A Serbians second home, the kafana

Kafana Albanija in Belgrade, Serbia 1933

The English have pubs, the French their cafes, Italians their ice cream parlours, the Greek Tavernas and we, Serbians, have Kafanas or second homes as we spend more time there than at home. The word Kafana is derived from the Turkish kahvehane (“coffee house”) which is in turn derived from the Persian term qahveh-khaneh and the first kafana in Serbia was opened by the Turks in the part of Belgrade called Dorcol, in 1522, at the start of their 400 year occupation of the Balkans.

Kafanas are a cult for Serbian people and any self-respecting Serb has kafana or two. Maybe three depending on what your average Serbian citizen needs one for at any given time in his social life.In the past a kafana always had red or blue checked tablecloths and tin ashtrays but today many kafanas masquerade as restaurants or cafes or even clubs, but at heart they are simply a kafana. So there is a kafana for a social gathering which includes lots of alcohol interspersed with breaks for tasty food, loud live folk music, with smashed glases on the floor and dancing on the tables.

There are kafanas near the office where all the office games and intrigue take place, always described however as ‘business meetings’.  There are a few kafanas which are always full even though there is never any live music or good food, but which still live on their reputation as a haunt for long-ago heroes or intellectuals who would freely discuss politics during the communist era when there was no reliable information except what could be gleaned in such places – nowadays people still go there to be seen and to gossip. And there is a new breed of family kafanas where there is no live music only a kids’ garden in the back, and very good food!

You know you have succeeded in life if the waiter of your kafana knows you by name, your favourite table has a reserved sign on it just for you and when you get your favourite drink served before you even take your jacket off. If you are well known and short of money you can drink and eat free and pay when you get money.  You waiter is your best friend and confidant as he knows where you are and never tells anybody. Not even your other half.

Skadarlija, Belgrade, Serbia

If you are coming to Belgrade you must explore a bohemian part of town called Skadarlija where live music and good food last until the early hours. The most famous kafana here is Tri Sesira (the three hats) but there are many others, such as the Dva Jelena ( Two stags ), Ima Dana and the famous Znak Pitanja (the question mark, the kafana with no name). This is in an old traditional house, typically Serbian, very rustic, with laid-back service and good food.

A small tip for foreigners going to a kafana with Serbians – your host will never allow you to pay for dinner or drinks, so don’t even try to pay. Just raise your glass, look at your host and shout cheers – ZIVELI!!!!! 

For more information about Serbia and private dat trips in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or check our website at http://www.readyclickandgo.com/

How to make Serbia's favourite dish - Sarma?

In one of my previous post I explained how to make a sauerkraut in order to make a Serbian favorite dish - Sarma. Today you will find a recipe how to make her Highness of winter dishes - sarma. If you need any help or explanation please email me at Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com  

You need the following ingredients:

5 large leaves of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 pound minced pork or beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of ground paprika

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup of uncooked rice, rinsed

3 slices of smoked bacon

1/2 pint of tomato sauce 

6 tablespoons of cooking oil

4 tablespoons of flour

Gently fry in some oil the minced pork or beef, adding the salt, ground paprika, eggs and rice, and stir. Once it's browned, place a large spoonful of the mixture into each of the sauerkraut leaves, wrap them into rolls tucking the ends of the leaves in, and place in a cooking pot. My mum usually covers the bottom of the pot with cabbage leaves first, to prevent the sarma burning and disintigrating. Once all the stuffed leaves are placed neatly, cover them with a mixture of the smoked ham which we usually cut into small pieces fried with the tomato sauce for a juicy taste. Put any remaining cabbage over the sarma and add enough warm water to cover the rolls. Bring it to boil and then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 2 hours, adding a paste of oil and flour to thicken the sauce if necessary half way through.

  

Sarma freezes well and can be served hot or cold.

Enjoy.

For more information about Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or visit our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com

The National Dish of Serbia - Sarma

If you want to eat healthy wholesome meat dishes, the best time to visit Serbia is the winter – the amount of tempting homemade food makes you fat just by looking at it!

One of the most popular winter dishes is stuffed cabbage leaves and I am sure you

Zemun food market and that the best cabbage is found at Bajlonova market.I do accompany my mother on occasional trips and get dazzled by the neat displays of bright colours, and get carried away and buy a bit of everything which really annoys my mum - she buys food not for the colour but for what she is cooking that day.

Choosing the right cabbages is an art in itself. They must be round, firm, with big healthy leaves, which can peel away easily – check that by pulling off one of the outside leaves, and if it breaks, it means the cabbage won't work for wrapping around the meat. At home cut out the core of the cabbages and fill the cavities

with salt. Yes, salt. Then you lay the salt-filled cabbages neatly in a wooden barrel (which gives a much better taste than if you use a plastic bucket), filling the spaces between them with cabbage quarters, and put it somewhere cold like the cellar. Fill the barrel with water almost to the top, bearing in mind that the volume of the cabbages will shrink, then put a heavy object on the top to press the cabbages. My mum uses a 'house rock' she brought back from the mountain near Arandjelovac during one of our weekend trips when we were kids and she has only ever used it in the preparation of cabbage – it is her domestic treasure!

Leave the cabbages to soak and press in the wooden barrel for a week, keeping the rock clean and cleaning the foam that gathers on the top of the water every day. Top up the water level and add more salt – generally, use 2kg of salt for every 30kg of cabbage! After a week of this, your cabbage leaves will be ready to stuff – the recipe will be in my next blog!

For more information check our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com or email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com