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Category Archives: Serbian food

Experience Serbian Food In Belgrade, Oh No! Milwaukee

Just yesterday, we were pointing out how some Americans and Canadians were enjoying Serbian food… in Serbia. Apparently, you don’t need a trans-Atlantic flight to discover Serbian cuisine. Two hungry graduate students from Chicago managed to find Three Brothers restaurant in Milwaukee, and what greeted them was wonderful hospitality and some of the world’s finest Serbian food.

We ordered the cheese burek, which arrived piping hot with loads of feta and spinach sandwiched between layers of buttery phyllo dough. Between the two of us we barely ate 1/2 of the burek, which meant we had quite a lovely lunch for the next day. We think it’s garnered its glowing reputation with reason. Though it was hard to get to, making the trek to Three Brothers was definitely worth it for some delicious Serbian food in a friendly family atmosphere. We can understand why it’s been a Milwaukee institution for all these years.

Oh, one other thing? Three Brothers restaurant does not accept credit cards. But apparently if you don’t have enough money they would take your address, send you the bill, and you could send them a check. Not a bad idea after all!

Oh Look, Vegetarians Can Enjoy Serbian Food… And Meat

It never ceases to amaze me the number of vegetarians who like Serbian food. Back in October, we wrote about how Anna, a vegetarian, had one of the greatest, if not the best meal of her life in a Serbian restaurant. The latest example comes from Alex Waber, a Canadian photographer, who is visiting Serbia. And what do a Canadian vegetarian eat when he is exploring Serbia? You guessed it… Meat:

The past couple days have been full of late nights, strong drink, loud music, very fun people and strong drinks. And Meat. Hooo hooo. I’m Vegetarian? Though I’m sure I could survive that way it’d be a challenge that I don’t need in life. Instead the other day was Meat day when I woke up to Burreck (spelled Phoenetically in my own Serbian way (as in not spelled right)) which is Filo wrapped ground beef. Delicious. Later I had a burger type thing… Big meat patty with Cabbage, the Serbian Cream Cheese like cheese (same consistence as cream cheese but way more flavour) and some other stuff in a Pita like bun. Delicious. Washed down with Wine in a cave and then burned off with Dancing at Grad. Awww yeah. Yesterday I had Hot Chocolate that was SO thick it blew my mind. I’m also knocking back Turkish Coffee like never before. And of course roasted pickled red pepper. Its grown on me. I like Serbian Food.

It seems that if you are a vegetarian, Serbia is the right place for you!

Rakija – Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Rakija

Earlier this year, we wrote about aLLeYNe & tEMuS, a hip hop black group from Toronto. Christopher Rudder ”Alleyne” (pronounced ahhh-lean) had a great time in Belgrade. “Belgrade is very beautiful and was an awesome entry into Europe as a first time going. I can’t wait to come back (Next year). The people are amazing!!! The food is amazing!!! (Especially Lamb, the best in the world). Alleyne’s video of Belgrade was amazing. Now, there is another one. It’s all about Rakija. “Rakija” This type of vodka will lower your fever, put hair on your chest and power your car if there isn’t a gas station nearby. LOL.”

A Vegetarian Had The Best Meal Of Her Life… In Serbia!

Let’s see…. you’re a vegetarian and you are traveling to see family in Serbia. Do you (a) eat only a lot of Serbian bread or (b) you don’t want people to go out of the way for you, and you’re eating meat while you are in Serbia. Apparently, Anna, an American woman (NE), went with option (b) and then had one of the greatest, if not the best meal of her life.

At this point, it’s worth taking a step back, and understanding why it occurs. First, Anna had concerns about eating in Serbia.

“Eating in Serbia is going to be interesting. As you know, I’m a vegetarian and don’t eat much dairy. Serbians don’t have the same eating habits. We were welcomed yesterday afternoon by cousin with a very nice lunch. There were a few salads to enjoy and there was also a LOT of meat. They served grass fed pork, lamb,and prischutto from a small island off the coast of Croatia. I did try the prischutto but couldn’t bring myself to eat the other meat.”

A few days later, Anna went on to say that Serbian food was out of this world!

“The food is out of this world. Even though there is meat, there isn’t much else…as in additives or manufactured food. They visit the markets everyday and prepare what is available. Lots of fresh salads, soups, fruit, and everyday we eat a new kind of bread that was baked in the downstairs bakery. So different from my way of eating back home.”

And then, she ate a bite of meat “The Serbians that I am spending time with are having a hard time wrapping their heads around me and my vegetarianism. Of course, I’m eating meat while I am here, but it’s the last and smallest portion that I add to my plate.” And… then at the end, Anna Went to dinner at a famous restaurant in Belgrade called ? and had one of the greatest, if not the best meal of her life.

