Local Dishes

1. Ћевапи

   Će-va-pi

   Grilled minced-meat rolls

   Usage

   Minced beef, usually with lamb, shaped into small rolls and grilled over charcoal. The standard service is inside a lepinja flatbread with raw onion and kajmak. ⚠ You order them by the piece — five or ten is the usual unit

   Grammar Note

   A plural; the singular is "ćevap". Menus also print "ćevapčići", the plural of the diminutive "ćevapčić" — the same dish either way

2. Пљескавица

   Pljes-ka-vi-ca

   Large grilled minced-meat patty

   Usage

   Minced meat mixed with chopped onion, chilli and pepper, flattened to the size of a palm and grilled over charcoal. Served on a plate with raw onion or kajmak, or as street food inside a somun/lepinja flatbread

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; plural "pljeskavice". ⚠ The "lj" is the single Cyrillic letter љ (U+0459), not л + ј

3. Ражњићи

   Raž-nji-ći

   Grilled meat skewers

   Usage

   Cubes of meat threaded on a "ražanj" (skewer) and grilled over charcoal. "Pileći ražnjići" means the chicken version. They are almost always part of a "mešano meso" mixed grill too

   Grammar Note

   A plural; the singular "ražnjić" is the diminutive of "ražanj", a spit or skewer

4. Мућкалица

   Muć-ka-li-ca

   Grilled meat stewed with peppers and onion

   Usage

   Pork (lamb in some regions) is grilled first, cut into large cubes, then simmered with fried onion, peppers, tomato and garlic until the vegetables collapse into a thick sauce. ⚠ Some versions use "ljuta paprika" (hot chilli) — ask if you want it mild

   Grammar Note

   Feminine, from the verb "mućkati" (to shake or stir together)

5. Карађорђева шницла

   Ka-ra-đor-đe-va šnic-la

   Breaded schnitzel rolled around kajmak

   Usage

   A thin slice of pork or veal (sometimes chicken) rolled around kajmak, breaded in flour, egg and crumbs, then fried. Served with tartare sauce or mayonnaise, a lemon slice and chips. Created in a Belgrade restaurant in 1956, so it is a relatively recent dish. ⚠ The portion is very large

   Grammar Note

   The adjective "karađorđeva" agrees with the feminine noun "šnicla" (from German "Schnitzel"), which is why it carries the feminine ending

6. Сарма

   Sar-ma

   Cabbage rolls with minced meat and rice

   Usage

   Minced meat and rice wrapped in soured cabbage leaves and simmered for hours; some regions use vine leaves instead. A fixture of celebration tables, with a meat-free version — rice fried in onion — made during the fasting periods (post)

   Grammar Note

   Feminine; plural "sarme". Menus also use "sarmice", the plural of the diminutive. From the Turkish verb "sarmak" (to wrap)

7. Свадбарски купус

   Svad-bar-ski ku-pus

   Sauerkraut slow-baked with meat

   Usage

   Soured cabbage layered with pork, beef or lamb and cooked for hours in an earthenware pot with fat, onion, paprika, bay leaf and pepper. The name comes from weddings ("svadba"), and the dish belongs to the Šumadija region. ⚠ It takes hours to make, so few places serve it

   Grammar Note

   The masculine adjective "svadbarski" agrees with the masculine noun "kupus"

8. Подварак

   Pod-va-rak

   Braised sauerkraut served with roast meat

   Usage

   Shredded soured cabbage braised with onion, ground paprika and pepper (sometimes bay leaf, garlic or wine). ⚠ It is a side, not a main — it comes with roast turkey, pork or sausages, and ordering it alone gets you no meat

   Grammar Note

   Masculine

9. Ђувеч

   Đu-več

   Meat and vegetables baked in an earthenware pot

   Usage

   Meat (chicken, pork, lamb, beef, sometimes fish) stewed together with onion, tomato, pepper, courgette, aubergine, potato and carrot. ⚠ The dish and the pot share a name — Turkish "güveç" means "earthen pot"

   Grammar Note

   Masculine. ⚠ The letter ђ (U+0452) is a single character, not д + ј

10. Пасуљ

    Pa-sulj

    Bean stew, served as a thick soup

    Usage

    A thick bean soup, printed on menus as "čorba od pasulja" too. ⚠ It normally contains smoked meat (suvo meso) — say "bez mesa" (without meat) if you need it meat-free

    Grammar Note

    Masculine; genitive "pasulja". ⚠ It ends in љ (U+0459), not л

11. Рибља чорба

    Rib-lja čor-ba

    Thick freshwater fish soup

    Usage

    The signature dish of the fish restaurants along the Danube, Sava and Tisa, counted a delicacy alongside lamb čorba. The soup is thick and reddened with paprika. ⚠ "Čorba" means a thick soup with solids in it — a clear soup is "supa", a different word

    Grammar Note

    The feminine adjective "riblja" agrees with the feminine noun "čorba"

12. Пуњене паприке

    Pu-nje-ne pa-pri-ke

    Peppers stuffed with minced meat and rice

    Usage

    Peppers filled with the same minced meat and rice as sarma and then simmered — the difference is the wrapper, a pepper instead of a leaf. "Punjene tikvice" is the courgette version of the same idea

    Grammar Note

    The participle "punjen" takes the feminine plural ending to agree with "paprike"

