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