This is picturesque story on the dignity of the inhabitants of Serbia, about simplicity taken as an everyday routine, and today as a matter of pride, people’s modesty and authenticity enforcing life as it once was… so to look to the Future ....

Yugoslavia had experienced the fastest deregulation in the world due to migration of 8 million people that have moved from villages to cities in the last 50 years of the 20th century. Significant changes have happened in the Serbian villages in the period after the Second World War, but they are however the part of universal modernization, industrialization and urbanization. Such a process in the other parts of the world and Europe had lasted for approximately 150 years. Migrations have continued even unwillingly in the last decade of the 20th century when the war “brought” approximately 600.000 people to Serbia from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo and Metohija. Unfortunately this population had to settle both in the urban and rural areas of Serbia, significantly changing the social structures.After seven years of peace, stability and regime change, Serbia is once again popular with tourists, resurfacing as a wonderful country of great contrasts, hospitable people and superb value. It is Looking to the Future and differentiating itself from its neighbors. To overcome painful transition process Serbian tourism in particular has the power to boost economic development and employment in rural areas. Today Serbia has 5,113,000 hectares of agricultural land or 0.68 hectares per inhabitant. 4,252,000 hectares of that land are under cultivation or 0.57 hectares per person. Until the transitional changes at the end of 20th century 85% of households were in private ownership, and now almost all areas under the cultivation are privatized /it is estimated that only 400,000 hectares are in the government ownership/. Active agricultural population according to the census at the end of nineties counted near million people and the estimations show that Serbia has 778,000 agricultural households. Most of them located in remote eco-places and rather underdeveloped /preserving traditional customs and thus reinforcing values such as tolerance and solidarity/ might be a real challenge of tourism concern turned into authentic tourist attractions. “Eco villages are the newest and most potent kind of intentional community. They confirm profound truth : Human life is at its best in small supportive, healthy communities. The only sustainable path for humanity is in the recovery and refinement of traditional community life”. Dr Roberts J. Rosenthal, professor of Philosophy, Hanover CollegeSustainable rural development strategy is created, based on demographic, natural, economical and socio-cultural potentials engaging villages and agriculture as the economy pillars of country’s survival and well-being to fight against depopulated villages usually treated as producers of cheap food. The pattern of social development is clearly recognized that enables farmers’ larger incomes, making the most of Serbia is good for business. Young Serbian farmers strive towards education that would provide their visions and expectations for the future of Serbian farming, once the part of European farming, as organic food producers and as important players in rural communities both in terms of the rural economy and the preservation of landscapes. Today, Serbia is looking for a new identity developing nature and rural tourism and those tourism attractors associated with the wealth of resources including National Parks, Mountains and Lakes, and rivers. National Parks and the Danube winding through Serbia and wilderness areas, right in the middle of Europe, ranks amongst the incredible tourist potentials on a high scale and grandeur. Often hidden, there are distinctive places of outstanding natural beauty

and tremendous experiences awaiting the visitor demanding something different such is Serbia’s spectacular cultural heritage in its ancient archaeological sights dating back 7000 years ago and medieval Monasteries housing frescoes and icons as unique masterpieces of culture and architecture. Leisure segments in the countryside also include both soft and extreme sports from skiing at Kapoanik, to hiking, cycling, bird-watching, fishing, and hunting. Eco tourism has potential and is where the private sector is beginning to make impressive investments (e.g. the “Sarganska osmica” narrow-gouge railroad and ethno-village built by famous film director Emir Kusturica or the Sirogojno ethno village and the Open-air museum "Staro selo" or the magic Greenways/Trails in Tara and untouched Nova Varos-Uvac Natural reservation, Ivanjica, Golija Natural reservation and Prijepolje areas). However understanding that active local participation in the planning process and in operations management is essential in order to achieve the goals of eco-tourism, so must be sustainable both environmentally and socially. The quality of the environment is a major factor in determining the success of an area as a destination. When people visit the countryside, they want to escape to a pristine natural environment. This is one of Serbian huge advantage !Promoting and supporting the food and wine offers as both part of Short Breaks and as a major attractor in its own right. Developing Wine Tourism is one of the fastest ways to changing the country’s image given the appeal of this type of “touch and feel” tourism. Similarly integrating the distinctiveness of Serbia’s foods and unique cordiality of people into tourism offers is an imperative for today’s tourists.