“I went out with my baka, Boshko and Ana to a restaurant last night named, It Is What It Is(translated). What it was, was fantastic. I think I had one of the greatest, if not the best meal of my life… here was so much food. Fresh bread, spinach pita, salad with a cheese that melted in your mouth and soup. Then the main course came out, it was lamb and potatoes and it had been cooking all day long on hot coals. I haven’t had lamb in about 6 years and it tasted even better than I remembered. (Don’t think that I’ll be eating all this meat when I come home. I plan on going back to my vegetarian ways).”

British Woman Says Belgrade Cake Best

Another day, another story of a tourist discovering a city full of surprises – Belgrade. Megan, a British woman, travelling for a whole month in Europe had a negative first impression of Belgrade. “a smelly, grey, depressing, dirty place and I’d better leave asap.” But she needed breakfast and came across Mama’s Biscuit House (known locally as Stelina), and tried some of the most appealing cake. “Never had anything like it before. Some of the best cakes I have ever seen in my life. So colourful, so original and exquisitely decorated without being overly fussy and ridiculous.”

My grandmother always said “if you wander around anywhere in Belgrade for a little bit, you will come across something interesting.” This is so true.

It Looks Like Americans Like Eating Serbian Food

We just wrote about an American, Hocknod, who traveled this summer to Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Bosnia, Italy, and Serbia. He went on to say that the best food can be found in Novi Sad, Serbia. It looks like Americans like eating Serbian food. Now we have another example as well. But, this time it’s more interesting, because the story involves an American women (born, raised, and educated in Bombay, India until she came to the U.S. at the age of 15), Debika Pal who apparently is inspired by good food and fresh ingredients. Debika Pal had a quick trip to Belgrade, Serbia. The key point raised by the link above is that Belgrade has many excellent restaurants. Her first meal was Serbian fast food “The meal was complete with the addition of a good, local Serbian lager called Lav.” She also tried a well known seafood restaurant called Saran (Carp). And her last meal in Belgrade was at Dva Jelena (Two Deer), one of about a dozen traditional Serbian restaurants on Skadarska street.

“I was lucky to have my final dinner with two locals at Dva Jelena, a restaurant in existence since 1832. That was enough to get me to eat there. Musicians played traditional music and were nice enough to smile when I took their picture. Here I ordered a sampler of appetizers, which had my favorite kajmak, some cured meats, corn bread, baked beans, feta cheese, and meat cooked in phyllo dough. I was in heaven! … My last meal is Serbia was fantastic, and left me excited to return.”

It seems that the American, Debika Pal, really enjoyed eating Serbian food, and her too brief time in Belgrade.

American Tourist Says Serbian Women & Food Best

In September, we wrote how an American called Hocknod was having a good time in Belgrade, enjoying Serbian food and Belgrade’s atmosphere. And here we go again… Hocknod has delivered his last blog post from his epic travels around Europe. In fact, Hocknod has just listed the best, worst and in between things about Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Serbia, Hungary, Bosnia, and Italy. The final scorecard is so good that I ended up including the whole thing, because it’s too good not to read — but check out Hocnod’s site directly.

Best women: Serbia/Greece
Best people: Belgrade, Serbia (totally biased but whatever)
Coolest travelers met: backpackers in Copenhagen/on trains to, from Belgrade
Best food: Novi Sad, Serbia
Worst food: Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark
Most beautiful city: Venice, Italy
Most beautiful non-city: Republic of Srpskom, Bosnia and Herzogovenia (or wherever the hell I really was)
Best beaches: Greece
Most interesting (recent) history: Hungary/Serbia
Best bang for your buck: Belgrade/Budapest
Worst bang for your buck: Copenhagen, Denmark
Coolest historical site: underground castle labyrinth, Budapest/Pompeii
Most English Spoken: Sweden/Denmark
Least English Spoken: Italy
Currency that was most difficult to calculate: Serbian Dinar (66 dinars to 1 USD? seriously?)
Weakest currency: Hungarian Forint, the HUF (1000 HUF = $5)
Most embarrassing moment that nobody saw: drying my clothes with the stove in Venice
Backpackers’ dream: Budapest (cheap, plethora of places to stay, easy to meet other travelers, high backpacker-to-tourist ratio)
Backpackers’ nightmare: Venice (very expensive, extremely difficult to navigate, shortage of younger visitors, very high tourist-to-backpacker ratio)
Most nazi-ish country about their internet: Italy (charge €6/hour for access at internet cafés, require passports and an Italian cell phone for hotspot usage)
Most terrifying place to cross the street: Naples, Italy (definitely saw a pedestrian get struck crossing the street)

Enjoying Serbian Cuisine In Belgrade – Skadarlija

Over the summer, we wrote about Fabian McKenzie, an assistant with the Canadian development women’s basketball team, having an amazing meal in a restaurant in Skadarlija (Belgrade’s Bohemian quarter). “What an amazing meal in an amazing environment.” The latest example of a foreigner enjoying Serbian cuisine comes from Anna, an Australian women, visiting family and friends in Serbia.

