The Serbian lunch caps the fine art of living

Ambassador Slobodan Marinkovic and his wife, Mira Gnjatovic. By Oh Sang-min

In Serbia during lunchtime you are required by law to doze off, trim your nostril hairs, redo your makeup, pick your teeth and eat - a lot. You are also required to gulp down a glass of rakija (fruit brandy) before lunch just to loosen up your tongue. Why? Because the Serbian lunch is very loooong by tradition and it’s customary for a meal to last for at least two hours. Now that’s what I call living.

So when I met Serbian Ambassador Slobodan Marinkovic to get a feel for Serbian cuisine it was no surprise when the ambassador energetically started pouring glasses of Kajsijevaca - apricot brandy.

“Even today in Serbia the ancient tradition of brewing your own rakija is still upheld, and every family has its own brew!” the ambassador said.

Feeling the warmth of the liquor gradually inching its way into my system, I then turned my attention to the table in the neighboring room where the feast was laid out. I got a good look at one of the dishes, which I would later learn was a spinach roll, a tangy blend of spinach and sour cream. There were also four tempting side dishes all there for the taking: Russian salad, eggs in sour cream, proya (a special Serbian corn bread with a light yellow shimmer) and a roasted pepper salad.

The only thing missing was the Serbian food that cannot be found in any conventional restaurant in the world - kajmak, or cheese made from unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk.

“It’s delicious and one of the oldest specialties from this region, the only one that cannot be made through industrial production without losing its flavor,” the ambassador explained, showing a tinge of disappointment about the absence of the dish.

The way he described it, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed, too, but I had too much other food on my mind to let that stop me from enjoying the meal to come.

Hunting cutlet

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my journey through the cuisines of the world, it’s never to focus too much on one dish. I only have so much space in my stomach, so focusing on just one thing makes me over commit and then there’s not enough room for the other goodies. So I usually taste a little bit of this and some of that and generally have no other choice but to leave something on the table (but always with apologies to the host)

My first impression from those very few bites: Hearty cuisine. Straight to the point. Even the wine, a white Young Moon 2006 and a red of the same brand, had a very strong flavor.

The roasted bell pepper salad is a combination of roasted red and green bell peppers to which vinegar and bits of garlic are added. The result is a slightly pungent taste that’s enough to whet your appetite.

In the various dishes presented, I also detected a love for sour cream, which, as the ambassador explained, is appropriate, because in Serbia dairy products are abundant, especially cheese and yogurt.

Another dish on the menu was chicken chowder, which is probably a perfect dish for the cold winter. It’s a nice broth with chicken chunks and vegetables. Easy on the stomach but still filling.

Roasted red bell pepper salad

But for me the highlight was the hunting cutlet with mushrooms. A thick brown sauce with mushrooms coated the meat, giving it a rich taste.

Throughout the meal, I also noted the abundance of various salads. There were four salads including Sopska salad, which is a mixture of tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, hot chili pepper and cheese.

Ambassador Marinkovic is the first ambassador of the newly crowned Republic of Serbia, which, following a referendum in 2006, was declared the legal successor to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.

South Korea’s diplomatic ties with Serbia and its preceding states go back to 1989 but there hasn’t been much bilateral trade or investment between the two. But that is an area the ambassador has set his sights on.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Serbia is the 3rd most attractive manufacturing location and ranks 7th as a services destination among 20 emerging economies. “Economic reforms since 2001 are still underway and we are hoping to catapult the country to new heights based on those reforms,” said the ambassador.

The country offers a corporate profit tax rate of 10 percent and a 10-year corporate profit tax exemption for investments of over 7 million euros ($10.5 million). In order to qualify for it, companies have to create at least 100 new jobs.

Serbia is located between Eastern and Western Europe, adjacent to Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, which provides a route to Western Europe and the Middle East.

That makes it a good location for a logistics base for international companies looking to access those areas.

“The main task is to improve economic relations. To improve and establish good economic relations, you establish communication between people. We have many people coming here from Serbia to visit and we hope to build on that,” the ambassador said.

By Brian Lee [africanu@joongang.co.kr]