Macedonian Recipes

Macedonian food sits in the middle of the Balkans, and the cooking shows it: pies and sweets with an Ottoman accent, Mediterranean vegetables and a love of slow baking in clay dishes. Peppers are the signature ingredient, roasted and turned into ajvar each autumn, stuffed, or eaten fresh in salads. White brined cheese (sirenje) goes into pies, salads and breakfasts. Beans, especially the large white beans of the region, are baked in a clay dish as tavče gravče, often called the national dish. Pork, lamb and veal turn up in stews and on the grill, and yogurt goes with almost everything. Zelnik and other savory pies are made at home, while mekici (fried dough) are a popular breakfast. Sweets include syrup cakes, rice pudding and baklava. Meals often begin with rakija and meze, and the table is rarely small. Autumn is preserving season, when jars of ajvar, pickles and roasted peppers are put away for winter.

Staple ingredients

• peppers (roasted and fresh)
• white brined cheese (sirenje)
• white beans
• yogurt
• pork and lamb
• onions and garlic
• walnuts
• sunflower oil

• Breakfast 1
• Soups 1
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 6
• Breads 1
• Desserts 1
• Sauces, Dips and Condiments 1

Breakfast

• Mekici (Macedonian Fried Dough Puffs)MK50 minEasy

Soups

• Tarator (Macedonian Cold Yogurt and Cucumber Soup)MK15 minEasy

Salads

• Šopska Salata (Macedonian Tomato, Cucumber and White Cheese Salad)MK15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Musaka (Macedonian Potato and Ground Meat Casserole)MK1 h 45 minMedium
• Pastrmajlija (Macedonian Pork Flatbread)MK45 minMedium
• Tavče Gravče (Macedonian Baked Beans)MK2 h 20 minEasy
• Zelnik (Macedonian Spinach and Leek Pie)MK1 h 40 minMedium
• Selsko Meso (Macedonian Village-Style Pork with Mushrooms)MK2 h 10 minEasy
• Turli Tava (Macedonian Baked Lamb and Vegetable Casserole)MK2 h 55 minEasy

Breads

• Pogača (Macedonian Round White Bread)MK1 hMedium

Desserts

• Sutlijash (Macedonian Rice Pudding)MK1 hEasy

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

• Ajvar (Macedonian Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Spread)MK2 h 40 minMedium