SERBIAN FOLKLORE

Serbia: Ethnic Dress in the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries

Within the rich creative work of the Serbian population related to textiles — due to their role in everyday life and in providing ethnic identity as well as to their visual and aesthetic values — ethnic dress is one of the most valuable and beautiful creations of its cultural heritage. It is mostly known on the basis of preserved collections of clothing items from the 19th and the first decades of the 20th centuries, characterised by a great variety of forms, trimmings, ornaments and colours. The wealth is obvious in men’s clothes, but especially so in women’s clothes, both of which were created as a result of the collective understanding of belonging to the community accompanied by a demonstration of individual leanings and skills based on heritage and tradition. A distinct diversity of clothing items spread as a mosaic from one area to another, with each region being characterised by its different clothes, with a manifold role and meaning. Apart from its primary function of protecting the body in different climatic conditions and its role of adorning the persons wearing it, the dress was not only a telltale sign of a person’s origin, but also, especially in ethnically mixed communities, of the ethnic group they belonged to. From earliest times clothes were used to indicate class, social and professional status, with some elements also having ritual and magical meanings.

The knowledge of the characteristics of the traditional dress is based on material evidence from the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries. As for the earlier periods in the history of the peasant dress in Serbia, they are much less known due to scarcity of material evidence and other data, the same as in most countries of South East Europe, i.e. the Balkans. However, fragmentary evidence from some of the earlier centuries (archaeological findings, written and visual sources) and the known course of historical, social and cultural events make it possible to shed some light on the origins of some of the items of clothing worn in the 19th and 20th centuries but they rarely allow for a reconstruction of individual wholes from past epochs.

In the process of getting an insight into the development of ethnic dress and of interpreting and acquiring comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics of garments of the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries it is impossible not take note of the ancient Balkan, Byzantine, mediaeval Serbian, Turkish-Oriental and relatively recent European layers along with the basic old Slavonic, i.e. old Serbian, tradition. To a greater or lesser extent, all these cultural influences, whose penetration and expansion were linked to historical events — which in some periods resulted in smaller or greater-scale migrations of the population — affected clothes as well. Thus, beside the marks of the time at which they were created and worn, there are also traces from previous times. Apart from the cultural-historical factors at work through time and space, the creation of dress features was greatly affected by the nature of the terrain and climatic conditions favourable to the development of one or several types of economic activities, whose products made up the basis of life and all other accompanying elements.

The culture of the people living in the mountains, who were mostly cattle-breeders, the culture of the people living in the lowlands, who were farmers, and the culture of the people living in the areas with

both hills and lowlands, where they embraced both cattle-breeding and farming, led to the creation of distinct forms of clothing. All this was transposed in original ways bygenerations of anonymous creators, who demonstrated creativity, knowledge and experience in fashioning style of dress patterns well adapted to the living conditions and the environment. In line with the obtaining division of labour in family communes, clothes for household members, except a few items of clothing and jewellery made by artisans, were almost totally made by women. Their job included growing the needed plants and processing them, dyeing, weaving linen and woollen cloth, knitting, sewing, decorating clothing with embroidery, lace and other trimmings. Experience, tradition and skill were passed on from generation to generation.

An analysis of the variety of clothes shows certain peculiarities concerning the combination of functional, visual and aesthetic characteristics present in several areas. The same economic activities, or very similar ones, which were determined by geographic features and the same or similar historical, social and cultural development, led to the creation of similar items of clothing within larger cultural-geographical areas, such as the Central Balkan, Dinaric and Pannonian ones. Given the availability of materials for making and adorning clothes, the cuts, manner of adornment and the tradition of dress styles and cultural layers, each area saw the emergence of many variants, which, on the one hand, bore the basic characteristics of the dress type to which they belonged and, on the other, showed greater or lesser regional and local differences both among the majority Serbian population and among the ethnic minority communities. It is important to note that the spread of the basic types of dress was not strictly limited but that there were transitional belts between them, where the features from the neighbouring areas were intermingled. Also, the cultural-geographical areas spread not just throughout Serbia but also throughout the neighbouring states of the Balkan, Pannonian, Dinaric and Mediterranean regions, where Serbs lived together with other peoples and wore the dress of the said typological groups.

The Central Balkan areaThe ethnic dress of the Central Balkan area in Serbia is found in its eastern and southern parts and the regions of Kosovo, Metohija and Rascia. This large territory comprises lowlands, hills and mountains, and the dress is a combination of elements typical of both farmers and cattle-breeders, with traits of the old Slavonic, old Balkan, mediaeval Serbian culture of the Byzantine layer and Turkish-Oriental culture. It is characterised by an elongated visual form of clothes items, a profusion of subtle and luxurious adornments of perfect workmanship and a fine harmony of colours. In all the parts, apart from the common content and visual features, the dress has a number of regional and local differences, with some of these serving to show ethnic origins. The common features up to the first decades of the 20th century were almost identical kinds of homemade materials — mostly hemp, flax and cotton fabrics, white and dark brown sukno (rolled woollen cloth), woollen and flax cloths, often with stripes and finely arranged tiny geometrical ornaments woven into them, as well as processed and non-processed skins. Some factory-made fabrics were also used along with products of Oriental origins.

