Montenegrin cuisine

Foods from Montenegro

Montenegrin cuisine is a result of Montenegro's geographic position and its long history.

Review

The traditional dishes of Montenegro's heartland, and its Adriatic coast have a distinctively Italian flavour which shows in the bread-making style, the way meat is cured and dried, cheese-making, wine, and spirits, the soup and stew (čorba) making style, polenta, stuffed peppers, meatballs, priganice (fritters), raštan, etc.

The second large influence came from the Levant and Turkey, largely via Serbia: sarma, musaka, pilav, pita, gibanica, burek, ćevapi, kebab, đuveč, and Turkish sweets like baklava and tulumba, etc.

Hungarian dishes include goulash and sataraš, which are also very common.

Last but not least, Croatian cuisine made its mark mostly in the desserts department. Crêpes, doughnuts, jams, myriad types of biscuits and cakes, all make a contribution to the average Montenegrin's waist-line. Vienna-style bread is the most prevalent type of bread in the shops.

Montenegrin cuisine also varies geographically; the cuisine in the coastal area differs from the one in the northern highland region. The coastal area is traditionally a representative of Mediterranean cuisine, with seafood being a common dish.

Common dishes

Bread

Homemade-style bread prepared in Montenegro is closest to what is known in Italy as Pane di Casa. It is served with every meal.

• Ječmeni (Barley bread)
• Ražani (Rye bread)
• Pšenični (Wheat bread)
• Rumetinov (Corn bread)

Breakfast

• Cicvara - stewed cornmeal in Skorup (salted and then compressed fresh cream).
• Gibanica with jogurt or Kisjelo mlijeko (jogurt or buttermilk).
• Popara
• Bread with Skorup

Soups

Montenegrin language distinguishes between a clear soup (supa, pronounced [ˈsupə]), a thick soup or stew (čorba, pronounced [ˈtʃɔrbə]), and a porridge-style dish (kaša, pronounced [ˈkəʃə]). Soups are usually served as the first course of dinner at mid-day:

• Kokošija Supa (Chicken broth)
• Goveđa/Juneća/Teleća Supa (Beef/calf broth)
• Jagnjeća Supa (Lamb broth)

Traditionally, after the broth is made, a handful of rice is added to the pot to make the soup more substantial. Nowadays, pasta took over as the preferred addition.

• Čorba od koprive (Nettle chowder)
• Čorba od koprive sa sirom (Nettle chowder with cheese)
• Čobanska krem supa od vrganja (Shepherd cream soup with mushrooms (boletus))
• Otkos čorba (Otkos (cut hay) chowder)
• Čorba od crnjaka (Black onion chowder)
• Ječmena kaša sa pečurkama (Barley porridge with mushrooms)
• Kaša sa pečurkama (Mushroom porridge)
• Kaša od rezanaca (Noodle porridge)

Main course

• Kuvani Brav (Boiled lamb), akin to the Irish stew.
• Brav u Mlijeku (Lamb cooked in milk), a national dish of Albanians from Montenegro.
• Kačamak (Polenta) - buttered potato and cornmeal in Skorup (fresh salted cream), served with cold milk, buttermilk or jogurt.
• Kuvana Krtola (boiled potato halves), served with cold jogurt, cheese or fresh cream.
• Ukljeva (Smoked and dried bleak)
• Krap : Smoked Fish (Smoked and fresh carp, from Skadar lake (Skadarsko jezero)).
• Pastrva (Fresh water trout)
• Raštan - a slightly bitter, sturdy dark-green vegetable from the cabbage family, similar to Italian cavolo nero, it has been grown in the region for over 2,000 years. It is deliciously cooked into a stew with smoked pork ribs or ham hocks.
• Zelje u kokote na kastradinu - Cooked headed cabbage with smoked and dried mutton.
• Japraci - Dolma made with raštan leaves, served with mashed potato.
• Čorbast Pasulj - Bean stew with smoked ribs and various types of salami and sausages. The style is quite similar to French cassoulet, fabada, and feijoada from the Iberian cuisine.
• Maune (Green bean Stew).
• Grašak (Peas and beef stew).
• Balšića tava - Fried veal with an assortment of vegetables and dairy products.
• Paštrovski makaruli - A type of homemade macaroni with olive oil and cheese from brine.

