Serbian people are well known for indulging in some good food. We, the Serbs, love our food, and not only do we love eating it, but we also love the ritual surrounding it. It’s just something you have to see and experience to understand.
In this blog post, we are going to talk about what Serbian lunch is and represents, compared to lunches around the world.
6 Elements of a Typical Serbian Lunch
In the following paragraph, we are covering the most pivotal elements of your typical Serbian lunch: meat, bread, potatoes, salad, turšija, ljuta papričica… There is so much more, but these are the pillars of what your neighbor Serb eats daily.
1. Meat
Forget about Chicken salads, Caesar salads, Tuna salads, a BLT, or an egg wrap – that does not count as lunch in Serbia! There is no talk without meat when it comes to Serbian lunch. Whether it’s chicken, duck, turkey, pork, or beef, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s nicely oiled, buttered up, and spiced.
2. Bread
If there is something you notice first about Serbian people, it’s that we love bread. We eat bread, or pogača (round bread), kifla (sub/croissant), or any type of pastry for that matter, with our meals. It’s a staple. We know it’s bad, but it just tastes so good, especially when it’s fresh out of the bakery – prste da poližeš (finger-licking good)!
3. Potato
What we usually do is we match meat with potatoes. Mashed, boiled, fried, baked, it’s less important. What matters is that there is starch included. It offers a Serbian lunch that evokes a comforting umami feel that’s hard to replicate.
4. Salad
Okay, sure. Throw in some salad, why don’t you. All jokes aside, we love salads too. Vegetables like cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and cabbage (both fresh and sour) work wonders when combined with meat, bread, and potatoes. And if you add some spices and feta cheese – chef’s kiss.
5. Turšija
Turšija, or pickled vegetables, is a staple of Serbian autumn and winter cuisine. It is considered a side which is usually combined with roasted meat and meze (finger food that includes deli meat, smoked meat, cheeses, ajvar…), but you can mix and match with anything, actually. It’s versatile.
6. Ljuta papričica
Ljuta papričica (hot pepper) is mostly paired with meat from the grill, cabbage salad, and roasted potatoes. It is usually eaten by biting it, instead of dicing or cutting it. Who loves it most?! Serbian dads, of course. The spicier, the better. They are going to complain about eating it, but eat it nonetheless.
The Ritual of a Serbian Lunch
Lunches in Serbia are what brings the family together, especially on weekends. It is a part of our culture and tradition to gather around a nice, cozy feast and share the meal with the closest members of the family. On weekends, lunch tends to be earlier, around 12 pm, whereas during the working days, lunch sometimes doesn’t start until 3-4 pm.
Children wait for their parents to come from work and eat together. Of course, they were previously instructed to take the chicken out of the freezer until the parents come back. The dining table is covered by an old and used tablecloth, which will, once it’s overused, become a bunch of handkerchiefs and cloths for cleaning.
As you could conclude, Serbian people are rarely (or never) going to eat a vegetable salad for lunch, or a sub with cheese and deli meat. We are used to hefty meals that fill our stomachs and our hearts simultaneously.
Serbian Lunch Key Takeaways
Here are the key elements of a Serbian lunch:
- Food included: meat, bread, potato, salad, turšija, ljuta papričica.
- It is a family ritual.
- People in Serbia eat heavy portions of meat and potatoes for lunch, almost never opting for a vegetable salad or a light wrap.