Despite great differences in their appearance, the cut of the Serbian linen and various woollen and rolled woollen cloth chemises is mostly the same or very similar. In all regions, a straight-lined tunic with sleeves is the basic outer and inner chemise. Almost everywhere the long women’s tunic is the same width, with one or two wedge-shaped inlets at the sides, except in Kosovo, Metohija and Rascia (the centres of Serbia’s statehood in the Middle Ages), where the tunic was transformed into a wide bell-shaped dress with ten or more wedge-shaped inlets. This transformed item of clothing, with excessively lush embroidery, which is also found in other parts and on other objects, and the harmony of ornaments, shows traits of the mediaeval textiles of the Serbian nobility’s attire.

Embroidery of perfect workmanship, showing a refined knack for combining various shapes of geometrical as well as stylised floral ornaments, is applied to the visible parts of the tunic — the sleeves, the collared front and the edges. The embroidered motifs are usually free, but there are also some instances of counted-thread embroidery. Embroidery was done in wool yarn, very often dyed various hues of red. In some regions, the red dye is the only one used, whereas in others it is combined with other colours or silver and gold threads, with an addition of beads, spangles and tassels. Unlike this predominantly red and silver thread ornament, which covers the bodice and the sleeves of the tunic and is mostly characteristic of southern parts, polychrome embroidery of light and dark hues and applied more discreetly was used to adorn tunics in other areas. Another item of garment which significantly defines women’s clothes in the Central Balkan area in terms of typology is the skirt, formed from two halves joined together horizontally, creased and open along the whole length. Girls, brides and married women equally wore it. It has two basic variants. Bojce, zaprega (a short women’s skirt, open along the whole length), which only covers the thighs and reaches down to the knees, adorned with embroidery or patterns of many colours woven into it, is found in Kosovo, Metohija and Rascia. Another type, futa, vutara (a much longer skirt), which reaches almost

to the edge of the tunic, open along the whole length, with striped ornaments, was widespread in most other parts of the Central Balkan area. At the same time, sukman, litak, manovil (a sleeveless dress), made from black dyed woollen cloth or, in its summer variety, from hemp cloth, and richly decorated, gave a distinct look to the South East Serbian dress. This dress, which is also known among other Slavonic peoples, is believed to be of old Slavonic origin.The essential parts of the apparel are a woven sash and a woollen apron, adorned with geometric patterns woven or, less frequently, embroidered, into the items as they were being made. The apron was attached only at the front, except in some parts of North East Serbia, where Walachian women, following an old tradition, also wore a back apron, decorated with long woollen tassels. Wearing two aprons over the tunic is also characteristic of the Albanian women’s apparel, whose general look is dominated by woven geometric ornaments and dark colours.Of the outerwear clothes worn in summer, and some only in winter, highly widespread were a short jelek (waistcoat), a longer zubun (women’s sleeveless dress open at the front), a long rolled woollen cloth dress with sleeves and gunj (a women’s and men’s chemise with long sleeves, a kind of jacket made from rolled woollen cloth), white or brown, waist-long, all of them edged with braids. Of all these kinds of upper body clothes items, all of which comprised certain local visual and decorative peculiarities, the most beautifully decorated one was the zubun, made from white rolled woollen cloth, reaching to the knees and open at the front. Along with geometric ornaments, there is an abundance of embroidered stylised floral motifs, dyed cloth appliqués, sometimes with tassels and fringes added. Zubuns with rich floral motifs embroidered using red woollen yarn and including a tree of life motif, as well as zubuns found in other places with similar floral shapes made from black or dark brown woollen thread with circular red cloth patches sewn on, or zubuns with embroidery in relief of subtly composed geometric patterns in different hues of red, and zubuns with discreet polychrome embroidered or cloth appliqués, all demonstrate the high achievements of the local artisanship rooted in the tradition of mediaeval values.

One of the prominent features of the Central Balkan region is the headwear, most commonly the trvelji (two plaits made by weaving woollen strands together), which married women weave into their hair and fold by the ears. In some parts natural hair was used in a similar way. Hair done in this way was then covered with towels and hats with a shorter or longer flap at the back. Girls, with their hair sporting one, two or three plaits, wore a small red hat or scarf. Brides wore plaits of a different kind, richly adorned with flowers, pearl strings, silver coins and other trimmings, which, apart from being decorative, also had an apotropaic role. Beside the jewellery for adorning the hair and the headwear (earrings, hairpins, frontlets, diadems) and various types of necklaces, breast ornaments, bracelets and rings used with festive clothes, also highly widespread were pafte (bigger or smaller ornamental clasps for a woman’s sash), made of silver or gilded.

