Montenegro Local Food

The Best Montenegro Local Food & Culinary Tradition

When you visit a new country, meet their people and culture, you easily start with the question what their national cuisine is like and with what pleasant local food they can surprise you with. Montenegro is a hidden culture, like a pearl in the very heart of Europe, ready to surprise you, to surrender all your senses and to offer to you the best Montenegro local food, a full table of national cuisine which you probably see for the first time. Maybe some have had the chance to see these before, but now in a totally new arrangement.

Be ready to surrender your senses not only to exquisite Montenegro local food but also the hospitality of the Montenegrin hosts. They will open the door for you and offer you the best seat available and explain all the local ingredients to encourage you to taste the best of Montenegro culinary tradition.

Montenegro local food & national cuisine can be divided in three distinguished areas; the seaside coastal area, lake shore (area of the Skadar Lake and capital city Podgorica) and the mountain area kitchen. All these cuisines are somewhat simple, far from poor, however very rich and inventive!

Montenegro Local Food – Seaside Cuisine

The base of Montenegro local food and seaside cuisine is basically Mediterranean cuisine with its „Holy Trinity“ – Fish, Wine and Olive Oil. In this area a lot of piquant grass is used (like parsley and rosemary), as well as vegetables (specially potatoes, onions and garlic, spinach and Swiss chard, etc.). Blue fish and red wine are the brand of the Mediterranean.

Preparation before the barbecue to make the meal juicier, the fish is placed in a mixture made of olive oil from Bar, pepper, salt, garlic, spices, lemon or white wines. White bites (gilthead sea bream, barb, common sea beam, sea bass, white sea bream, mullet, red scorpion fish) roasted with vegetables or just cooked, in a combination with chilled white wine, makes an ideal meal for lunch and daytime, especially in the summer.
One of the most precious sea fish is European sea bass. There is one specific kind of preparation – roasted within the sea salt.

Another way of preparation is cooked mixed sea fish with vegetables. The most specific and delicious meal is fish stew – fish with vegetables and spices, half roasted and than cooked within tomatoes juice.

Octopus and Mussels have their own place in Montenegrin cuisine. Mussels on buzara are prepared by putting garlic, parsley, pepper, laurel and mussels in olive oil.

Cooking is over when shells are opened and than we add a bit of fine white wine, basil and bread crumbs.

Montenegro Local Food – Lake shore Cuisine

The area around Skadar Lake is rich with quality fish, which the locals prepares excellently for all occasions.

Smoked dried bleaks, eel, carp or spiced cabbage with kastradina (smoked dried mutton), with a drop of wine from Crmnica and a warm conversation will remain in the best gastronomic memory when we are talking about Montenegro.

The speciality of the lake cuisine are carp fish in a casserole, with vegetables and dry plums, which is then served with other fruits and vegetables.

Among others, carp in onion; eel with the rice as well as grilled eel; smoked bleak – small but marvellous fish of silver emerald color.

Central part of Montenegro is well known by raštan (sort of cabbage) with smoked meat and Japraci.

What raštan makes tastier is morač (kind of spice with characteristic, exotic and strong aroma. Japraci are made of rolled raštan or vine leaves, filled with cow meat, bacon or smoked meat and rice.

Montenegro Local Food – Mountain Cuisine

Thanks to highly quality pastures of Durmitor, Sinjajevina and Bjelasica, dairy products and meat from Montenegrin mountain areas in the north are true generators of energy in Montenegro local food!

Although Montenegrin specialities vary according to region there are some key traditional dishes to try, perhaps one of the better-known being, Kačamak. Kačamak is a weighty dish consisting of mashed potatoes, wheat and corn flour, served with cheese and sour milk. Cicvara is strong, caloric meal, made of young cow cheese or kajmak (fresh, young or “new” cheese made from unpasteurized milk) and flour that melts in a pan on a low temperature.

Aside from its key traditional dishes, Montenegro is also famous for its prosciutto, known locally as Njeguški Pršut and its cheese, Njeguški Sir. Both of these products come from the village of Njeguški, which is known as the birthplace of the Montenegro’s Royal dynasty.

This prosciutto has a dry consistency and is a rich red in colour.

Most exquisite are the taste of lamb prepared in old traditional manner, under “sach”, grilled trout or sour milk, as well as different types of venison. Taste of roast lamb meat, goat meat or veal prepared with potatoes in crepulja, under the sač, it is difficult to explain. You have to taste it! The seacret of it’s taste and aroma is in combination of crepulja – terrain dish for roasting, and sač – metal bell cast covered with hot ash. One of extraordinary mountain meals is lamb cooked in milk.
When it comes to sweet delights, one of Montenegro’s better known dishes is Priganice.

These small airy doughnuts are prepared with flour, water, oil, salt and sugar and are traditionally served with honey or jam, but Priganice can also be enjoyed with cheese or cream.

The full pleasure of enjoying Montenegro local food is just one very important part of every well organised event! To organise a special and unique event, simply contact Talas-M DMC.