Balkan cuisine

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Slovenian potica
instead of cake.

Balkan cuisine is a type of regional

Balkan Peninsula of Southeast Europe, a region without clear boundaries but which is generally considered to at least include the modern countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania and Greece and the former Yugoslavia, with the possible exception of Slovenia and northern inland regions of Croatia.[1]

Balkan cuisine can be found in Vienna as a result of post-WWII migration to that city.

ćevapčići in Germany, but these establishments have become rarer since the late 1980s and those that survive are often now called "Croatian" instead.[4] A restaurant selling Romani cuisine opened in Slovenia in 2014. Romani cuisine, the traditional food of the Romani people, includes dishes from traditional Balkan cuisine.[5]

History

The Balkans have a history of foreign rule and internal power struggles, and this has resulted in a diverse cuisine in which influences have merged as a result of cultural exchange.[6] The historical foundation of modern Balkan cuisine is Ottoman cuisine, which itself was heavily influenced by Arabian Levantine cuisine and the medieval Byzantine cuisine.[7] The Ottoman Empire introduced the use of peppers to the region and it also brought börek, a filo pastry with origins that may lie in Ancient Roman cuisine.[6] During the Ottoman presence, dishes such as ćevapi and pljeskavica were introduced along with Turkish coffee.[8] At the same time pork became popular in northern Serbia as pigs were not taxed under Ottoman Islamic law.[6]

The components of Balkan cuisine are also typically drawn from the traditional cuisines of Greece, Persia, the Arab countries and Turkey, as well as the Balkan region itself,

Persian cuisine is shown by the use of yoghurt in meat dishes.[12] There are also some contributions from Jewish cuisine, such as patišpanja, the sponge cake found in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[13]

Characteristics

Balkan cuisine is characterised by very diverse, strong and spicy food.

Caucasian cuisine.[19] Popular desserts include baklava and halva[1] and the fruit brandy rakia is often drunk. Cooking is typically done using a sač, a type of baking lid covered with hot coals or ashes,[8] a technique dating back to Ancient Greek cuisine.[20]

Diversity

The similarities within Balkan cuisine are partly due to the common natural environment of the Balkans which provides similar food ingredients.[21] Many dishes and recipes across the Balkan region are referred to using the same vocabulary, albeit with national variations.[22] The common features of Balkan cuisine are most easily seen in the haute cuisine of restaurants. In contrast, meals prepared domestically reveal the cuisine's geographic variation,[1][23] including a series of intermediate cuisines ranging from those of North and Mediterranean Europe to that of the Middle East.[24] The different nationalities within the Balkans create their own variations,[23] and a dish by the same name may have different ingredients and preparation methods in different countries.[8] Chocolate, cakes and sweet confections are popular in the North Balkans, but in the South it is seafood, honeyed sweets and pastas that indicate the area's more Mediterranean style.[23]

See also

See also: Eastern European cuisine

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bradatan, Cristina E (January 2003). "Cuisine and Cultural Identity in Balkans". Anthropology of East Europe Review. 21 (1): 43–47.
  2. ISBN 9781409384397
    .
  3. ISBN 9780313344947
    .
  4. ISBN 9783110712766
    .
  5. ^ Sullivan, Meghan Collins (16 May 2014). "Introducing Roma Cuisine, The Little-Known 'Soul Food' Of Europe". NPR.
  6. ^ a b c d Garcevic, Srdjan (31 December 2018). "Delicious Histories of Favourite Balkan Foods". Balkan Insight.
  7. ISBN 9780128207864
    .
  8. ^ a b c d e Bills, John William (29 August 2018). "7 Things You Didn't Know About Balkan Cuisine". The Culture Trip.
  9. ISBN 9782490773459
    .
  10. ^ Gostin, Bogueva & Kakurinov (2021), p. 10.
  11. ISBN 9781610694568
    .
  12. ISBN 9781610692212
    .
  13. ISBN 9789287157447
    .
  14. ^ Gostin, Bogueva & Kakurinov (2021), p. 11.
  15. ISBN 9780128207826
    .
  16. ISBN 9781780238630
    .
  17. ^ Carman, Tim (22 January 2013). "Prepping Balkan cuisine for its Capitol Hill debut". Washington Post.
  18. ISBN 0-907325-57-2
    .
  19. ISBN 9788494178337
    .
  20. S2CID 162981087
    .
  21. ^ Gostin, Bogueva & Kakurinov (2021), p. 21.
  22. ISBN 9789004367548
    .
  23. ^ a b c Roufs & Roufs (2014), p. 24.
  24. ISBN 9780814707401
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Balkan_cuisine&oldid=1213716101"