Unlike women’s clothes, which display a large variety of forms and ornaments, men’s garments worn by peasants in the Central Balkan area show more unified features. Apart from a linen tunic and pants worn in summer in flatter areas, the typical dress comprised a chemise, with several chemises being worn in winter in layers. The chemise of the 19th century was made from white rolled woollen cloth. This was retained in some parts of Eastern Serbia as well as among the Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija until the first quarter of the 20th century, which was not the case in most other areas, where, in the second half of the 19th century, brown and black rolled woollen cloth was increasingly used.

Apart from the tunic, which had a cut and adornments similar to those of the women’s tunic, the most widespread items of clothing were the rolled woollen cloth dzamadan (a sleeveless waistcoat, with overlapping fronts), waistcoats of different lengths, open at the front, and, of the winter chemises, a gunj with sleeves, also of varying lengths and variously called in different areas.Along with the woven woollen sash, mostly striped, the other indispensable item of woollen cloth garments, adorned with black woollen braids, was caksire (breeches), with a relatively tight seat and legs. Scholars believe this type of rolled woollen cloth trousers, along with the braids, to be of old Balkan origins. Also worn were items of Oriental origin: caksire with creases and a looser seat, a trabolos (a men’s silk sash of many colours), and a silav (a men’s leather belt with pockets).The dress worn on special occasions and made of homemade rolled woollen cloth (sukno) or brown sajak (factory-made cloth) and dark blue factory-made heavy-duty cloth (coha) was mostly adorned with a custek (a men’s piece of jewellery of stringed pearls or made of silver and shaped by an artisan).The headgear included a black woollen hat, a lamb fleece hat, a cilav or custah (a shallow white rolled woollen cloth hat) and, in some areas, a fez (a red men’s hat). It was usual to wrap a cotton towel around the hat or, in winter, a

woven woollen scarf. At the end of the 19th century, Serbs started wearing a sajkaca (a stout cloth military hat), which, like a kece (a men’s white rolled woollen cloth cap) of the Albanians, is still being worn as a sign of ethnic identity at the beginning of the 21st century.Both men’s and women’s clothes are characterised by richly decorated knitted woollen socks and shallow opanci, either made at home or by a craftsman.In almost all areas, a rolled woollen cloth cloak with sleeves or a wide, semicircular hooded cape was worn over the other garments.

The Dinaric areaThe Dinaric cultural and geographic area includes several locations in South West Serbia. In keeping with the natural mountain conditions, sheep breeding was the main economic activity, to which the whole style of life was adapted. The traditional dress was mostly made from wool. After being woven, homemade woollen cloth was taken to special presses, of which there were many at mountain streams. This processed woollen cloth (sukno) was naturally white or brown and was also dyed red. Strict rules were observed when combining different items of woolen cloth, fabrics and knitwear. Ornaments are geometric and floral. The use of three basic colors — white, dark Grey and dark red — gives a special character to both the women’s dress in its variants and the more uniform men’s dress. The basic item of both men’s and women’s dress is the tunic made from homemade hemp, flax and, from the end of the 19th century, cotton fabrics. Made from a single piece of thin cloth folded over the shoulders, the tunic has wedged inlets and flat, broad sleeves. A women’s long tunic is richly ornamented with finely spun wool or, sometimes, cotton. Men’s tunics, which are shorter than women’s, are decorated in a more discreet manner and, apart from red and black embroidery, they have white, hollow appliqués of flax or cotton thread.Along with the indispensable woven woollen sash, both girls and women attach to the tunic a narrow, elongated and rectangular apron, striped or sometimes with horizontal rows of plant motifs. These three items of clothing, with the addition of a short rolled woollen cloth (sukno), heavy-duty cloth (coha) or corduroy waistcoat, with discreet braids and silver thread embroidery, were the basic parts of summer wardrobe.The outfit is supplemented with a long zubun jacket of white or dark red rolled woollen cloth and, in winter, a gunj of dark grey woollen cloth and a long white dress with sleeves and made from one piece of cloth. The visually rich adornment makes the white zubun stand out. The upper half of the back is completely covered with black woollen thread embroidery in the form of snail-like curves and spirals, stylistically akin to mediaeval tombstone ornaments. The ornaments on the skirts of the zubun, unlike the geometric pattern on the back, are stylised black woollen or silver thread flowers. It is a well-known fact that no girl in the past could get married until she had embroidered a zubun for herself to prove she had mastered handicraft.

