Macedonian cuisine is a part of the Macedonian culture, which is associated with the characteristic hospitality of the Balkans. Macedonian cuisine is the combination of flavors from the Balkans and the Mediterranean Sea, making the Macedonian cuisine extremely interesting and delicious at the same time. Due to the relatively warm climate, Macedonia has excellent conditions for growing a variety of vegetables, fruits, spices, and herbs. Macedonian cuisine will satisfy even the most demanding gourmets. Macedonian cuisine is based on fresh ingredients, good quality with the use of herbs and spices.
Macedonia is not only famous for numerous attractions and beautiful sea resorts (Skopje, Bitola, Ohrid), but also for the excellent cuisine. Macedonian cuisine evolved over many centuries. It’s worth noting that many of the dishes in the Balkan countries have a similar recipe or name, but there are traditional Macedonian dishes that cannot be found in any other country in the world.
Locals love to cook and to talk about the traditional cuisine of the country. They quote that their food is always simple, with a strong flavor and bright color. Cooking for the Macedonians is not just a set of products, it is a part of a lifestyle. The basis of most local dishes is meat (usually lamb and pork), as well as many vegetables (especially popular pepper) and spices. Dishes are often quite greasy because they use a lot of oil. Some people in Macedonia grows vegetables in their backyard, and most of them go to the local food markets, where everyone knows each other and share tips for future meals.
In Macedonia its tradition to cook for several families. They gather together on holidays, but also for no reason. For example, just because it is a good weather. After that, they sit together at a shared table and taste delicious local wine, which is grown on the vineyards in the Povardare territory.
Macedonian cuisine – mixture of Mediterranean cuisines with the addition of oriental accents
The variety of national dishes is on of the hallmarks of the Macedonian cuisine. In Macedonia, you cannot imagine a meal without pie or pastries. They make pies with cheese, spinach, herbs, cabbage, meat or chicken, but also very popular are pies with sweet fillings.
Classic Macedonian breakfast begins with a dish called “burek” – a round pie of puff pastry with various fillings. Burek can be stuffed with meat or cheese, and most often is served with yogurt.
Traditionally, the Macedonian national cuisine is created exclusively for the connoisseurs of good tasty food. Macedonia owes a lot to a neighboring country – Turkey. Macedonian streets abound with restaurants and cafes, offering Turkish grilled meat like kebab and meatballs.
One unusual dish of the traditional Macedonian cuisine is “Gravche na tavche”. The name of the dish consists of two words “tavche” which is a special pottery, and “gravche” which is a special sort of bean (large and white).
“Pastrmka” is also well-known Macedonian dish. They bake trout with plums in a pot with a vegetable sauce and whipped eggs, herbs, oil, and garlic. The Macedonians are very proud of the fact that they are able to save very clean water in the Ohrid lake because otherwise, the trout would simply not survive.
Beverages in Macedonia
Among the non-alcoholic beverages, Macedonians drink coffee “Hollandse Koff”, as well as various types of teas with honey. The most popular strong drink is schnapps (“rakiya”). It can be white and yellow. Basically, it can be made of plums, pears, grapes, herbs, etc. Local wine is not very known outside of Macedonia, but it has high quality and low cost.