SARMA, KRALJICA TRPEZE Hladan, kiseo, pun vitamina C, posle burne večeri i pića diže iz mrtvih – kiseli kupus i njegov moćni brat blizanac, rasol. Kupus na Balkanu ima posebnu zimsku obradu. Posoljene glavice svežeg kupusa ređaju se u bure i puštaju da odstoje i puste svoj sok. Kiseli kupus pak hladi našu gozbu, kad uz nju ide dosta mesa. Posle burne noći u Srbiji ništa tako le- po ne poželi dobar dan kao čaša hladnog rasola. A onda smo spremni i za sarmu, kraljicu srpske zimske trpeze. Pra- vu zimsku bajku priča lonac u kome se sarma dugo kuva i krčka, spajaju ukusi i preklapaju mirisi, vođeni dimljenim suvim mesom. Priroda i srp- ska kuhinja ovde su se udružile, jer kilogrami dobijeni od sarme služe kao direktan omotač na telu, koji greje kosti. Kad dođe proleće, sarmu je bitno posaditi na bicikl, voditi je u teretanu, na trčanje i plivanje. Tako su naša tela i naša sarma mirni do sledeće zime.
SARMA – QUEEN OF THE TABLE Cold, sour and packed with vitamin C; after a turbulent evening of drinking, it raises you from the dead. This is pickled cabbage and its mighty twin brother, brine. Cabbage in the Balkans re- ceives special treatment in the winter. The salted heads of fresh cabbage are packed in barrels and left to stand and release their juices. Sour cabbage cools our feasts, when accompanied by a lot of meat. After a long night in Serbia, nothing makes a good day like a glass of cold brine. And then we are ready for sarma, the queen of Serbia’s winter spread. A real winter fairy tale is told by the pot in which sarma boils and bubbles for a long time, fusing flavours and over- lapping scents, guided by smoked dry meat. Here nature and Serbian cuisine have teamed up, because the kilograms obtained by eating sarma are a wrapping for the body, heating up the bones. When spring comes, it is essential to put sarma on a bike, take it to the gym, and run and swim it off. And in that way our bodies and our sarma are at peace until the winter returns.
It’s impossible to imagine a winter spread in Serbia without ajvar, sarma, Russian salad and something sweet, for example Vasa’s cake; without those wonderful dishes that have for decades provided us with comfort, brought us joy and helped spice up grey, cold days AJVAR, SRPSKI KAVIJAR Ništa nam tako dobro ne greje nepce i stomak u hladnim danima kao crvene paprike koje su upi- le sunce minulog leta. Kad su tako sazrele za zi- mnicu, potrebno ih je ispeći, samleti, kuvati i krčkati s belim lukom, a ponekad i s ljutom pa- pričicom i patlidžanom. A onda nastaje sva ra- skoš ajvarskog ukusa, crveni raj koji se maže na hleb ili dodaje jelima. Sladak ili zaljućen, taj ta- koreći džem od paprika predstavlja pravu poro- dičnu vrednost i često se iz špajza ili ostave do- nosi poput dragocenog nakita koji se dugo čuva u nekoj porodici i iznosi pred najdraže goste. Pu- stimo gosta da se časti i čezne za još. Tako i mi cele godine, do poslednje tegle i kraja zime. Sa- mi od sebe krijemo to crveno blago ne bismo li ga sačuvali što je duže moguće. AJVAR – SERBIAN CAVIAR Nothing warms our palate and stomachs dur- ing the cold days as red peppers which have ab- sorbed all the sun of the previous summer. When they are mature enough to be preserved for the winter, they need to be roasted, chopped, cooked and crunched with garlic and sometimes with hot pepper and aubergine. Then emerges all the mag- nificence of ajvar, which is spread on bread or served alongside other dishes. Sweet or spicy, this pepper chutney is a true treasure for every fami- ly, and is often brought from the pantry like a pre- cious jewel that has been kept in the family for a long time and is being presented to a loved one. We let the guest be honoured and yearn for more. And that’s how it is for us throughout the year, down to the last jar and the end of winter. We hide this treasure from ourselves, to preserve it as long as possible.
RUSKA, ALI NAŠA SALATA Mi, ceo Balkan, Italijani i Francuzi, svi jedemo ru- sku salatu. Tu istu salatu Rusi, Ukrajinci, Britanci i Amerikanci zovu francuska salata. Za tu malu zabu- nu zaslužan je glavni kuvar i izumitelj Lusijen Oliver, koji je salatu služio u čuvenom restoranu Ermitaž u Moskvi. Od 1860. do danas salata je pretrpela izme- ne tako što su skupi sastojci, kao što su teleći jezik, kavijar i delići jastoga zamenjeni povrćem, a ume- sto tajnog preliva počeo je da se koristi majonez. Tajna srpske ruske salate je u tome kako naše do- maćice seku šunku, koliko su ti delići tanko isečeni, koliko su kockice povrća i jaja skladni, ni previše ve- liki da troše vreme na žvakanje, ni previše mali da se istope i izgube u majonezu. Poseban šmek na- šoj ruskoj salati daje i domaći majonez. U kolektiv- nom ukusu i ljubavi prema hrani, ruska salata kod nas ima počasno mesto. Legenda kaže da ćete, ako je jedete kašikom direktno iz velike činije, zajedno s listovima peršuna kao dekoracijom, imati gurman- ske sreće u narednoj godini.
SALAD THAT’S RUSSIAN, BUT OURS We – the people of the Balkans, plus the Italians and the French – all eat Russian salad. That same sal- ad is known by the Russians, Ukrainians, Brits and Americans as French salad. The credit for this slight confusion belongs to chef and inventor Lucien Oliver, who offered this salad in the famous Hermitage restaurant in Moscow. Since 1860, this salad has undergone changes with the addition of expensive ingredients, such as veal tongue, caviar, lobster parts replaced with vegetables, and with mayonnaise used instead of the secret dressing. The secret of the Serbian version of the Russian salad is in how our housekeepers cut the ham, how thinly these pieces are cut, how large cubes of vegetables and eggs are harmonised – not too large to waste time chewing, nor too small to melt and disappear in the may- onnaise. Our Russian salad is also given a special note with the use of homemade mayonnaise. In the collective taste and love of food, Russian salad has a place of honour in our country. Legend has it that if you eat it directly from a large bowl with a spoon, together with parsley leaves as decoration, you will have good fortune in the next year.
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