An expressive embroidered ornament of dark red and black woollen thread appears on the bridal hat, which had a long flap at the back. Girls, with their hair divided into two plaits making a wreath around the head, wear a shallow red cap, while married women wrap a scarf around it. Of the jewellery made by silversmiths, most used were a flower-shaped hatpin, necklaces and sash clasps (pafte). Men’s outfit, apart from a linen tunic and pants and an outer black or dark grey rolled woollen cloth chemise, was marked by white or dark grey pelengiri (a kind of wider men’s pants made of unrolled woollen cloth). They are without ornaments, unlike a gunjic (a short waistcoat), which is open at the front, and the dzamadan, whose halves overlap, both of which, like the gunj with sleeves, have braids along the edges. This white-dark grey outfit is supplemented with a woollen sash of many colours, a red shallow hat, with a red woollen shawl wrapped around it in winter like the Oriental headband, then, on festive occasions, with a jelek with toke (silver buttons and platelets sewn in rows on the men’s waistcoat bodice as ornaments), a leather belt called silav, and, on top of all this, a red rolled woollen cloth hooded cloak.

There were changes, beginning from the end of the 19th century, under the influence of urban and military dress. Factory-made fabrics increasingly replaced homemade rolled woollen cloth (sukno), women start wearing long skirts of modern cuts and men start wearing the sajkaca and military style trousers, both to become representative of the men’s ethnic dress throughout Serbia in the first half of the 20th century.

The Pannonian areaThe ethnic dress of the Pannonian cultural-geographic area is found in the northern part of Serbia. In the southern belt with several regions, with Sumadija and Kolubara in the centre, the dress is permeated with Central Balkan and Dinaric elements, with the Serbian 19th century urban and military dress showing its influence as well. In the rest of the Pannonian area — in Vojvodina — the dress was exposed to Central European influences and

styles, especially during the Baroque period, and, from the end of the 19th century, to the civilian fashions within the European framework. Also significant are old Slavonic elements, which have been best preserved in the Pannonian region.In this predominantly lowland area, showing complex cultural intermingling, the fertility of the soil, with an abundance of corn and other crops, provided economic wellbeing for the population, which was reflected in all areas of life and contributed to a flamboyant variety of dress forms, decoration and colours. Heavily creased linen garments, worn both in summer and winter, give an impression of lightness and liveliness. Rolled woollen cloth and leather items of clothing are of a broad cut, which perfectly fits the manner in which work is done in the lowlands. Plant motifs are rife, and so are geometric forms of the multicoloured, white and golden appearance of woven and embroidered items, mostly light in colour.Several kinds of fabric were used to make clothes, with a cotton fabric of airy lightness and a half-silk or fine cotton fabric with vertical stripes standing out because of the excellence of the weaving process. From the second half of the 19th century, apart from homemade fabrics, white, dark brown and black rolled woollen cloth (sukno), sheepskins with the fleece, woollen and cotton yarns, gold and silver thread for weaving and decoration, also used were factory-made cloths, which promoted the cuts of the European urban fashions.The women’s dress of the older 19th century layer, which is found in several variants, is characterised by a long, heavily creased tunic, made from two rectangular halves of material, with wide sleeves starting from the neckline. Embroidered plant motifs enriched with lace are arranged along the sleeves, the joints of the halves and the hems of the tunic. In the southern, border belt, girls wear only the front apron over the tunic decorated with silver or gilded pafte, while married women also wear the back apron. The front apron is characterised by having been thickly woven and by geometric ornaments arranged all over it, unlike the airy and almost monochromatic back aprons, which have an unostentatious woven or embroidered ornament.

Apart from a short jelek with a narrow waist made from rolled woollen cloth (sukno), heavy-duty cloth (coha) or corduroy with braided or gold embroidery of floral motifs and a zubun with patches made from coloured coha sewn on, also commonly worn, especially in winter, were items of clothing made from coha or sukno and of varying length and with long sleeves, akin to chemises worn for similar reasons in the Central Balkan and Dinaric areas. From the second half of the 19th century, along with the deeply rooted traditional forms of warm items of clothing for both women and men, a long skirt, borrowed from the urban women’s fashion and visually adapted to each area, was worn. Especially prominent is the Sumadija bell-shaped skirt with fine polychromatic vertical and horizontal stripes, which — like the Serbian military uniform modelsadopted for men’s clothes — became not only a feature of the new outfit layer in the first half of the 20th century but also a synonym for and representative of the Serbian ethnic dress in a wider cultural and national sense.

