-Montenegrin CUISINE –
What is the typical Montenegrin cuisine?
Montenegrin cuisine is a part of the Mediterranean diet. The cuisine is influenced by the Italian and Turkish food, with many dishes being close to those in neighboring Croatia. Montenegrin cuisine has similarities to other Balkan cuisines, but it also has its own specialties like ćevapčići (small skinless sausages), proja (bread made from cornmeal or wheat flour), kajmak (a dairy product similar to clotted cream) and baklava. The most popular dish in Montenegro is ćevapi, which are small skinless sausages made from minced beef or lamb combined with spices and served with onions, sour cream and kajmak on top. They are usually served as an appetizer for drinks before dinner or lunch .Montenegrin cuisine is very similar to that of neighboring Croatia. Dishes such as burek, žlikrofi (a type of pastry), ćevapi, kajmak and peršun (a type of sausage) are shared between the two countries.
Traditional meat dishes of Montenegro
Montenegrin cuisine is based mainly on mutton. However, we will also meet there beef or pork. Most often they are mixed together in dishes. It is a bit more difficult to find a dish with only beef or pork.
Among the most popular dishes of Montenegrin cuisine are:
Cevapcici – simply put, these are minced cutlets made from a mixture of pork and beef. However, this dish is not shaped like balls as in Poland, but like oblong sticks. This dish is prepared on the grill and served accompanied by sauces and pita breads. Cevapcici are the equivalent of a dish present in Albanian cuisine called qofte.
Pljeskavica – is a dish also made from a mixture of pork and beef. However, in this case the cutlets are formed like for a burger. As with cevapcici, these cutlets are grilled. Pljeskavica is a savory dish and in the traditional version is served with sheep’s cheese and pita bread. In the more modern version, pljeskavica is accompanied by fries.
Popeci na podgoricki nacin – is a meat roulade, where the role of filling is ham and cheese.
Raznijci – is the equivalent of shashliks. However, they are not grilled, but prepared on a spit.
Dzigerica – this is another grilled meat dish. However, we can meet that it is even baked in hot ash. Dzigerica is grilled liver mixed with lamb meat.
Punjene paprike – this is a dish similar to Polish stuffed cabbage rolls. The filling is a mixture of minced meat and rice. However, instead of cabbage, paprika is used. This dish is served with tomato sauce.
Njeguski prsut – is not so much a dish as a delicacy. Prsut is dried and then properly smoked pork ham. The entire process of making this delicacy similar to Italian Parma ham takes a long time. Indeed, the drying of the meat itself takes up to 8 months.
