Serbian national cuisine

Cold and Warm Appetizer

Proja (Cornbread) is traditional Serbian cold appetizer. Today there are many different kinds of proja. Cheese or ham are added, but traditionally proja is bread made of corn flour. It is served with cheese or kajmak (creamy dairy product similar to clotted cream).

Meat specialties that are usually served with proja or pogača (similar to johnnycake)  alongside with cheese and kajmak are ham, sausage, pečenica and smoked bacon, all with boiled eggs, peppers and pickled cucumbers can be part of Serbian table. All that called in one name is traditional “srpska zakuska” or “meze”.

Čvarci - variant of pork rinds or pork “crisps” with a fat thermally extracted from the lard.

Pihtije - traditional winter appetizer generally made from low grade pork meat. It is cooked in water with spices and garlic. It looks like jelly.

Prebranac is special kind of bigger beans, mixed with garlic and spices (pepper, salt, paprika powder). Prebranac is served cold as part of appetizers.

Warm appetizers are also common at Serbian table. Pies with cheese, meat and various vegetables are well known, they are called ’’gibanica’’ - serbian pie made of crust, eggs, cheese and kajmak, and “zeljanica” - with added finely sliced spinach or greens.

Specialties of South Serbia is interesting - paprika filled with cheese. It is made in two ways - fresh and breaded. The most delicious are red paprika with plenty of cheese and kajmak baked in oven.

Zucchini, eggplant and cauliflower are generally made in breading process.

Different salads and vegetable cakes are served as appetizers also.