There's no doubt – Serbian cuisine is very delicious. It contains almost entirely out of meat combained with vegetables, rich flavors, and there is something for everyone taste. We alredy write about the popular Serbian meals that you have to try, and now we are going to address ones that you can avoid.
At the start, we have to say that this article is totaly biased. These are the dishes that we don't prefer very much and that we think that is too much for stomac of someone who is not born here.
We'll describe them for you, and than it's your desicion will you try it or not.
ŠKEMBIĆI
This is a tradicional Serbian recipe, and our grandparents will surely disown us for taking bad about it. The problem is not in the taste which is rather fine if you can forget the fact what are you eating – intestines of a pig or a cow in vegetable stew with herbs, served with boiled potato. With such a good parts of these animals, eating their intestines, no matter how delicious they are, it's not ours cup of tea.
But for many, this is a pure specialty, and if you don't mind the ingridiens, you shoud try it. But in the restaurant! You can cook them yourself, but please don't. Smell, oh the smell! Your house will be smelling bad for days, so the restaurant is always a better option if you want to taste škembići.
PIHTIJE
Maybe they don't deserve to be on this list because a lot of Serbian people love this dish and it's tradicionaly served on the several celebrations, especially on slava, weedings and funerals. That said, it's the dish that older generations love, but the young people more offten are frown at it and don't even want to try it. It really doesn't look very appealing but on the words of the ones who love pihtija – look is deceiving.
Pihtije, pride of every Serbian housewife, are centuries-old traditional Serbian meal, and it's looks like a puding. In the fact it is, but it's not sweet at all. It's made from the remains and „bad“ parts of the pig (such as the head, tail, hocks and other nasty stuff) mixed with gelatine. The meat is washed and cooked for a while, not longer than 5-10 minutes. Then the water is changed and vegetables and spices added – onion, carrots and celery. This cooks until the meat begins to separate from the bones.
The jelly that you get is poured in shallow bowls. Garlic is added, as well as carrots or paprika. Then it is left at a cold spot to harden so that the meal could be cut into cubes. Most often the cubes are sprinkled with ground paprika in the end.Pihtije are served mostly as an appetizer, although sometimes they come as the main dish.
We don't like it because we know how it's made and from what, because it's not appealing to the eye at all, and because it jiggles (food isn't suppose to do that!). But if this is not a problem for you, than for all means, try it – the taste is not bad at all.
ROASTED LAMB OR VEAL HEAD
Is there more to be said? If you order this, you will get a hole head of a lamb or a veal, with everything in it including eyes, toungue and the brain of the animal.
And yes, you should eat everything!
This is just to much for us to bare, but if you are braver than us and have a stronger stomach, than this is a perfect challenge for you.
