Main courses

You can get all kinds of international cuisine in Serbia’s restaurants. Nevertheless, when we want to eat well, we turn to local cuisine.

Serbian grilled meat dishes have become the symbol of Serbian cuisine, with one of the best known being ćevapčići (minced beef rolled into finger-size pieces on ice, grilled and served with finely-chopped onion).

Mešano meso (mixed grill) combines all the delights from the grill on a single plate: ćevapčići, pljeskavice (beef burgers), uštipci (meatballs stuffed with cheese and smoked ham), kobasice (sausages), krmenadle (pork chops), ražnjići (shish kebab), đevrek (doughnut-shaped meatball with kajmak) and vešalica (strips of smoked meat). As food from the grill is best eaten freshly prepared and still piping hot, the so-called leskovački voz (Leskovac Train) was invented. The number of ‘carriages’ this train has depends solely on the size of your appetite. Once you have eaten two or three ćevapčići, next to arrive is a pljeskavica, and then, before you can raise your ice cold spritzer to propose a toast, steaming hot kobasice are placed on the table. The ‘train’ continues to chug along with the arrival of some home-made lepinja (flatbread). Keep in mind that it is you who dictates when the last ‘carriage’ has passed by!

The Karađorđeva šnicla (Karađorđe steak) is named after Karađorđe, the leader of the First Serbian Uprising against the Turks. A veal steak is stuffed with kajmak, rolled up, and dipped in egg. It is then covered with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. This dish is served with tartar sauce and a glass of quality red wine suits it very well.

Serbs cannot imagine celebrating any important holiday without pečenje na ražnju (spit-roasted meat). But why stop at holidays? Travelling through Serbia, you will notice that restaurants with lambs or pigs revolving on the spit-roast in front of them are an integral part of the landscape. The meat is sold by the kilogram and is eaten with salad, and in winter, with pickled winter salads. With the roast, you can enjoy a glass of red wine.

Teleći šumadijski kotlet (Šumadija veal cutlet) is a cutlet of veal, served with Serbian cheese, tomatoes, bacon, sour cream, potato, rice and hot chilli peppers. We recommend a quality red wine to accompany this dish.

The tradition of preserving meat by smoking is illustrated by the large variety of smoked meats served in restaurants. The best-known is dimljena vešalica (a smoked, grilled strip of pork), served with Serbian Salad as a side-dish. A quality red wine goes great with this meal.

As the cold makes way for spring, winter food is replaced by fresh food. Kapama od jagnjećeg mesa (lamb kapama – a stew) is a favourite springtime meal. Pieces of lamb are sautéed with spring onion and leek, together with young spinach, and then simmered on the stove or, alternatively, cooked in the oven. Natural yogurt is the preferred drink with Lamb Kapama.

Srpski đuveč (a casserole) is prepared with tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, rice, hot chilli peppers, diced pork and onion, which is first fried and then baked in the oven. It is has a piquant and delicious taste. You will be thirsty, so do not forget to order some white wine.

Those of you who prefer milder dishes will not go far wrong with punjene tikvice (stuffed courgettes). Courgettes are stuffed with rice and minced meat (lamb and pork), cooked with tomatoes and herbs, and then served with a helping of natural yogurt. You should order some quality rosé wine to drink with this meal.

Pasulj (Serbian beans) is one of the most popular local dishes and comes prepared in many different ways, such as a broth or a soup, a vegetarian version or an “army” version. Pasulj is cooked with onion, bay leaves, and meat, such as diced bacon or smoked spare-ribs, and thickened with browned flour to finish with. Pasulj is usually served with kobasica (sausage), krmenadla (pork chop) or similar meat. You really should order a salad to eat alongside pasulj – we recommend sweet cabbage or roast peppers in oil, with a sprinkling of garlic. Beer or a white wine spritzer go hand-in-hand with this dish.

Kiseli kupus (pickled cabbage/sauerkraut) is a traditional winter food. However, fresh cabbage is also eaten raw, as a salad, or it is cooked in a variety of ways. One of these is podvarak (stewed cabbage). Chopped sauerkraut and onion are fried, and then fat is added, often with finely chopped pieces of bacon. This is then baked in the oven and served with turkey or roast pork. This dish is a regular guest at the dining table during the winter holidays. A quality red wine should be drunk with this dish.

Svadbarski kupus (Wedding Cabbage) is cooked slowly in a large clay pot for several hours. It is prepared using pickled cabbage, mutton, beef, pork, and smoked meat as well, with generous amounts of onion, pepper, salt and bay leaves. This dish is especially good when accompanied by quality red wine.

Kuvana kolenica (cooked pork hock) is a gourmet dish, cooked together with spices and served with horseradish. This dish cannot be eaten without some white wine or a cold spritzer.

Jagnjeća sarmica (lamb sarma wraps) are made from lamb lung and liver. These are boiled, then chopped with rice, egg, fried onion and spices added. This is then stuffed into lamb caul fat to form small parcels, which are dipped in milk and egg. These parcels are then roasted in the oven. This dish is served with sour cream and we recommend a quality white wine.