Appetizers & Lunch Meats

Meze, (or Mezetluk) are unavoidable Balkan appetizers served on large plates for numerous occasions, such as weddings, Slava, Christmas, etc. The Meze Plate is an assortment of lunch meats, usually made of pork or beef, and other foods such as cheese.

Traditional lunch meats are also popular sandwich ingredients.

In this article, we are going to talk about the local specialities that can be found on The Meze Plate. A lot of Balkan cities and regions have their own products, which they are well-known for and proud of.

Sudžuk

Sudžuk is a type of sausage made of ground beef which has a picquant taste.

Made in Bosnia and the South-West part of Serbia, sudžuk has a long history, especially among the Muslim-Bosniak population. The most famous sudžuk is Sjenica sudžuk, which comes from the mountain of Sjenica in Southern Serbia. It is rarely eaten in other parts of the Balkans, but is widely known for its taste and quality.

Kulen

Kulen is another type of picquant sausage, made of pork. Traditionally, it is made in some regions of the Vojvodina province in Serbia (Syrmia, Bačka, Petrovaradin), and of Croatia (Slavonija and Baranja).

The most famous is the Syrmian Kulen (Sremski kulen), from the region of Syrmia, where it is believed to have originated from. In the past, Syrmian families had their own kulen recipes, which they kept secret, and that is why today can be found a whole array of kulen recipes in Syrmia.

There are both homemade and industrial kulen, the former one being richer in taste.

”The Tea Sausage”

The Tea Sausage or Čajna kobasica is arguably the most common lunch meat eaten across the Balkans. Its name is literally translated as The Tea Sausage, which is why people believe that it came from Teewurst, a Polish sausage which used to be served with tea, though the two are a little different in appearance and structure.

Back Bacon

Back Bacon or Svinjska pečenica is a type of smoked ham made of pork loin. Its meat is completely lean, so it does not contain any fat.

Suvi Vrat

Suvi vrat is made of a pig’s collar – or neck – and contains a small amount of fat. It is smoked and dried. A Balkan region quite famous for its Suvi vrat is Zlatibor (Western Serbia).

Zlatibor Prsciotto

Zlatibor Prsciotto or Zlatiborska pršuta (or just Pršuta) is a type of Serbian prsciotto and the national dish of the Zlatibor region in Western Serbia. It is made of either pork or beef.

Pršutijada is a manifestation that is held in Mačkat, a village famous for prsciotto production. At the manifestation, a lot of people compete for the best prsciotto.

Dalmatian Prsciotto

Dalmatian Prsciotto or Dalmatinski pršut is one of the national dishes of the Dalmatia region in Southern Croatia. It’s similar to the Italian prsciotto, probably thanks to the factors such as the location of Dalmatia.

The Dalmatian Prsciotto can be seen at many feasts and celebrations and is usually served with local cheese, such as Livanj cheese. It is believed that the best Dalmation prsciotto comes from the Croatian city of Drniš.