Živa pljeskavica is an appetizer made with ground veal, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, paprika flakes, Vegeta, oil, and chopped onion. The meat and spices are placed on a large plate and mixed with a fork until they form a homogenous mass that is then shaped into a patty. The dish was created at the restaurant Kod Bore in Sedlari near Valjevo in Serbia, and it's a take on a dish eaten by hospitality workers in state-owned restaurants in the former Yugoslavia. Because they were pressed for time, they would typically eat a raw meat patty tucked into a warm lepinja flatbread for lunch. Živa pljeskavica is served with grilled bread or lepinja flatbread and salt and paprika for seasoning and is usually consumed while waiting for one's order of grilled and barbecued meats to arrive.
Čorba od spanaća is a traditional soup originating from Serbia, although nowadays it is quite common throughout the Balkans. The soup is prepared with pork fat, spinach, onions, garlic, flour, water, and milk. In order to prepare it, the spinach is cooked and set aside. The lard is placed in the pot with the onions and garlic, which are then sautéed. Flour is then lightly fried in the pot, followed by milk and spinach, and the concoction is slowly simmered until the soup thickens. When served, čorba od spanaća is usually enriched with the addition of a spoonful of sour cream.
Krvavice are blood sausages produced mostly throughout continental Croatia, especially in the regions of Zagorje, Istria, Dalmatia, and Slavonija-Baranja. Apart from Croatia, the sausages are also commonly consumed in Slovenia and Serbia. They're made by cooking pork blood, skin, and offal with rice and either buckwheat, barley, or cornflour, unlike most other European blood sausages that use oats or oatmeal as fillers. However, there are numerous varieties of krvavice and every cook has his own recipe, so the ingredients may vary. The names also vary, and they're also called divenice, devenice, or kulenice. These sausages are traditionally consumed during winter when they are often accompanied by sauerkraut and a combination of boiled potatoes and sautéed onions known as restani krumpir.
Pihtije is a Serbian dish made from cheaper parts of pork such as the head, shank, or hock. The meat is often cooked together with pepper, onion, carrots, and bay leaves until it becomes so tender that it falls off the bone. Together with stock, the meat is placed into bowls which are then left to cool and the dish is ready to congeal. Pihtije is served sliced as an appetizer, accompanied by cold pickled vegetables and a glass of rakija on the side.
The simple and nutritious nudle s mákem is a dish consisting of wide, thin wheat pasta that is doused in copious amounts of melted butter, and then dusted with poppy seeds and sugar. Once considered a rich and luscious meal, today it represents a frugal, but a beloved dish that is enjoyed as a sweet main course or a filling dessert. Even though it is usually associated with the Czech Republic, the exact origin of the dish is still unknown, while similar varieties are found in many Central and Eastern European countries under various names. In Austria, a similar dish is known as mohnnudeln, prepared with thick and short potato noodles, while the Serbian version from Vojvodina is called rezanci s makom.
This Serbian delicacy is prepared in a time-consuming process that includes slowly frying pork rinds until the fat is completely extracted. Common additions include pork offal such as lungs, liver, intestines, and parts of the head that are cooked, finely chopped, and added to the frying mixture. When the fat completely melts and the ingredients are combined, the mixture is drained and stored. Traditionally prepared during colder seasons, kavurma or sprža is usually associated with the southern parts of Serbia, namely the city of Leskovac. The dish is typically served as a cold appetizer, accompanied by bread and various pickled vegetables.
Škembe čorba is a traditional soup made with a combination of tripe (usually pork or beef), onions, garlic, tomato sauce, bacon, and additional seasonings such as red pepper, black pepper, parsley, and bay leaves. The preparation process is notoriously long: tripe is first cooked separately for at least four hours, cut into thin strips, and then cooked again with the rest of the ingredients. Škembe čorba is typically served with vinegar, sour cream, and warm bread on the side. It also pairs well with seasonal salads. Due to the long preparation process and the strong aromas of tripe, this dish is nowadays mostly found on the menus of traditional restaurants.
Srpska salata (lit. Serbian salad) is essentially a variation on the famous Bulgarian shopska salad. Shopska salad is made with tomatoes, cucumbers, raw or roasted peppers, onions, and salty cheese. Srpska salata is almost exactly the same, but it omits the cheese from the combination. The vegetables are mixed together, then seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with oil and vinegar before consumption. This salad is especially popular in summer due to its refreshing flavors.
Popara, the Balkan version of bread mash, is an ancient dish that has been greatly appreciated as a quick and easy solution to use up leftover bread and to feed the whole family in the process. Since it is eaten in many countries across the region, there are many different ways of its preparation. The two crucial ingredients are bread, diced or torn into smaller pieces, and liquid, usually milk, water, or tea, that is used to blend the bread into a soft mass. The liquid is typically mixed with butter, vegetable oil, or lard to provide a more substantial meal. The bread can be shortly fried in the combination of liquid and fat, and in some versions, the heated mix is poured over the bread and stirred until it is thoroughly blended. Depending on tradition and preference, popara can be completely homogenous and creamy or it can have a coarse consistency filled with chewy bread pieces. Since plain popara is mild and neutral in taste, it can be prepared in both savory and sweet versions. Additional ingredients that are commonly used to uplift this nutritious meal include onions, garlic, full-fat cream, fresh cottage cheese, ground red pepper, or sugar in the sweet popara. It is hard to pinpoint the exact place where this simple and filling dish originated, but it is believed that it was invented out of necessity, during severe hardships, when many ingredients were scarce or hard to obtain. Today, popara remains a popular breakfast meal in many Balkan countries and regions.
Makowiec is the Polish name for poppy seed roll, a traditional cake where poppy seed paste is placed between layers of dough. Raisins, almonds, honey, and orange peel can be added to the cake in order to enhance its flavors. Ideally, makowiec should not be too sweet. It is characterized by its unique appearance when cut, with the dough and the poppy seed filling winding around each other in a spiral. When served, makowiec is usually dusted with powdered sugar. The cake is often consumed alongside tea or coffee, and it is typically prepared for festivities such as Christmas or other winter holidays. Although it can be found in stores throughout the year, making makowiec is a holiday family tradition. Makowiec can also be found throughout Central Europe, in countries such as Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, and Serbia.
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