The ethnic dress in the Vojvodina lowlands, unlike the composite garment content of the southern transitional belt, belongs to the culture of expressly Pannonian features.Among women’s clothes, which were earlier dominated by a long, heavily creased tunic, as early as the beginning of the 19th century, under the influence of European outfits, two-piece linen clothes emerged — a short tunic and skirt, fashioned from several halves of the material. The short skirt for festive occasions, with some transformation of details over time, was made from light cotton fabrics and decorated, especially on the rather wide sleeves, with white and golden woven and embroidered ornaments, often with lace inlets. The bottom part of the outfit is a very wide skirt, decorated with light colour embroidery and white lace, and worn in several layers. The silhouette, marked by the narrow waist, is supplemented by a woollen apron with geometric ornaments, or a pinafore made from corduroy, brocade or silk, often with gold embroidery in relief (flowers, vines), such as is also found on the waistcoat. Necklaces, made from strung gold or silver coins, glass beads and pearls well complemented the gold or silver embroidery.As the most common headgear for the hair fashioned into pleats that were folded as a wreath around the head or gathered into a bun on the back of the head were the old Slavonic kondja (a fillet with a towel), a scarf formed into a hat, whose crown was placed over the bun and its lower end was let loose down the nape and back, with prominent gold embroidery, which in its most luxurious variant of a Baroque floral pattern is found on a zlatara (a women’s hat covered with gold embroidery), which had two long wimples running down the back. A scarf was worn every day, while brides wore lush floral garlands, hats and crowns.The men’s dress comprised a tunic and pants, worn in the Pannonian manner, meaning that the tunic was always worn over the pants and mostly fastened with a woven sash. Both the tunic and the pants are rather wide, the width being achieved by combining several halves of linen. As in the case of women’s tunics, decoration was plentiful. Among floral ornaments found on men’s tunics, especially prominent, as a fertility symbol, was the motif

of ripe ears of corn. Summer clothes were supplemented by a waistcoat made from heavy-duty cloth (coha), silk or brocade, often with oval silver buttons.In winter, apart from a white rolled woollen cloth gunj and breeches (caksire), always worn together, and a big black gunj, also common was a white cloak with a square collar that could be turned into a hood. Some had their sleeves sewn closed to serve as pouches for keeping different small objects needed on the road or when tending animals.The typical men’s and women’s item of clothing in the Pannonian area is the fur coat made from lamb or sheep skin. Adornments on both cloth and fur items of clothing were diverse and lively. Plant motifs were done using woollen embroidery of different colours with appliqués of heavy-duty cloth (coha) on the rolled woollen cloth (sukno) or floral leather appliqués on the leather.The headdress is characterised by a black, conical fur hat made from lamb fleece, a hat made from black felt (a straw hat in summer), and, in the southern border belt, the military sajkaca hat. In earlier times, pieces of woollen cloth were wrapped around feet, while later on woollen and cotton socks were worn. The footwear includes wide opanci, exquisitely fashioned opanci with finely interlaced leather strips, knee-high boots, shoes and wooden clogs for doing work around the house.

It is important to stress that, as early as the end of the 19th century, the cloth dress — which, in the southern border belt, along with chemises made from factory-made fabrics, retained its traditional features for a long time — was being replaced by heavy woollen cloth dress in imitation of the urban European dress, but often decorated with embroidery. The same was true of the women’s dress, where heavy woollen, cotton and silk two-piece dresses (a waistcoat or a blouse and a long skirt) were worn together with a short tunic and golden hats of the traditional kind. The dress of ethnic minorities — the same as the dress of the majority Serbian population — shows the basic Pannonian characteristics, although it does have some content and visual features characteristic of the wearer’s home country.

All the various kinds of ethnic dress in Serbia, which were developed in altogether different or slightly similar circumstances prevailing in their respective cultural-geographic areas, with their longstanding adherence to traditional values and adaptations to conditions obtaining at the time they were created and worn, will totally disappear from everyday life. This process of change, implying a substitution of the urban European fashions for the traditional style of clothes, triggered by the emergence of new economic and social conditions, the expansion of traffic and trade links and closer relations between rural and urban populations, began as early as the end of the 19th century, and was increasingly obvious after World War I and especially after World War II. Thus ethnic dress became a cultural-historic value as early as the second half of the 20th century, being reduced to its ceremonial uses on certain festive or solemn occasions.Mirjana Menkovic, Mnemosyne

SERBIAN GASTRONOMYSerbian cuisine is savory, flavorful and stimulating to the appetite. It is derived from mixed traditions, mostly influenced by the neighboring Mediterranean /especially Greek/, Hungarian, Turkish and Austrian cuisines, which makes it a heterogeneous one. Meat /especially grilled or baked/, herbs and vegetables are used in abundance, and one-dish meals occupy an important place in the repertoire of recipes. These dishes are very nourishing, inexpensive and easy to prepare. Serbs enjoy cooking, often modifying old country recipies or creating new dishes...

