Serbia | Charlotte's VVeb

Serbia’s EXIT Festival 2012: Line Up & Documentary

13/06/201206/03/2017 by Charlotte J

There’s just four week until Serbia’s EXIT festival! Running between Thursday 12th and Sunday 15th July in the Petrovaradin Fortress, overlooking the river Danube, EXIT is set to yet again be the most adventurous festival and best value for money in Europe! There’s going to be more than 600 artists, performing on 20 stages. A video documentary by DJ Broadcast and line up information below…

DJBroadcast presents: The States of Exit from DJBroadcast on Vimeo.

Line up:

Fusion Stage

Bosnian rapper Edo Maakja

Polish electro pop trio Kamp!

Serbian cult brand Block Out

Russian indie pop quartet Pompeya

Electro/indie mashup Twisted Piglet

Serbian band Hype!

Serbian punk act Goblini

Rap supergroup Sve Barabe

Regional phenomenon Lollobrigida

Rock band Jarboli

Crossover band dreDDup

Alt Rock band Grimus!

Seun Kuti

Egypt 80

Obojeni program

Električni orgazam

Death By Chocolate

IKA

Batucada Sound Machien

Dandelion Children

Dječaci

Zemlja gruva

Eyesburn

Suda Stage

Dutch Magazine

DJ Broadcast

BOEMKLATSCH RECORDS

Bar B More

Mike Mago

Nat 89

TWR72

Rip Tide

Pretty Young Trouble

Baskerville

Sound of the Russian Underground – various acts

Volkova Sisters

The Zombie Kids

Carlos Saez

Idemo na Mars

Banda Panda

It’s a Dubstep Thing

The Middle Beast

Playground Syndicate

More bands to be announced shortly.

Tickets from £89 + booking fee visit EXITfest.org for more details.

Getting there: JAT and Wizz Air both fly from the UK to Belgrade. Visit EXITtrip.org for more information on packages.

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Recipe: Balkan Ćevapčići Served with Ajvar

21/06/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

I can’t lie, ćevapčići is probably one of my favourite finds from Eastern Europe. The ground beef sausage shaped burgers are popular across Yugoslavia and are traditionally served with flat breads, kajmak and ajvar (more of my favourites!). The kind people at Cox & Kings recently sent me a jar of ajvar (an aubergine and red pepper condiment) they picked up while in the region, so I thought it was the perfect excuse to whip up my own ćevapi. I like to add a bit of an Ottoman twist with some cumin and coriander. Find out how to recreate memories from your time in the Balkans below…

Ingredients (serves 6 as a starter, 4 as a main)

500g mince beef

250g mince pork or veal

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp vegeta (optional)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

25g plain flour

10 tbsp rapeseed oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Mix the mince, spices, garlic and onion together in a bowl

Form into sausage shapes

Roll each sausage in plain flour

Put in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes

Heat the oil in a griddle pan and gently fry each ćevap

Place the ćevapi in an ovenproof dish and heat in the oven for 20 minutes

Serve with flatbreads, sour cream, ajvar, and salad

Of course if you don’t live in a studio flat and have the luxury of outside space (and the sun should appear) you can always barbecue the ćevapi instead!

The ajvar was courtesy of our friends at Cox & Kings who provide fabulous tailor-made holidays all over the world including Serbia and other East European destinations.

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Cycle Through South Eastern Serbia

25/01/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

As the avid readers of Charlotte’s VVeb will know, I visited Serbia for the first time last year and was blown away by its beauty, culture, food and drink – everything this website is about! If you aren’t so sure then perhaps consider taking an organised tour and I don’t mean a bus tour… There is a lot more to touring these days than coach trips! For example, Travel the Unknown organise incredible hiking and cycling tours through Serbia’s valleys and gorges. On such a tour you can discover the ghoulish skull tower of Niš, visit a 200 year old water mill, and stop off to rejuvenate your muscles in a Turkish bath.