“And after a short wander down the street (which I love love love), we sauntered over to ‘Ima Dana’ (’There are Days’), a restaurant serving traditional Serbian cuisine. After some careful deliberation over the menu, I opted for the Pork schnitzel covered in cheese and champignon sauce and a mixed salad. The mixed salad consists of grilled peppers drizzled in garlic sauce, cabbage salad and a selection of cut vegetables. Delicious.”

It’s just another example of a foreigner enjoying Serbian cuisine in Belgrade, and Skadarlija’s amazing atmosphere.

An American In Belgrade

It seems that more and more Americans visiting Serbia are realizing that Serbia is not a black hole, but a vibrant country. The latest example comes from Hocknod, an American travelling this summer across Europe. Hocknod put up a blog post called “Belgrade: je t’aime, errr, volim te.” He had a good time in Belgrade (and Novi Sad), and was sad to leave Serbia. “If it wasn’t 5000 miles away from home (let’s say it was just 500) I might never leave.” Why?

First, Hocknod enjoyed Serbian food “Didn’t expect this, certainly, but all the local fare was excellent. Whether it was a meal at Salaš 137 or just Serbian hors d’oeuvres, the food was excellent all around.”

Second, Hocknod found Belgrade to be an interesting city “Better than I expected. From the stories I was told, I expected to see half-blown up buildings everywhere. While I did see one or two, everything was more or less in tact. As I stated before, it certainly wasn’t as pretty as Scandinavia (and can we stop with the graffiti already? who thinks that’s a good idea??), but there are some hidden gems in the city, and not just Skadarlija.” Oh yes, Skadarlija. He went in Belgrade bohemian quarter for dinner “It’s about this time that I come to the realization that no, Belgrade is not some war-torn ghetto you see in films in the States (they don’t specifically target Serbia, but rather the entire Eastern Bloc). It gets a bad rep being part of former Yugoslavia and being a very poor country, but I like it. It’s not as pretty as Copenhagen or Stockholm certainly, but there are some hidden treasures here; Skardarlija, reminiscent of Montmartre, is an excellent example. So we’re sitting there, and I realize I am in the midst of paradise: it’s about 75F, there is live music and people cheering, beers are flowing and they are cheap (I’ll take a €1.50 Lav over a €6 Carlsberg (Denmark) any day), and the women (at our table, no less!) are stunning.”

Hocknod’s story is just another example of an American who realize that Belgrade is not some war-torn ghetto you see in films in the States, but instead a lively city. Who’s next?

An American Vegetarian In Serbia

Being a vegetarian or a pescetarian (a seafood eating vegetarian) in Serbia is certainly not easy. It doesn’t make you popular at Serbian restaurants, especially in meat-loving Serbia. For example, last year an American student went into a Belgrade restaurant and asked the waiter to point the vegetarian options on the menu. The waiter replied “No meat – no eat”. That said, it seems that it’s pretty easy being vegan in Serbia with a bit of forethought and research.

Simran Sachdev, an American volunteer from New York working for the Women in Black Network in Serbia put up a blog post last week discussing Serbian food and vegetarian options. “Many people have asked what I, being a pescetarian, have been eating in Serbia so I thought I would write about it. The first few days I was here, it was quite difficult to find vegetarian options on the go, especially since I couldn’t comprehend the Serbian signs listing food and was also unable to ask for meatless items in Serbian. But over the past few weeks I have learned how to say “nay meso?” meaning “no meat?” and have found a few good fast food options that I can pick up on the way to work.” Being a vegetarian – or even a pescetarian – in Serbia is not as difficult as it seems!

Then, Simran Sachdev went on to talk about Serbian food noting that Serbian food includes a lot of meat and organic vegetables. “While I haven’t tasted the meat here, I have heard that it is a lot better than ours in America. And I can say from personal experience that the local tomatoes and various fruits and vegetables are full of flavor.” She even posted a little video from the Belgrade Zeleni Venac City Market. “wish I had something similar back home, without it costing an arm and a leg.” Check out the little video right here: