Here at Undiscovered Balkans, we consider ourselves connoisseurs when it comes to Balkan food (see previous blog post), but Macedonian-British author and recipe developer Irina Janakievska's knowledge is unmatched. Since 2011, she's been on a culinary journey to discover the history, intricacies and origins of traditional foods found in the region for her debut cookbook, The Balkan Kitchen. Born in what's now North Macedonia (former Yugoslavia), Irina moved to Kuwait with her mother in the late 1980s to escape the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. In 2001, Irina moved to Britain to study at the London School of Economics, graduating with a Masters and securing a job as a solicitor. She left the corporate world in 2020 to pursue her passion for Balkan cuisine and train at the Leiths School of Food and Wine. Irina has since contributed her knowledge of Balkan food and culture to the likes of The Guardian, Foodnetwork US and Whetstone Magazine, among others and in 2023, The Balkan Kitchen was shortlisted for the Jane Grigson Trust Award. It landed on shelves in October 2024, so we caught up with Irina to find out more about the history behind the recipes and what dishes you should try when visiting the region. How would you sum up Balkan food in three words? Rich, vibrant, diverse. What inspired you to write The Balkan Kitchen? We can tell it was a labour of love with so many personal stories, anecdotes and photographs to accompany the recipes. After my grandmother tragically passed away in 2011, I was in her apartment in front of the bookshelf that held our family’s most treasured books and happened to pick up a copy of her 1956 edition of Veliki Narodni Kuvar (Great National Cookbook) by Spasenija Pata Markovic, with its fading olive-green cover, torn but lovingly
Here at Undiscovered Balkans, we consider ourselves connoisseurs when it comes to Balkan food (see previous blog post), but Macedonian-British author and recipe developer Irina Janakievska’s knowledge is unmatched. Since 2011, she’s been on a culinary journey to discover the history, intricacies and origins of traditional foods found in the region for her debut cookbook,
Travelling to the Balkans for the first time and wondering what foods you should try? We’ve got you covered. From burek to rakija, you’ll find these traditional Balkan foods, accompaniments and beverages widespread across the region. Tick all of these off and you're only just getting started, so be sure to go with a good appetite. Is Balkan food Turkish? This is a question we've seen floating around a fair bit. With much of the region formerly part of the Ottoman empire, Balkan countries have inherited lots of Turkish dishes such as baklava and sarma. And Bosnian coffee shares similarities with Turkish coffee (although don’t say that to a Bosnian if you don’t wish to offend). But it’s not just Ottoman dishes that have made their way onto the Balkan menu over time. You can also find typically Austro-Hungarian dishes like schnitzel and goulash. And some things, like rakija, are Balkan through and through. 1. Burek Burek has been a staple across the Balkans since its introduction by the Ottomans in the 14th century and it’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s made of thin layers of filo pastry filled with savoury ingredients, rolled into a spiral, and baked until golden. Popular fillings include spiced meat, a cheese similar to feta, a mix of cheese and spinach, or spiced potatoes. 2. Kajmak Kajmak ("kai-mak") also known as sarshir or qashta/ashta, is a rich, creamy dairy product similar to clotted cream. It’s traditionally made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep or goats and is popular not only in the Balkans, but Western and Central Asia and Turkey. Kajmak is traditionally eaten with meat dishes like 'cevapi' mince kebabs, or as a filling in savoury pancakes. 3. Sarma / Dolma Dolma (more commonly referred to as Sarma in the Balkans) refers
Travelling to the Balkans for the first time and wondering what foods you should try? We’ve got you covered. From burek to rakija, you’ll find these traditional Balkan foods, accompaniments and beverages widespread across the region. Tick all of these off and you’re only just getting started, so be sure to go with a good
Elevate your barbecue menu with the Balkan dishes below, all hailing from a region we might describe as just a little obsessed with meat on the charcoal grill/'roštilj'! While they're not all explicitly BBQ recipes, they all feature regularly on al fresco dining tables, from Croatia to Montenegro. Whether you're looking for some inspiration for your next garden party or you've visited the Balkans and you'd like to recreate some of the yummy foods you tried, load your buns with ćevapi and pljeskavica instead of plain old hot dogs and burgers. And hummus? That's so vanilla. Swap it out for ajvar (cool red pepper sauce). Not only are these meals tasty, they require minced meat instead of pre-made patties and dogs, meaning you can dodge the crowds fighting over the last ones on a hot day in the supermarket. If you want to go all out Balkan, treat your guests to a tipple of rakia or a bottle of fine Croatian wine to wash it down with. Dobar tek! Ajvar What is ajvar? Pronounced “ay-var,” this sauce is thought to have been introduced by the Ottomans. Although there are regional variations, ajvar is predominantly made out of bell peppers and aubergine. The sweet yet tangy flavour of this relish is achieved by grilling the peppers and eggplant over a charcoal fire before simmering the sauce to bring out the sweetness in the peppers. If you prefer to cheat, buy a jar of Pelagonia's ajvar at Coop or Waitrose Ajvar recipe Serves 4 Ingredients 5 red bell peppers 1 medium sized aubergine 5 tsp freshly crushed garlic cloves 70g sunflower or olive oil 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 tsp salt Ground black pepper to taste Method Place the peppers whole on a preheated charcoal grill (a BBQ is perfect) and
Elevate your barbecue menu with the Balkan dishes below, all hailing from a region we might describe as just a little obsessed with meat on the charcoal grill/’roštilj’! While they’re not all explicitly BBQ recipes, they all feature regularly on al fresco dining tables, from Croatia to Montenegro. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration for
Despite the success of our yoga and sound healing retreat the other weekend, it's not all vegan raw food experiences at Villa Miela! Sometimes, you have to swing in the opposite direction and embrace the best dish to come out of the Balkans – peka - or sač as we call it in Montenegro. Ever since we bought our second home on Vis island and spent time with the legend that is Oliver Roki, we've loved a good peka. It's an ancient cuisine that sees you placing your ingredients into a deep dish with a cast iron lid, and then slow-cooking the contents with hot embers above and below the pot for 3 to 4 hours. The ultimate slow food! Montenegrin cooking also has a version of this dish, but here it's called pod sač, which I've sampled many times. Pod sač uses meat, potatoes, plentiful oil and vegeta (a catch-all, ubiquitous Balkan herb blend) and when done well is melt-in-your-mouth delicious – but Montenegrins prefer their food stripped back and simple. Peka on the other hand, takes this basic concept and adds generous levels of Mediterranean flavours. The Croatian version includes plentiful vegetables, natural herbs and wine - it's food as a luxury, something to fuss over and get exactly right, where every detail has to be just so as a matter of personal pride. That's the kind of cooking I identify with! Online tutorials and recipes can only get you so far and with Oliver sadly too far away to give me a Croatian cooking lesson, we enlisted instead our lovely friends Damir and Vanda, who as proud Croatians living in Montenegro were only too happy to pass on their tips for making the perfect peka. Slow Food Recipe for 'Peka' or 'Pod Sač' If you'd like to
Despite the success of our yoga and sound healing retreat the other weekend, it’s not all vegan raw food experiences at Villa Miela! Sometimes, you have to swing in the opposite direction and embrace the best dish to come out of the Balkans – peka – or sač as we call it in Montenegro. Ever
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