Gastronomy of our region
If you want to get to know the true, authentic Serbia, then you have to listen to the heartbeats of Serbia and come to Kragujevac! In addition to getting to know the rich history of our city and numerous anthropogenic and natural values, wake up your senses and feel the delicacy of the well-known specialties from Šumadija. Tradition of food and beverage production has been protected against oblivion primarily by the rural residents. However, lately, more and more citizens of Kragujevac from urban environment enjoy cultivating the tradition of producing and preparing gastronomic specialties according to the recipes of our ancestors. If you want to check the blessings of the native Šumadija region as well as the skills of the local chefs, visit some great taverns in Kragujevac.
Šumadija cuisine
The traditional meal in Šumadija begins with aperitif, a rakija served with Šumadijan snack, “while we wait” for the main course. The Sumadija snack combines the excellent offer of dried meat products, prosciutto, smoked ham, bacon, cheese, good salads and hot bread rolls/buns on plow and/or breads from various cereals. In addition to the appetizer, you will also be served with homemade gibanica or pie, with cheese, spinach, nettle, bliss, mushrooms or, for example, potatoes.
After good beef, chicken and even fish soup (and other seasoned specialties made on water or oil at the time of Fasting), in old city taverns, you can order a cooked cabbage and corn bread, sarma, a bean soup with dry ribs and a very good sarma (from intestines) with sour milk. Good roast meat, piglets and lambs, as well as veal under sač, are mandatory ingredients of the gastronomic menu of Sumadija.
A good meal should be rounded up with desserts, tasty plum pie, pancakes with walnuts, honey or jam, and also with other sweets like pastries and cakes for real gourmets.
International cuisine
Due to the arrival of business people from abroad, as well as tourists from all over the world, Kragujevac restaurateurs have been trying to satisfy the tastes of people from all the continents. The creation of the different menus was influenced primarily by guests from Italy and Western Europe. Asian cuisine is getting more and more popular, as well as American fast food chains. The richness of various tastes is complete, apart from food, with drinks, which will be prepared by well-trained chefs “educated” in the authentic kitchens of the world.
Pizza bars
Kragujevac, like most cities in Serbia, could always offer high-quality and the most diverse pizzas prepared and baked in wood stoves, but also in a more modern way. With the arrival of the Italians, due to the foundation of Fiat automobile factory, the offer has been significantly improved given that the experts of this Italian specialty have arrived in Šumadija. Apart from consuming food and well-chosen drinks in nicely decorated city pizza bars, guests can also choose and order pizzas for delivery.
Pastry shops
Good old pastry shops where cream pies, sham pies, tulumbas, flakes, baklavas, cookies, ice cream, lemonade and boza are served are still working, and as time passes, the interest in these treats does not decrease. However, Kragujevac has been known for years for the production of excellent cookies, cakes, cups, fruit desserts and ice creams of various flavors. The richness of taste and dessert arrangement, excellent ambient and service staff will complete the pleasure in one of the great city pastry shops, for everyone’s taste and budget.
Wine tourism
The Serbian Tuscany or the climate of the Šumadija region is exceptionally favorable for the production of grapes, that is, fruits and vegetables. In recent years, there is a growing selection of widely known wines from Sumadija. More and more wine grape plants and wine producers influence the increase of competitiveness on the market which affects the quality of wine. For people who enjoy good wines that are served by friendly hosts with adequate snacks, there are 2 wineries on the territory of Kragujevac, although there are more, but because of the bad infrastructure they are not accessible to tourists.
Rakija routes
Rakija tourist routes are completely new tourist product that satisfies the tastes of different groups of visitors. The trip program includes one-day and several-day excursions which include visits to the most important tourist sites as well as local distilleries with the tasting of different fruit rakijas and appropriate snacks.
* Visit to local distilleries has to be announced in advance.
Rural tourism
Preparation of healthy, and in the recent years, organic food, according to the recipes of our ancestors, is characteristic of the countryside. The rich cuisine of rural hosts leave many guests breathless. Warm bread, cream, cheese, homemade dried meat, soups, cooked meals, lamb and pork roast, veal under sač and a large selection of desserts that are almost forgotten in urban areas, like salčići, meringues, strudel, various kinds of pies, vanilla cookies and other cakes and sweets, will delight you with both appearance and fullness of taste.
In keeping with modern trends, which include a balanced diet, an increasing number of rural hosts prepare food for vegetarians and vegans.
