it’s a burger but never say it to Serbians unless you’re interested in a heated argument. Similar to ćevapi, pljeskavića is served within a pita bread accompanied by onions, paprika, and other vegetables, as well as by kaymak cheese and ajvar. The city of Niš is famous for making the best pljeskavića in Serbia, and you have more reason to visit it if you pass by the route between Belgrade and Sofia.
Mekika
It was in Niš where I tasted the deep-fried dough mekika, popular street food in Serbia made of salt, yeast, and flour. Mekika remembers the dough cavaquinho from Brazil and torta frita from Uruguay, or the Hungarian lángos, or the mekitsa from Bulgaria. You find mekika at bakeries and places for pastry.
Burek
Burek may be originally from Turkish cuisine and popular in Serbia. It’s a tasty pie made with meat on cheese, somewhat crispy; and it can be made of vegetables, too. Usually, locals eat burek with yogurt. A famous pekara to eat burek in Belgrade is Bobe (located at Dubrovačka 24), by coincidence the first place where I stopped to eat after my first walk around the city, unaware of its historical importance and their fame for making the best burek in the Serbian capital.
Sarma
Popular all over Eastern Europe, sarma is another dish to try if you’re visiting Serbia as your first destination in the Balkans. It’s prepared rolling filling of grains like rice and/or minced meat with cabbage, vine, or with chard leaves; and can be sauced using ribs, tomato sauce, and other ingredients. In Serbia, people eat sarma on daily basis and on national holidays.
Karadjordje Steak
Karadjordje Steak (in Serbian Karađorđe šnicla) is a deep-fried pork roll, or rolled veal, usually stuffed with kaymak cheese and ham, served at restaurants with tartar sauce and roasted potatoes. As you cut the meat, you see a fatty melted cream escaping, and the name Karadjordje is associated with the leader of Serbia’s independence in the early 19th century. For travelers who have been in Ukraine, this dish somewhat remembers the Chicken Kiev.
Kobasice Sausages
The Kobasice sausages are also popular in Serbia, eaten like a hotdog, with the roasting sausages smoking the bread on the grill during preparation. The sausages can be made of chicken, beef, pork, or pork and beef; normally filling in pork intestines and flavored with paprika, garlic, black pepper, and other spices. A place to go in Belgrade to eat kobasice sausages is Skadarlijske Kobasice (located at Skadarska 6).
Shopska Salata
Shopska Salata, which I have seen in Bulgaria, is also present in Serbia as one of the option for the vegetarians. It’s normally prepared with cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, sunflower oil, sliced olives, cheese, and other fresh ingredients.
Snacks in Serbia
There is a long list of popular snacks in Serbia and I recommend trying the cookie Plazma and the Eurocream, which you find in every supermarket and grocery shop. Plazma is maybe the most popular snack in Serbia, and Eurocrem is a kind of Nutella, cheaper but not bad to put on the bread.
Serbian Drinks
Once you’re in the Balkans, there’s no chance to run away from alcoholic drinks, and it’s no different in Serbia. Rakija is the most typical spirit from the region, and you find a large variety of beers and Montenegrin wines. When meeting locals in the Balkans, it’s taken as offense refusing alcohol.
Rakija
Rakija (pronounced as “ra-kee-ya”) is a fermented fruit liquor, clear as water, normally around 40% of alcohol. It can be made out of any fruit such as plum, grape, apricot, peach, etc. and many Serbians make rakija at home, keeping it in mineral water plastic bottles. For those who don’t handle strong drinks, honey-flavored rakija is a drinkable option, and tasty. When drinking rakija, always look at the other persons’ eyes and say “jiveli”, or you will stay seven years without having sex as a punishment.
Beers in Serbia
In Serbia, you find beers everywhere, at supermarkets, grocery shops, kiosks, and at the fast-food pekaras. One thing that drew my attention during my time there was beer in 1,5l and 2L the plastic bottle, cheaper but with the same quality as the glass bottles. The brand Jelen is popular all over the country, and other regions have their local brands, such as Valjevsko in the city of Valjevo, for example. Foreign brands such as Efes, Carlsberg, Tuborg, Heineken, and others are available.
Originally posted 2020-10-30 04:18:31.
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