A Serbian Delight The Balkan Burger

Serbian food isn't well known in th e States unless you're in a Serbian or Bosnian American neighborhood. Te thing is is that you're missing out on good food if you haven't tried it. Yesterdays' New York Times Dining section was all about some specialties of the former Yugoslav Republic. One was the pljeskavica, the Balkan version of a burger.

The article, again another one expertly written by Dining regular , Julia Moskin, tells about some interesting and tasty Balkan foods. The most famous , of course is the pljeskavica. This is a mammoth sized hamburger made with not only ground beef but also lamb and pork and served on a light , fluffy pita. It also has sparkling water along with chopped onions and paprika added to it to give it its' distinct flavor and body. Every Serb and Bosnian has a different spin on the recipe but it amounts to a great flavor . There are several different toppings that can be served with the hamburger. One is ajvar a red pepper and eggplant mix. Another topping is kajmak, a butter and cream cheese spread that's served a a dipping sauce with the pljeskavica.

The meat can also be rolled into sausage like shapes called cevapis. These are usually made with ground beef or pork, and then kneaded to make the meat hold together smoothly. They can also be extruded through a funnel. Afterwards they are grilled and served with white bread and pepper. The name derives from the Turkish kabob and they can also be found in Turkey as well as Macedonia and Romania..

Balkan food is one of Europe's best kept secrets . Take some time and uncover these phenomenal meat specialties of pljeskavica and cevapis . They are delicious and filling, a familiar form of ground beef or pork in an exotic new way.