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Danubius Enterprises Ltd
378 Gorgie Road
Edinburgh EH11 2RQ
United Kingdom
ph: 0131 337 9377
alt: 0785 232 5494
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Serbian History
Serbia has long been a place of importance on the trade route between Europe and Asia, and because of its significance, has had an unsettled past.
Like much of Europe, Serbia was settled in the 3rd century BC by the Celts, but was later conquered by the Romans and became part of their military frontier.
Belgrade's Kalemegdan Fortress gives us an insight into Serbia's story. A Celtic tribe called the Scordisci first started building defences where the Danube and the Sava rivers meet. After the Romans took over the Fortress, it became a part of their military frontier between east and west. The name Kalemegdan is very fitting as it derives from the Arabic and Turkish languages and signifies the 'Fortress amidst battlefields'. Today it is a majour tourist attraction.
From the Roman times on, there was much conflict. Here are some of the most significant events in Serbian history:
11th Century - The first Serb Princes were recorded . Over the next three centuries medieval Serbia flourished as new trade routes opened up.
15th Century - Serbia fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
19th Century - Serbia gained independence and by 1903 had developed a democratic constitution
Modern history
assassination of Heir-Apparent to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was used as a pretext for Austria to invade Serbia and this marked the beginning of the First World War.
At the end of the First World War, Montenegro voted for union with the Serb and along with other Slav regions formed a key part of the new State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs which became Yugoslavia in 1929.
After organising a spirited opposition to German occupation in the Second World War, Serbia became a Socialist Republic and the country was transformed from an agricultural to an industrial society.
The various Yugoslav states broke down in 1991/2 and Serbia became Serbia Montenegro. The year 2006 saw Serbia and Montenegro separating and becoming separate nation states.
Serbian Cuisine
Its hard to say which dish can be called typical Serbian. Serbian national cuisine is a basicaly a mixture of various meals from surrounding countries, only Serbs add more meat to it, and call it their own. Here are some typical Serbian specialties that can come before you in a plate when you go to a national restaurant in Belgrade.
photo by Rain RannuDish Pronunciation What to expect Pecenje /pechenye/ meat of a pig (svinjece) lamb (jagnjece) or veal (telece) Cevapcici /Chevapchichi/ grilled pig or calf meat, cyllinder shaped and usually with kajmak or onions Pljeskavica /plyeskavitza/ Serbian burger, usually without the bun when ordered in a restaurant Leskovacka muckalica mixed meat sliced in tiny cubicles and served with hot chilli peppers Karadjordjeva snicla or Devojacki san (roughly translated as Every girl’s dream) large cyllinder shaped chunk of meat stuffed with kajmak, cheese and ham, usually comes with mayo and french fries Prebranac beans Serbian way Papazjanija /papazyanya/ mixed pig, calf and lamb meat, all sorts of vegetables, roasted for 8 hours on mild fire Teleca glava u skembetu veal head with entrails (sorry, but you just had to know this) Podvarak roasted cabbage Jagnjeca kapama lamb ribs with spinach Bosanski lonac similar to Papazjanija Gibanica Serbian pie (not sweet, but with cheese) Dimljena zlatiborska vešalica smoked steak (made in a way they do it in Zlatibor, a mountain in Serbia) Kolenica u kiselom kupusu Red and salty beef in sauercraut (sour cabbage leaves) Jagnjeca crevca u saftu it’s best that this one remains without the explanation. Be brave and order it. Pecenje sa raznja Roasted meat of all kinds – most often pig or lamb Culbastija /chulbasteeya/ grilled pork or calf steak with onions Urnebes salad like many specialities, this one comes from south Serbia too. it has chees, kajmak, garlic, chilli pepper, salt, oil and pepper in it. Usually very hot Ajvar type of salad made out of paprika, not neceserilly hot Proja type of tasty and heavy Serbian bread Pihtije pig or calf meat in jelly made of pig or calf meat Cicvara, kachamak and popara types of porridge Corbast pasulj bean soup, usually with big chunks of meat Papci na kuma this one is a surprise. Šumadijska tepsija this one too. Pohovane telece nogice Breaded calf legs Duvan cvarci, or simply cvarci /chvartzi/ chips made out of pig. Sounds silly, doesnt it? Suva kolenica dry red beef Dimljena rebarca smoked ribs Krilca na zaru chicken wings roasted directly on fire Kajmak salty milk cream, very tasty and very strong (ca 7000 calories in a kilo) Urmasice sweeeet cakes. Vanilice this is what you might call “grandmothers cakes” In most bakeries they make Burek not a typical Serbian dish (more Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian or Turkish) but you can find great burek in Belgrade too.
Danubius Enterprises Ltd
378 Gorgie Road
Edinburgh EH11 2RQ
United Kingdom
ph: 0131 337 9377
alt: 0785 232 5494
briandun