The Food of Zlatibor: What to Try and Where It Comes From
The food around Zlatibor is mountain food: made from what the land and the animals give, and not fussy about it. Much of it comes from small households in the villages nearby, where cheese, kajmak and cured meats are still made by hand. Once you taste the difference, the supermarket versions never feel the same.
What to try first
If you eat one thing here, make it komplet lepinja. It is a baked flatbread filled with kajmak, egg and the drippings from roasted meat, all cooked together until it sets. It started as a heavy breakfast for workers and now people eat it any time of day. It is rich, so share one at first.
After that, work through the classics. Kajmak is the star, a soft dairy cream that goes on everything. The local cheeses range from young and mild to sharp and aged. Prsuta, the air dried prosciutto from this region, hangs and cures in the cold mountain air, which is exactly why it tastes the way it does.
- Komplet lepinja, the dish people remember most
- Kajmak and young cheese, best straight with warm bread
- Prsuta and other cured meats from the villages
- Slow roasted lamb, usually best at a spot outside the center
- Local honey and homemade rakija to finish a meal
Cook a little, or just eat out
You can do both on a trip here. The green market and small shops sell kajmak, cheese, prsuta, honey and eggs, so a simple breakfast at the apartment is easy and cheap. The kitchen at Apartman Bolero has an espresso machine too, which pairs well with a morning plate of cheese and bread on the days you do not feel like going out.
For lamb and the bigger dishes, eat out. Roasting a whole lamb is a job best left to the kafanas that do it every day. Ask a local which place is roasting that morning, order by the kilo, and do not plan much for the afternoon after.