Seafood dishes

• Lignje (squid)
• Salata od hobotnice (octopus)
• Tunj (tuna)
• Škampi (shrimp)
• Mušle (Common mussels)
• Black risotto (with cuttlefish)
• Prstaci

Salads

The most common salads served in Montenegrin homes:

• Pamidora Salata (Tomato salad) - similar to Bruschetta topping: tomato, onion, olive oil, and rock sea salt.
• Zelena Salata (Green salad) - spring lettuce and spring onion combination, with olive oil, salt, and vinegar dressing.
• Ajvar (Fried or roasted capsicum relish)
• Kisjelo Zelje (sauerkraut)
• Barske masline - "Bar's" homemade olives

Dessert

A piece of seasonal fruit is the most common way to end the meal. The proper sweets are usually served on their own, around tea-time or at any time coffee is served.

• Priganice (Fritters or flat doughnuts) served with honey, cheese, or jam.
• Sundried figs with walnuts and honey.
• Oris na vareniku (rice pudding)
• Slatko od Dunja - quince relish
• Džem od Šljiva - plum jam
• Sok od Šipka (pomegranate syrup) - homemade syrup made from wild pomegranates, that grow just about everywhere in the southern half of Montenegro, can be found in almost every home.

Dairy products

• Kisjelo mlijeko - buttermilk
• Jogurt - yoghurt
• Pavlaka (or Pavlaka) - homemade sour cream
• Maslo - homemade butter

Cheese

• Njeguški sir - special cheese, kept in oil.
• Pljevaljski sir - salted old cheese of cow's milk.
• Skorup - salted cottage cream
  • Durmitorski Skorup - a type of salted old cottage cream from the Durmitor mountain.
  • Pivski Skorup - a type of salted cottage cream from the Piva region.
• Cijeli Sir- whole cheese, made from un-boiled milk.
• Prljo - cheese made from skimmed milk.
• Žetica - cheese made from un-boiled milk.
• Buča - a kind of cheese made from un-boiled milk.

Pita

• Sukača (gužvara) - a pastry or pie made through the process of "crowding".
• Koturača (wheel-like) (exclusively made from domestic wheat)
• Pita izljevuša (Brkanica) - a pastry made by the process of "casting".
• Zeljanica (a pastry made with green herbs)
• Heljdija

Other dishes

Breakfast

• Burek - the most popular fast food in the country.

Main course

• Punjene paprike - stuffed peppers (with various filling)
• Ćufte - meatballs
• Đuveč (cooked vegetables, similar to ratatouille)
• Musaka od Krtola (potato moussaka with minced meat)
• Sarma - sauerkraut rolls filled with minced pork and rice, served with mashed potato.
• Pilav
• Gulaš (stew), served with mashed potato.
• Sataraš (minced and roasted vegetables)
• Risotto
• Roasted meat - most commonly pork or lamb.

Dessert

• Padobranci
• Baklava - Montenegrin version often has raisins and finely chopped walnuts.
• Tulumba, same as churro in shape, soaked in sweet syrup like baklava.
• Krempita, similar to vanilla slice
• Šampita
• Domaca Torta - homemade torte
• Španski Vjetar
• Čupava Kata
• Lenja Pita
• Keks Torta (Biscuit torte)
• Štrudla - Apple strudel
• Palačinke - Crêpe
• Krofne (Doughnuts) served with jam in the middle.

Grill based dishes (Roštilj)

• Affordable fast food:
  • Ćevapi
  • Pljeskavica, served in a local form of hamburger.
  • Ražnjići

Beverages

Non-alcoholic

The most common non-alcoholic drink in Montenegrin homes is the famed pomegranate syrup. Turkish coffee is also almost unavoidable in any but the most brief meeting or a visit.

• Kisjela voda (Mineral water)
• Sok od Drenjina i Drenjinava Voda - Homemade Cornelian Cherry Juice and Syrup
• Turkish coffee
• Espresso
• Sok od Šipka (Pomegranate syrup)
• Sok od Grožđa (Grape syrup)
• Boza
• Mezgra (Beech cream)

See also

• Montenegro

External links

• Traditional Cuisine of Durmitor Mountain in Montenegro.
• Montenegro Food and Drink
• Old Traditional Montenegrin Foods at the Wayback Machine (archived September 27, 2007)
• Montenegro Cuisine