Most people in Serbia will have three meals daily, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with lunch being the largest. However, traditionally, only lunch and dinner existed, with breakfast being introduced in the second half of 19th century. A number of meals which are simply bought in the West, are often made at home in Serbia; this include rakija /fruit brandy/, jam, jelly, various pickled food, notably sauerkraut /kiseli kupus - pickled cabbage/, ajvar and even sausages. The reasons for this range from economical to cultural. Serbian cuisine includs great contrasts between food served in northern and southern parts of Serbia. Most people in Serbia will have three meals daily, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with lunch being the largest. However, traditionally, only lunch and dinner existed, with breakfast being introduced in the second half of 19th century. A number of meals which are simply bought in the West, are often made at home in Serbia; rakija /fruit brandy/, kaymak, smoked ham, beef and sausage,

beans, jam, jelly, main dishes as combination of meat and vegetables/sarma, djuvec/, corn bread /proja/, dumplings filled with chicken or goose liver, various pickled food, notably sauerkraut /kiseli kupus - pickled cabbage/, ajvar....

Due to turbulent history of the Balkans and majority of Orthodox population, there is still nowadays “charming” and almost forgotten customs of food preparation in open fire, as the remembrance of family gatherings in central part of the house for celebrations on religious holidays and Sundays. The result is the most memorable savoury Serbian “rostilj” /wellknown “cevapcici” served in irresistible portions/ rolling around the country and greeting every visitor to Serbia. That is desirable spicy chopped /minced/ meat mixed with garlic, paprika and onion grilled on coal grill. What a suicide attempt for a romantic evening or a huge assembly, isn’t’ it? Anyhow “rostilj” is widely implemented throughout Serbia and strongly recommended to every guest !Slow home-made cooking in covered ceramics /pottery/ over fire of ingredients grown in private gardens on farms or every-day supply from the green markets /meat, wheat, vegetables.../ is the part of Serbian tradition and pride. ....”Lot of meals are prepared only on water thanks to fasting that is often habit of Serbs /winter and summer religious fasting, non-fat food days on Wednesdays and Fridays obeying different rules regarding the fast – when fish is eaten, when food prepared with oil or dishes only cooked in water/. “Orthodoxy, in contrast to modern Western civilization, does not preach enjoying in general, neither enjoying food, as a value. Excessive food enjoyment is considered a great sin, primarily since it links us to things of this world, taking away from us already endangered freedom. However, preparation of food and common meals in respect of God gifts, making special efforts for the benefit of others and unselfish sharing may be considered as an unique practical school of love. Fast, as a specific self-discipline suggested to us by the Orthodox Church, helps us, together with prayer, to turn to God – to God who gifted us with everything that surrounds us, while we do not have much to give in return. Renouncing, be it a basic one /food of animal origin/ is the expression of respect, and together with renouncing selfish and bad deeds, a common exercise in our love for God and surprising the nature as an absolute power over us.” /quotation from “Consecration of Time” – “Esnaf” Serbia/

Enjoy and "prijatno" !

GIBANICA

gibanica from Kosjeric

Gibanica /Serbian Cyrillic: гибаница/ is a Serbian traditional phyllo pastry dish, usually made with several varieties of cheese. Other varieties and related dishes can also be found in surrounding countries of the Balkans, most notably Macedonia, Bulgaria where it is usually called banitza, as well as

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia. This is one of the most popular and recognizable dishes in Serbia and it is made most often for festive occasions, or simply as a comforting family snack. Gibanica is most commonly made with a variety of mild and strong cheeses, like cottage cheese, Feta cheese as well as kajmak. Other varieties are made with spinach, mushrooms, meat or potatoes and onions.

PROJA is a Serbian national dish or delicious corn-breadGeneral recipe :

“proja” from Josanica Banja Spa5 cups corn flour, 3 cups flour, 3 eggs, 3 cups oil, 1 baking powder, 1 cup yogurt, 1 glass mineral water1 big slice cheese – crushed salt. Mix it all together and bake in greased pan /it should be 5 cm high/ until golden. Best served with kiseli kupus and pavlaka.

