Traditional macedonian food

While traveling in Macedonia we tried quite many traditional Macedonian food. Restaurants in Macedonia are cheaper than in Europe.
Below is a list of the most common tradition meals that we tried in Macedonia alogn with our own opinion and places where we ate them.

Tavče gravče is one of the most popular meals in Macedonian restaurants. This traditional dish is prepared with fresh white beans first boiled and then cooked in oven in traditional earthenware pot along with onion and dry red pepper.

Our own opinion: it is really worth to try (or just excellent)
We ate it in Ohrid in restaurant “Вкусно” along the pedestrian street Goce Delchev for 100 Denar (~1.6 euro)

Kebapi – popular dish in all Balkan countries, that consists of grilled minced meat in the form of small sausages served with flat bread and onion. First we tried kebapi in Bosnia where they are called cevapi and we liked this simple, but very tasty dish.

Our own opinion: it is really worth to try (or just excellent)
We ate it in Ohrid in restaurant “Вкусно” along the pedestrian street Goce Delchev for 140 Denar (~2.3 euro). Portion include two flat breads, 10 sausages and onion. Recommend!

Pastrmalija called Macedonian pizza in jest is dough with meat, usually in the oval form. The word “pastrma” means dried salted meat of sheep gives this meal the name. Yeah, it may seem strange but there is nothing else beside pieces of meat on top of medium thickness dough. This is the only Macedonian dish in whose honor an annual festival "Pastrmajlijada" is held in the city of Stip.

Our own opinion: why not to try? (or simply good)
We ate it in the restaurant in Krusevo, but probably that was not the best place to try Pastrmalija. However we liked it and it was very nourishing; we hardly ate one Pastrmalija together.

Sarma means ‘something wrapped’ in Turkish. This dish has a lot of variation in different countries, but it is also one of the popular Macedonian meal that you will find in every restaurant. Usually sarma is made from grape leaves filled with minced meat mixed with rice and onion.

Our own opinion: this is a good and cheap dish worth trying
We ate it in Bitola in restaurant Grne, situated in the very beginning of the main pedestrian street Sirok Sokak.

Selsko meso is traditional Macedonian dish that is made of different pieces of meat (pork, beef, lamb) mixed with mushrooms and cooked in oven in earthenware pot.

Our own opinion: good food for those who like meat. Very stodge.
We ate it in Krusevo in the restaurant “Sape” situated in the center of the city, opposite hospital. We liked the food in the restaurant, portions were big and everything was tasty. However we were very disappointed because of the cockroaches….

Topeno Sirenje - is a pot of cheese cooked in oven in traditional earthenware. Usually, it is made of white soft cheese, like feta and semi-hard yellow cheese on top. Served with bread. It is said that the best Topeno Sirenje is made in Bitola.

Our own opinion: very unusual dish, very stodge
We ate it in Bitola in restaurant Grne, situated in the very beginning of the main pedestrian street Sirok Sokak.

Turli tava - mix of different vegetables, such as potatoes, eggplants, carrots, peppers and meat (usually used pork or lamb) baked in oven in traditional earthenware pot – tava. We read a lot about this meal but unfortunately didn’t find it in the menu of the restaurants that we visited.

Want something sweet? Try macedonian coffee with baklava.

Don't miss traditional lokum if you are planning your trip to Krusevo!