13. Гибаница

    Gi-ba-ni-ca

    Layered filo pie with white cheese

    Usage

    Sheets of thin pastry (kore) layered with white cow's cheese, eggs and oil, then baked. Eaten hot or cold. Variants swap the cheese for meat, potato or spinach

    Grammar Note

    Feminine; plural "gibanice"

14. Бурек

    Bu-rek

    Coiled filo pastry pie

    Usage

    Thin pastry filled with cheese (sir), minced meat (meso), spinach (spanać) or fruit and baked. ⚠ It is rich, so it is normally eaten with yoghurt. The round form is said to have taken shape in Niš. From Turkish "börek"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine. Name the filling with "sa" plus the instrumental: "burek sa sirom" (burek with cheese)

15. Проја

    Pro-ja

    Cornbread

    Usage

    A plain bread of coarse cornmeal mixed with salted boiling water and fat; richer versions add cheese, egg, wheat flour or sour cream. Served at breakfast and alongside beans and soups. Also called "moruznica" or "proha"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine; plural "proje"

16. Качамак

    Ka-ča-mak

    Cornmeal porridge (polenta)

    Usage

    Cornmeal — traditionally white — boiled with water and salt. It never comes alone: cheese, soured milk, fried bacon, cracklings, paprika oil or roast meat go with it. A sweet version is served with sugar or honey

    Grammar Note

    Masculine, from Turkish "kaçamak"

17. Пихтије

    Pih-ti-je

    Meat aspic

    Usage

    A savoury jelly set from pork, lamb or chicken stock, with meat, vegetables and egg suspended in it. It appears on Christmas, Easter and New Year tables. ⚠ It is served cold and never warmed

    Grammar Note

    Used as a plural noun; menus sometimes gloss it with the word "aspik"

18. Чварци

    Čvar-ci

    Pork cracklings

    Usage

    Small pieces of pork fat and meat rendered in a cauldron, drained of the melted fat and left crisp and dry. Eaten on their own as a snack or alongside kačamak. ⚠ Salty and very rich — meant to be eaten a little at a time

    Grammar Note

    Used in the plural; the singular is "čvarak"

19. Ајвар

    Aj-var

    Roasted red pepper relish

    Usage

    Roasted, peeled red peppers cooked down into a preserve, sometimes with aubergine added. Used as a bread spread and as a side to meat, served cold or warm. ⚠ There is a mild ("blag") and a hot ("ljut") version — worth asking. It is made all over the Balkans and every household and shop has its own recipe

    Grammar Note

    Masculine; "hajvar" is a variant spelling

20. Урнебес

    Ur-ne-bes

    Spicy white-cheese and chilli spread

    Usage

    A cold side from southern Serbia: white cheese mashed with chilli, ground paprika and salt (sometimes garlic), the paprika giving it its reddish colour. ⚠ It is hot, and how hot depends on the chilli used. Served with grilled meat; menus usually print it as "urnebes salata"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine

21. Шопска салата

    Šop-ska sa-la-ta

    Tomato and cucumber salad under grated white cheese

    Usage

    Diced tomato, cucumber, pepper and red onion with parsley and salt, dressed with oil and lemon juice or vinegar, then buried under a thick layer of salty white cheese. A fixture on menus across south-eastern Europe. ⚠ The cheese is generous and salty — easy to share

    Grammar Note

    The feminine adjective "šopska" agrees with the feminine noun "salata"

22. Туршија

    Tur-ši-ja

    Pickled vegetables

    Usage

    Peppers (turšijare), cucumbers, green tomatoes, carrots and cauliflower pickled with aromatic herbs. Served as a starter or meze, and as a side to meat. A winter staple

    Grammar Note

    Feminine, from Turkish "turşu"

23. Кајмак

    Kaj-mak

    Clotted, lightly soured milk cream

    Usage

    The fat layer skimmed from boiled and cooled milk, then left to ferment for hours or days. Slightly sour, with a distinctive aroma. Made from cow, sheep, goat or buffalo milk. Served cold with ćevapi and pljeskavica, on meze platters and on pancakes. ⚠ It is neither butter nor cream cheese

    Grammar Note

    Masculine; also called "skorup"

24. Лепиња

    Le-pi-nja

    Round flatbread

    Usage

    A thin round bread, split open to hold ćevapi or pljeskavica and soak up the meat juices and kajmak. Also known as "somun"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine; plural "lepinje"

25. Слатко

    Slat-ko

    Whole-fruit preserve offered to guests

    Usage

    Whole fruit — wild strawberry, plum, quince, sour cherry, fig, blueberry, blackberry — simmered in thick sugar syrup so the fruit stays recognisable. ⚠ It is a hospitality ritual: it arrives in a small bowl with a glass of water, you take one spoonful and follow it with a sip, and a second helping takes a fresh spoon

    Grammar Note

    A neuter noun formed from the neuter of the adjective "sladak" (sweet)

26. Тулумбе

    Tu-lum-be

    Fried dough soaked in syrup

    Usage

    Dough piped through a star-shaped nozzle, fried in oil, then steeped in sweet syrup (šerbet) as it cools, so the outside stays crisp and the inside soft. ⚠ Extremely sweet. Sold by the piece in a poslastičarnica

    Grammar Note

    Used in the plural; the singular is "tulumba"

27. Сутлијаш

    Sut-li-jaš

    Rice pudding

    Usage

    Rice simmered slowly in milk with sugar, flavoured with cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, lemon zest or fruit. Also written "sutlija". From Turkish "sütlaç"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine

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