Plus, you’ll have the chance to experience the cosmopolitan café culture of modern Belgrade and hike through remote regions of Serbia, sampling local wines, brandies, breads, meats and cheeses along the way. While overnight you will stay in small lodges (pensions) and discover true hospitality in a traditional rural homestay.

There are currently two dates set for these tours (22 to 29 April; and, 16 to 23 September); however, if these don’t suit you, contact the company and they will organise a trip to suit your individual needs. And if Serbia doesn’t take your fancy, Travel the Unknown offers lots of other touring experiences!

Find out more at Travel the Unknown

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Matevž Side Dish Recipe: Mashed Potato with Pancetta & Beans

14/01/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

This Balkan side dish is one of my absolute favourites. I’m not a fan of mashed potato but this is so much more than that. A mixture of potato, kidney and cannellini beans and pancetta this is simply truly delicious! Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make and goes well with meat, sausages, fish and salad.

Check out the recipe below…

Ingredients

600g maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

240g (1 tin) of cannellini beans

240g (1 tin) of red kidney beans

250g diced panetta

20g butter

150ml sour cream

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Instructions

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender (it should take about 20 minutes)

Meanwhile fry the pancetta until crispy

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan

Add the butter and sour cream and mash until smooth

Add the beans and pancetta into the potato and stir

Place in bowl to serve

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Want to Know What Tito Ate? You Need Tito’s Cookbook!

10/12/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

While I was in Belgrade I visited The House of Flowers, Tito’s Mausoleum. On entering the museum and while buying my entrance ticket I was excited to spy a copy of Tito’s Cookbook.

The book, written by Anja Drulovic is a compilation of Tito’s favourite recipes, alongside images of him meeting international dignitaries including Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and the Kennedys, famous actors such as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and even ruthless dictator, Saddam Hussein.

It’s certainly an interesting read, with some fantastic photographs. Priced at 3000 Serbian Dinar I think it’s well worth buying for those with an interest in food and history.

Tito’s Cookbook by Anja Drulovic

Published by Laguna

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Battle for Belgrade Souvenir Collection

07/12/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

Today the new collection of souvenirs in Belgrade Window, based on illustrations of Dusan Petričić will be revealed to the public. The new souvenir programme was named after a well-known Petricic poster Battle for Belgrade, which was made in 1983, as a result of his collaboration with Dusko Radovic, in one hand, and the City Bureau of Environmental Protection, on the other side. The centre of the painting revolves around the blue enemies of the city and its red defenders. Petričić even used the image of the then mayor of Belgrade, Nenad Bogdanovic, who was kidnapped by the blues and taken in a boat down the muddy Sava river. Petričić main idea was to actually draft one recognisable and most frequently used theme in Belgrade – the view from Zemun and New Belgrade side and to add it little events. The collection will be on view until 31 August 2011.

For more information visit KCP.org.rs

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Days of Austrian Films at the Belgrade Cultural Centre

08/10/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

Between the 14th and 20th of October, in the Cinema Hall of the Belgrade Cultural Centre, 12 Austrian films will be shown. The goal of the selection is to present the overview of the current situation in the Austrian cinematography, to indicate the thematic and genre diversity, as well as the multiculturalism, both in the Austrian film and in the everyday life of the country.

The motto of this event is, “The Others – That’s Who We Are” and was created as a result of the selected films, and not as a criterion for selection. The essence of what connects all the films is the willingness to take responsibility for the lives of those with whom we live with, and with whom we live next to, because this is the best way to defend our own integrity and thus we have a right to expect the others to help us, too.

