Kosovan cuisine

For Albanian Cuisine, see Albanian cuisine. For Serbian Cuisine, see Serbian cuisine. For Bosnian Cuisine, see Bosnian cuisine. For Turkish Cuisine, see Turkish cuisine.

Kosovan cuisine

Origin
Place of origin	Kosovo
Region or state	Balkans

Cuisine in Kosovo (Albanian: Kuzhina kosovare, Serbian: Косовска кухиња, Kosovska kuhinja) is similar to the Albanian cuisine, and has had significant influence from the Turkish cuisine, as well as the Balkan cuisine. Bread is one of the most important parts of the Kosovar cuisine, also dairy products are widely used. Pastries are on top of the food pyramid, since they are not that used. There is at least one meat dish a day, for lunch. Also beans, rice, peppers are part of the Kosovan diet. Due to the climate in Kosovo, seasonal vegetables, are used in summer mostly, and they are pickled in winter, usually cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage are pickled. Dishes such as burjan, Beans, Pite are some of the most popular main dishes.

Regions in Kosovo have their characteristic foods. The most used herbs are salt, black pepper, red pepper and Vegeta. Meat (beef, chicken and lamb) are heavily used in most dishes.

Breakfast

Breakfast in Kosovo is simple, usually consisting of bread and cheese, ajvar or scrambled eggs, with milk. French toast is also eaten by people in Kosovo.

Homemade food

Homemade food is still preferred by Kosovar people. Although the new western influence pushes dhe new generation to eat out, Kosovars usually prefer to eat at home. Typical Kosovar meals are pilaf, pite (pie), paçë, beans with suxhuk (sausage) and sarma.

Sarma, peppers filled with kefir and cottage cheese, and pite.

Key ingredients

The key ingredient in most pastries is shorbet which is used as a topping. Shorbet consists of water boiled with sugar. Other ingredients used in most meat dishes are, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion, red pepper, black pepper, and salt.

Dairy products

Dairy products play a big role on the Kosovan diet, Sharri cheese, cottage cheese, cow milk, goat milk, goat cheese, are widely used and part of the Kosovo daily diet. The dairy products are all locally produced, and you can get some at local Farmers Markets.

Bread

The Somun is one of the most sold breads, which is used for breakfast, in some cities, you can find somun baked with Eggs and Suxhuk on top. Also Corn Bread is very popular in Kosovo, its called leqenik, usually it is filled with spinach, or cheese, but it is eaten without any filling as well.

Drinks

A glass of boza

Some popular drinks in Kosovo are boza, a malt drink made from maize and wheat, grape rakija is the most widespread varity of rakija in Kosovo, kompot, a drink made from pieces of fruits builed with sugars, is served during the start of autumn, when the seasonal fruits such as apples, quince are ripe.

Pastries

Baklava is also one of the most used pastries in Kosovo, as it is widely spread in the region. Kajmaçin is another pastry used in Kosovo, which is composed of baked eggs, mixed with sugar, and oil. Sheqer Pare, is a pastry similar to Baklava since it is topped with Sherbet. Also other pastries such as Kaqamak,Tespishte, Rovani, Tulluma, Pallaqinka are also a very popular breakfast in Kosovo, they are usually topped with Nutella, Cheese, or Honey. Shampite, Llokuma is served as a treat for children, and mostly as the first treat to guests on the days of Bayram are widely used as well.

Meat dishes

Tavë prizreni a traditional casserole of Ottoman legacy. It is cooked with lamb, eggplants, green peppers, onions, tomatoes and served hot. Suxhuk which consists of ground meat, usually beef, but in some non-muslim parts of Kosovo, it is also made with pork. Pleskavica, çofte, Sarma is a dish used for lunch, very frequently, it consists of meat wrapped with cabbage or grape leafs.

Tava e Prizrenit

Fish

The most used fish dishes constitute of fried freshwater fish, like Zander and Carp. A speciality is considered the tavë krapi, carp cooked in a pot, more widely used in cities around the Dukagjini valley, notably Đakovica because of its relation with Shkodra. The garnish is composed of garlic, bay leaf, tomato, parsley. The head of the carp is usually served to the main guest.