Former traditional transferring of recipes and cooking techniques from generation to generation, slowly disappears. Today, the so-called “Granny’s Kitchen” mainly exists in the literature. The former “slow cooking” (dishes simmering all day) is replaced by the instant varieties where most preparations last an hour. Thanks to the times we live in, for today’s housewife cooking meals is more of a hobby, additional activity besides every-day duties.

Thanks to the modern ways of communication such as the Internet, now we have the ability to follow the latest trends in this field and to apply them on the local level. The most used trends are the combination of two or more flavors, that makes our every-day table even more interesting. In professional cookery we are trying to expand the range with a combination of different textures. With the advent of molecular gastronomy we have the opportunity to further expand our current understanding of food preparation. Thanks to individuals who dared to deviate from the classic cuisine and introduce new elements, we have a renaissance in this area. Unfortunately, in our country, we miss a lot of practice and new techniques to fully understand and apply this new elements. To what extent we will accept these innovations depends on us and our culture diet. We hope that this book will start moving those limits.

What is the national cuisine?

There is no strict boundary between the two regions, two types of cuisine. This transition is gradual and appears first as a slight tint and then, at the other end it take over the domination. Thanks to our turbulent history, we have had two major effects: Turkish (Oriental) and the Austrian (Western).

In this book we wish to introduce a new perspective on some of the dishes that are related to our area and to give our version of them. We used the foods that are traditionally present in this region, but we dared to use some slightly more exotic elements of other cuisines from different parts of the world. In our recipes we have tried to explain our creations the best we could, but the most important spice that will give the soul to this dishes is your in love with cooking. We will be pleased if these recipes, or some parts of them, start your creativity and your imagination.

Cooking is “in”

Cookery is a passion. Passion, that in their art, uses nature as a basis, its abundance and diversity. Respect for the basic ingredients (materia prima) and knowledge of proper techniques for their use are the basis of a good meal. Modern kitchen leaves nothing to the chance, it studies each process during storage in details and correct any mistakes in it. It is necessary to have a pioneering spirit, which will be criticizing every stage of preparation. Inspiration should be channeled by experience, focusing on making the most of the food. Depending on your love and commitment to cooking, we transform that fruits of the nature into meals that are often called art. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and cooking enthusiasts, except visual effect, will add to their creations a seductive fragrance and harmony of flavors.

Our advice:

• The quality of basic foods is our best ally – find a professional who knows and loves his job.
• Do not save the effort and imagination. Small details are an important part of the composition.
• It is necessary to know the recipe of the dishes that we are about to prepare and to have prepared all the necessary foods.
• It is important that we have kitchen well organized, clean and possess the necessary kitchen appliances.
• We use high quality pots and pans with thick bottoms.
• From time to time check the taste of the meal you are preparing in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.
• Select the appropriate wine to complement the meal experience.
• Dine ambiance is an additional factor of our enjoyment, make it more beautiful.