Niš gastronomic offer is an unusual combination of Serbian traditional dishes and numerous influences, mostly inherited from the East.
Top gourmet delicacies that you can try in almost every tavern in Niš, are prepared from fresh ingredients from the immediate area, and that is why you will remember their taste for years.
You need to set aside a little more time to go to the tavern – either because of the enjoyment, or because of the series of dishes that will line up in front of you at the table.
Relax your senses and belts because the Niš gastronomic tour starts with a cold appetizer.
Hors d’oeuvre (cold appetizer)
Hors d’oeuvre is an introduction to enjoying the many dishes that will line up in front of you. It is recommended that you start with some of the specialties that belong to the hors d’oeuvre such as:
- -Urnebes salad – Chopped full-fat cheese, topped with oil and sprinkled with hot or mild cayenne pepper.
- Sukana pita – Homemade, hand-stretched crusts filled with delicious homemade cheese and eggs.
- Moravska salad – One of the most popular salads in Niš, made with tomatoes, roasted peppers, garlic and hot peppers.
- Belmuž – An original specialty of southern Serbia that is prepared with young cheese and corn flour. The name belmuž originated from the words belo – white like milk and muž – a strong male hand that is needed to mix cheese and flour over a low heat.
- Pork aspic – Winter in Serbia cannot be imagined without pork aspic. This specialty is prepared for a long time because pork legs are cooked for several hours with the addition of spices until the water becomes gelatinous.
This rich appetizer is usually accompanied by some of the fruit brandies – quince brandy, plum brandy, apricot brandy or apple brandy.
Hot appetizer
“Gourmet delicacies“ from earthenware are next in line:
- Veal tails – If you haven’t tried veal tails so far, there are several taverns in Niš where you can enjoy this dish. They have a rich taste, with a sauce that consists of a lot of onions, root vegetables and spices.
- Veal head – Veal head is another traditional specialty, and it is prepared by separating the already cooked veal head meat from the bones and arranging it in an earthenware dish and baking it in the oven.
- Lamb wraps – Lamb wraps are prepared with boiled lamb liver, onion and rice, which are wrapped in a “lamb handkerchief“ and baked in an earthenware dish in the oven.
- Vine leaf wraps – This seasonal dish with a specific taste is prepared from vine leaves, which are filled with a filling of minced beef and pork, rice and spices. Serve with sour milk.
- Beans / „Tavče na gravče“– Beans are one of the favorite Serbian dishes. It is prepared in several variants, and in Niš taverns you can find beans that are baked in an earthenware dish with a lot of onions.
Main course – Niš barbecue
The Niš barbecue is indispensable as the main dish. The perfection of barbecue preparation in Niš is passed down from generation to generation. Each tavern has its own “secret recipe“ and a specialty to try.
- Ćevapčići – The word ćevap comes from the Persian word kebab, which means a dish of fried meat. Ćevapčići are prepared everywhere in the Balkans and during the former Yugoslavia they were the only specialty that took root in the catering offer of all republics. In Niš, in most taverns, ćevapčići are made from a mixture of beef and pork, although each tavern has its own combination of spices and a secret recipe for preparing this delicious grilled specialty.
- Ćevapčići with cream – Hot, freshly grilled ćevapčići covered with ripe cream.
- Pljeskavica or Serbian hamburger, is prepared from the same grilled meat, from which ćevapčići are made. The meat is divided into small balls, and then stretched to a thickness of 2 cm and grilled. In addition to classic pljeskavica, in Niš you can also try different gourmet variants such as:
- Gourmet burger – burger tuffed with cheese, dried meat or bacon
- Gourmet burger in pork handkerchief – burger stuffed with cheese, dried meat or bacon and wrapped in a pork handkerchief (skrama).
- Liver in pork handkerchief – veal liver cut into thin sheets, wrapped in pork handkerchief (skrama) and grilled.
- Chicken skewers with bacon – a delicious combination of chicken white meat and bacon.
- Chicken liver and bacon skewers – imaginative barbecue masters came up with the idea of wrapping chicken liver in bacon and stringing it on a stick.
- Smoked pork ramsteak – for the preparation of this specialty, short smoked pork is used, which is roasted on the grill.
