My epic return to Belgrade : the key to my heart (and stomach)

Good Morning everyone! Thank you for checking out the very first post of my new food/ cooking/ travel blog Nom and Nommer! If you weren’t aware already the universal term ‘nom’ can be defined as the following:

1. The act of eating (verb)

“I am totally going to nom this burrito right now.”

 2. A sound to express satisfaction through eating (noun)

(eating said burrito) “nom nom nom” 

3. Used to describe something particularly delicious (adjective)

“Wow, this burrito is so nom!“

I decided to start this blog because I felt it was important to share my amazingly tasty life experiences with you fine people of the world, and let’s be honest…no one wants to see my posts of cupcakes on Facebook anymore…

So I thought where better to start than my new home of Belgrade, Serbia? Now, I moved to Belgrade last March to move in with Milan, my long distance boyfriend of many years. However due to his unforeseen extended work contract abroad, I was left to fend for myself in a foreign land for the remainder of the year! But as beautifully mysterious as life tends to be, I was given the opportunity to learn and experience so much and perhaps more importantly, try every kind of new food I could get my paws on. Luckily I was not alone in this venture. My boyfriend’s sister (and fellow self proclaimed foodie), his extended Serbian family and a few of my new local friends became the kajmak to my Ćevapčići or as we would say in the States “the peanut butter to my jelly.”

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Let’s first take a walk down memory lane….it was summer 2013 and my first trip to Serbia. Oh how cute and naiive I was to the immense amount of Serbian cuisine heading my way. (see below: me enjoying IceBox on Knez Mihailova Street)

Emily….Emily….Emily….I think I gained 6 lbs after being introduced to Gibanica alone. Needless to say I had already fallen madly in love with all that Serbia and the capital city of Belgrade had to nom on.

Fast forward to Slava fall 2015….

    

Did I mention this is a judgement free blog? I partially believe that the table is strategically placed next to the couch for obvious reasons. Look at me, clearly time has made me none the wiser but it certainly has only increased my interest in traditional Serbian food as well as the more modern places that are popping up all over this incredible city.

Which brings me to the main reason we are here: what the hell am I nomming?

Upon my epic return to Serbia, I felt it was only necessary to go straight to Maxi to buy Smoki, Jaffa napolitanke, and Imlek chocolate milk (basically the Serbian starter kit). I mean have you tried this chocolate milk?! It’s literally like heaven in a bottle. I’ve also recently formed an obsession with chocolate and orange anything which Jaffa fulfills every time. Smoki….don’t even get me started with Smoki. These little puffy peanut crisps are the only reason I venture into the snack section. Just nom.

The next morning Milan flew in which meant no more snacking around, the real eating was about to begin. Burek for breakfast at the local Pekara (Serbian bakery) was a given. Flakey phylo pastry pie layered with all your hopes and dreams (in this case loads of cheese and egg) accompanied by plain drinkable yogurt. It might leave someone whose new to Serbia full for the remainder of the day, because if you haven’t tried it before it’s that filling and good. In our case of experienced nomming however, our cravings didn’t stop there…

Our first night ritual in Borča will always and forever include Piccolo Pizza. Now I know some of you reading this might not agree that Borča is a part of Belgrade or believe it’s a boring suburban village stuck in the sweaty underbelly of the city… WELL you should know there are fabulous food joints such as Piccolo that are worth the 30 minute trek outside of the city center for. There is something about pizza in Serbia that is completely unique to anything I’ve ever had before. Typically the country standard is “Capricciosa” light tomato sauce with mozzarella (or other white cheese), ham, mushroom, and at times artichokes. At Piccolo they specialize in enormous capricciosa pizzas with beautifully braided crusts topped with sesame seeds. Other toppings come once you have placed your order, such as and not limited to : ketchup, hot sauce, a meat and pavlaka spread and so on. Typically we are partial to ketchup alone but I have tried all three and they are all amazing. These giant pizza are a mere 470 dinars ($4.18USD) and the place is open 24 hours a day (did I express already that I love Serbia?) where I have seen people enjoying a slice as early as six in the morning. That’s how you know it’s worth it.

The following day we took a trip to Ušće shopping center to stock up on all the provisions we were lacking at home. As luck would have it the sun appeared and I could think of no better way to spend the rest of our afternoon than by taking a leisurely stroll at Zemun Kej (wharf), a promenade on other side of the Danube River where restaurant/ club boats or Splavs line the bank and where tasty food can always be found. Our internal food GPS was set for Keops a franchised splav that specializes solely in palačinke (Crêpes). Salty, sweet, and everything in-between, you name it and they can probably put it in a crêpe. Keops is one of my favorite spots in Belgrade for palačinke because their presentation and quality compliments their open patio layout and reasonable price. This day in particular however was special as it was my first experience of a deep fried crêpe. Yes you heard that correctly. Deep. Fried. Crêpe. The #5 as it can be referred to is a fried crêpe stuffed with cheese, ham and mushroom sauce, topped oddly but perfectly enough with a tangy tartar sauce. Imagine the summer carnivals you would attend during childhood, it tastes something like that. Oh. my. nom. Naturally we ordered a sweet crepe of chocolate nougat, peaches, and vanilla ice cream to cleanse out pallets.  I later asked Milan if he thought it might be possible if they could deep fry the sweet pancakes as well to which he winked at me and said we would have to return soon to find out (you can see why I love him right?).

#5 Salty Fried Crêpe

#43 Sweet Peach Crêpe

I’m stuffed just looking back on all of these photos…

Ironically enough, both Milan and I agreed to put the breaks on our crazed food endeavors and expanding waistlines until we have both re acclimated to our new lives in Belgrade. On the flip side this means that I will be sniffing out and sharing with you all at least one new or special place / food to eat per week in the Belgrade area and beyond. As we all know life is unfortunately not about instant gratification. Delicious noms however are always worth the wait.

Are you hungry yet??

 

Restaurant Information:

Piccolo Pizza                                                                                                                                          Address: Bratstva i jedinstva 1a, (Zrenjaninski put) Borča, Belgrade 11211                 Phone:011 332857                                                       

Keops

Address: Bulevar Nikole Tesle bb, Belgrade 11000

Phone:060 6089000

also located at Ušće Shopping Center

*and they deliver!*