Check out the programme below…

Thursday 14th October
21.00 The Counterfeiters / Die Fälscher, dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky, 99 min

Friday 15th October
19.00 UNIVERSALOVE, dir. Thomas Woschitz, 83 min
21.00 All the Invisible Things / Heile Welt, dir. Jakob M. Erwa, 89 min

Saturday 16th October
19.00 The First Day / Der erste Tag, dir. Andreas Prohaska, 88 min
21.00 The Bone Man / Der Knochenmann, dir. Wolfgang Murnberger, 117 min

Sunday 17th October
19.00 La Pivellina / The Little One, dir. Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel, 100 min
21.00 Mr. Kuka`s Advice / Herrn Kukas Empfehlungen, dir. Darius Gajewski, 85 min

Monday 18th October
19.00 Small Fish / Kleine Fische, dir. Marco Antoniazzi, 85 min
21.00 For a Moment, Freedom / Ein Augenblick Freiheit, dir. Arash T. Riahi, 110 min

Tuesday 19th October
19.00 RIMINI, dir. Peter Jaitz, 83 min
21.00 Reclaim Yor Brain! / Free Reiner – Dein Fernseher lügt, dir. Hans Weingartner, 130 min

Wednesday 20th October
21.00 The Robber / Der Räuber, dir. Benjamin Heisenberg, 90 min

For more information visit www.kcb.org.rs

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Serbian Roast Lamb with Oregano & Garlic Crust Recipe

29/09/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

When Serbs celebrate you can guarantee that they’ll either be eating roast pork or lamb. I decided to use my recent trip to Belgrade as inspiration to create a roast lamb dish. Here’s the recipe…

Ingredients

Leg or shoulder of lamb

50g butter

Generous handful of dried oregano

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 lemon, sliced

1 white onion, sliced

500ml lamb stock

50ml red wine

Instructions

Place sliced lemon and onion in a roasting tin

Mix the butter with the oregano and garlic

Use a sharp knife to make insertions into the lamb (this will aid the marinating process)

Slather the butter mixture onto the lamb

Pour in the wine and a little of the stock

Place the lamb in the roasting dish

Cover the tin with foil

(You’ll need to keep adding more stock to the tin every hour)

Put the tin in the oven on a low heat (about 140ºC) for at least three hours

After 2 1/2 hours remove the foil from the tin

Place lamb back in the oven for a final 30 minutes to brown the crust

Remove from the oven and allow lamb to rest before carving

Sieve the juices, stock etc. into a saucepan

Heat the stock until it has become concentrated into a thick jus

Serve the lamb with your choice of side dishes

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Restaurant Review: Zlatan Bokal in Skadarska, Belgrade

20/09/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

Skadarska is considered the bohemian quarter of Belgrade. Beware the cobbled street, it is certainly not the easiest to walk along, but this small part of Belgrade is THE place to spend your evenings. There is a variety of restaurants in Skadarska with everything from pizza and pasta, to more traditional dishes. There was something about Zlatan Bokal, perhaps it was the ornate wrought iron, the draping canopies not out of place at an Ancient Roman feast, or indeed the large tree which protruded both through the floor and roof which the waiters effortlessly worked around, but it caught my eye and I knew that was where I had to enjoy my final meal in Belgrade.

This is not the sort of restaurant which is particularly geared up for tourists, although it does have a menu in English for those who do not speak fluent Serbian. My advice would be to share a few starters such as gibanica – filo pastry stuffed with salty cheese – and fried kashkaval cheese – better than any mozzarella – both of which really tickle the taste buds.

Then it’s on to the main course… The traditional Vojvodina speciality is not to be missed. Love meat, love bacon, love cheese? Choose this tender, juicy dish and eat with a side portion of the world’s best chips (French fries). Alternatively, for utter showmanship then opt for the ražnjići. When the waiter arrives holding the plate of pork skewers and proceeds to not place it in front of you, I’ll be honest, it does leave one utterly puzzled! However, he then places a plate on top, and quite dramatically, removes the meat from the skewer in one swoop. Impressive to say the least! Enjoy with the grilled peppers (served with lashing of garlic) for a positively divine meal. Wash down your meal with the red wine of the house in abundance! I can promise on leaving Zlatan Bokal, you’ll leave feeling, full, content and satisfied.

Zlatan Bokal, Skadarska 26, Beograd, Srbija
Tel: 011 3234 834

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Sightseeing Highlights from Belgrade, Serbia

13/09/201023/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Here is a tourist’s guide to the top 20 sights in Serbia’s capital city, Belgrade

Trg Republik

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Main square in city centre