MOUNTAINOUS-CONTINENTAL CUISINE

Traditional cuisine, unique in the world, is characteristic for the mountainous-continental region. You can enjoy in this region of Montenegro in healthy dairy and meat product prepared by specific method.

montenegrin breakfast

The region is rich in rivers and lakes, so that you can enjoy in fish specialties from ecologically pure water. Here are the continental fruits and vegetables, which will contribute to the full pleasure.

Continental fruits and vegetables

At Lake Skadar, the carp and small bleak are the main catch, caught in large quantities and dried. The lake-side cuisine specialties list pan fried Carp, cooked with dried plums, apples and quince, carp baked with onions, eel with rice, grilled eel… Smoked carp has a special reputation, and the taste of dried bleak is remembered for a long time, whether deep fried or boiled and prepared with a salad.

Dried fish on Skadar Lake

Thanks to the rich pastures of Durmitor, Sinjajevina and Bjelasica, dairy products and meat from Montenegro’s mountainous north are true generators of life energy.

dairy products and meat from Montenegro

Nothing compares to the taste of lamb cooked under the bell, or trout grilled or cooked in sour milk, or to various types of game meat.

 lamb cooked under the bell

Homemade sour milk is a perfect fit for kacamak and cicvara, the traditional dishes in the mountain areas.

polenta

Aperitifs: Home-made grape brandy, home-made plum brandy, home-made pear brandy, Prvjenac, Kruna.

Welcome: Cheese, kajmak and honey fritters.

Cold starteres: Njegusi ham, Njegusi cheese, Kuc cheese, Pljevlja cheese, cheese in blower, kajmak à la Durmitor, kajmak in blower, butter.

Hot starters: Cicvara (dish made of flour, eggs, butter and cheese), popara (dish made stale bread and cheese or kajmak), masanica.

Soup: Nettle soup, Nettle soup with cheese, Shepherd Boletus mushroom cream soup, Swath soup (potato and with scallions pins, Red wine soup, Barley porridge (with mushrooms), mushroom porridge, noodle porridge.

Main dish:Lamb below iron pan for baking, lamb in milk, cooked lamb, dried mutton with rastan, dried mutton with potato, lean beef, rolled shank with mushrooms, dried beef with sauerkraut, Njegusi steak, Durmitor steak, Podgorica popeci, smoked krap, trout (from Piva).

Desserts: Patispanj, Continental fruits.

Drinks: Home-made red and white wines, Pro Corde, Cabernet, Vranac and Krstac.

homemade bread and appetizer

TRADITIONAL SUN DRIED FISH

Prior to drying, a large fish is cleaned and opened up like a book. It is fixed with wooden pegs, in order to expose the largest possible surface to the sun. Each morning, the fish is immersed in sea water, and once the drying is finished, it is smoked above a hearth, and packed into a paper bag. It is eaten during the winter, cooked with white cabbage.

Traditional sun dried fish

NJEGUSI PROSCIUTTO

Under the peak of Mount Lovcen, 35 kilometres from Budva, the village of Njegusi is nestled, known for its many specialties: prosciutto, cheese, kastradina (dried mutton) and sausages. Prosciutto is made from pork, and owes its special taste and aroma to a mixture of sea and mountain air and to the types of wood burned in the drying process.

Njegusi prosciutto

CHEESE FROM NJEGUSI

Njegusi have always been known for dairy products and meat. Famous cheese of Njegusi used to be sold in Kotor, Coastal area, Dalmatia, Trieste and Venice, Marseille to Malta. It is being kept at shaded in airy places up to 3 months before degustation. Dried and rich in milk fats – simply exquisite.

Njegusi cheese

CHEESE FROM PLJEVLJA

Cheese from Pljevlja is a ubiquitous part of Montenegrin meal. It is white cheese made from unpasteurized cow milk. The characteristic flavour comes from the maturation process that takes place in special wooden barrel-like containers. The cheese matures for at least three weeks until it achieves its characteristic strong flavour and creamy texture.

Cheese from Pljevlja

LEAFY CHEESE

This is a cow milk cheese exclusive to the Central North region, more specifically, around Kolasin town. Thin, sometimes almost transparent, layers create a leafy structure, and make strings when the cheese is pulled apart. It has a pleasant mild fragrance. It does not contain high levels of fat, so its taste is mild and light.

Leafy cheese from Kolasin

MILK CREAM FROM PIVA

One of the most recognizable tastes of Piva is Pivski skorup, soft cheese, known as kajmak in the broader region. Pivski skorup matures in sheep’s pelvis which gives it a unique taste. It is used in many variations – with trout, lamb, for breakfast with prochiutto etc.

Milk Cream from Piva region