Macedonia has a long and praised tradition of culinary delights.
Over the centuries, many civilizations have enjoyed the produce of
its fertile soil. Having avoided negative influences of urbanization,
Macedonia remains the agricultural heartland of the Balkans, filled with
a wonderful variety of foodstuffs native to both Mediterranean and Central
European climates. In fact, few countries as small as Macedonia can offer
such variety of products including everything from citrus fruits,
grapes and hazelnuts to tobacco, rice and mountain teas.
In addition, Macedonia is also rich in meat, producing beef,
chicken, pork and lamb, and a whole range of game.
Macedonia’s many lakes yield a variety of freshwater
fish, most famous of all being Lake Ohrid Trout.
As a dairy producer, Macedonia is especially well known
for its cheeses: soft white cheese (sirenje), similar to Greek feta;
yellow cheese (kashkaval), similar to Italian Locatello Romano;
and also its yoghurt and milk. Every Macedonian village offers
unique and tasty local varieties.
Macedonia is also famous for its wines, produced by unusually
high quality grapes, such as Vranec, classic Cabernet Sauvignon,
and mellow Merlot. Today, several small boutique wineries in Macedonia
produce delectable red and white wines comparable to any French,
Italian or California vintages. Besides its wines, Macedonian
vintners produce fiery brandy (rakija) and mastica.
Products of Macedonia breweries are enthusiastically guzzled
by tourists and locals alike.
Traditional Macedonian cuisine combines Balkan and Mediterranean characteristics,
inherited largely from Turkish tastes that prevailed during long centuries of
Ottoman rule. Some specialties, such as taratur (sour yogurt with bits of cucumber),
pindzur (cream salad with peppers and eggplant) and the world-famous baklava are
characteristic of Balkan cuisine in general.
Other Turkish-influenced dishes include grilled beef kabobs and the omnipresent burek,
a flaky sort of pie filled with ham, cheese, spinach, ground beef and combinations thereof.
Macedonian dishes like tavce gravce (baked beans), shopska salata (a salad made of sliced tomato,
cucumber and onion, topped with ground soft white cheese), selsko meso
(pork chops and champignon mushrooms in a rich brown gravy),
pastrmajlija (a sort of pizza topped with meat and sometimes egg) and, above all,
ajvar (the national sauce, made from sweet red peppers).