AJVAR

Ajvar /ayvar/ is a relish made principally from red bell peppers, with eggplant, garlic and chile pepper. It is predominantly popular in the Balkans. Depending on content in bell peppers and the amount of ddedchile peppers, it can be sweet, piquant /the most common/ or very hot. Ajvar can be consumed as a bread spread, an addition in sandwiches, condiment /often used with grilled or roasted meat/ or salad. The name ajvar comes from Turkish havyar, which means salted roe. Preparation of ajvar is somewhat difficult, as it involves plenty of manual labor, especially for peeling. Traditionally, it is prepared in early autumn, when the bell peppers are most abundant, conserved in glass jars, and consumed throughout the year /although in most households stocks don't last up until spring, when fresh salads start to emerge anyway, so it's usually enjoyed as winter food/.The peppers and eggplants are baked whole on a plate on open fire, plate of a wood stove, or in the oven. Baked peppers must briefly rest in a closed dish, so that they get cooler and the flesh sets apart from the skin. Then, the skin is carefully peeled off and seeds removed. So obtained pepper is ground in a mill or chopped in tiny pieces /this variant is often referred to as pinđur/. Finally, the mush is stewed for a couple of hours in large pots, with added sunflower oil and garlic, in order to condense and reduce the water, as well as to enhance later conservation. Salt and optional vinegar are added at the end and the hot mush is poured directly into glass jars which are immediately sealed. The best ajvar is produced domestically, as only the manual peeling and seed removal ensures clear taste without slightly bitter influence of the pepper skin. Industrial production is modest; reported annual Serbian production of ajvar is 640 tons.

Ajvar from Velika Hoca /Kosovo and Metohija/

KAJMAK/Kaymak/or Kajmak is a creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream, made all over the Middle East, Southeast Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Turkey. It is made from milk of water buffalos in East or cows in West.The traditional method of making kaymak is to boil the milk slowly, then simmer for two hours over a very low heat. After the heat source is shut off, the cream is skimmed and left to chill /and mildly ferment/ for several hours or days. It has a high percentage of milk fat, typically about 60%. It has thick, creamy consistence /but not entirely compact due to milk protein fibers/ and rich, mildly sour taste /depending on how long it matured/. Kaymak is traditionally eaten in Serbia with smoked ham, pastries, preserves or honey or as a filling in pancakes. Kaymak is almost always produced in traditional way, in households, and can be bought only on open markets; industrial production is low and not of as good quality. The best brands come from mountain cattle farms. The most famous location of kajmak production are Zlatibor and Zlatar mountains and the area of the southwest Serbia. It is usually enjoyed as an appetizer, but also as a condiment. The simplest recipe is “lepinja sa kajmakom” /fresh raw bread filled with kajmak/ consumed for breakfast or as fast food. Serbs, Montenegrins, Bosnians and Macedonians consider it a national meal. Other traditional dishes with kajmak include “pljeskavica sa kajmakom” /Serbian version of hamburger patty topped with melted kaymak/, as well as “ribic u kajmaku” /beef leg mear, simmered with kaymak/.

“lepinja sa kajmakom”

kajmak and young cheese - Ivanjica

KULEN

Kulen is a type of flavoured sausage made of minced pork that is traditionally produced in Vojvodina and Slavonia. The meat is low-fat, and the flavour is rather spicy. The red paprika gives it aroma and color, and other spices used are black pepper and garlic. The meat is stuffed and pressed into bags made of swine intestine, and made into pieces that are usually around ten cm in diameter, and up to three times as long, weighing around a kilogram.

The pieces of kulen are smoked for several months with only certain types of wood. After the smoking they are air-dried for several months. This process can last up to a year.

When the kulen meat is stuffed into the smaller intestine, it is narrower and requires less smoking and drying, but it also gets done quicker. The traditional time of producing kulen is during the svinjokolj, the slaughtering of pigs, done every autumn by most if not all rural households. The kulen matures during the coming winter and can be eaten even then /and has a pretty hot taste/ and is edible in the summer, remaining edible for up to two years.

Kulen from Backi Petrovac

SARMA is the name of a grape leaf or cabbage leaf roll common to South-eastern Europe and adjacent areas. It is traditionally prepared in Armenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, and in some other geographically and traditionally close countries. Sarma means "wrapping" or "rolling" in Turkish, and is similar to its cousin dolma. Minced meat /usually beef, pork, veal, or a combination thereof/, rice, onions, and various spices, including salt, pepper and various local herbs are mixed together and then rolled into large plant leaves, which may be cabbage, sauerkraut, grape or broad-leaf plantain leaves. The combination is then cooked together in boiling water for few hours. While specific recipes vary across the region, it is uniformly recognized that the best cooking method is slow boiling in large clay pots. A special ingredient, flour browned in fat, is often added at the end of the process. Vegetarian variants as well as those made with fish exist.

sarma from Sremski Karlovci

“sarma” from Vrmdza

ĆEVAPI /”CEVAPCICI”/is the name of a popular dish in the Balkans. They are small grilled rolls of minced meat (in Bosnia of beef and lamb; or pork and beef in Serbia and Macedonia). Usually served on the plate or in lepinja in Serbia, or somun in Bosnia with chopped onions, kajmak, cottage cheese, etc. The name originates from the Turkish kebab.

It is believed that the best Serbian ćevapi are made in the town of Leskovac, made from 100% beef, served in lepinja /thin bread/. They say that the only proper way of grilling ćevapčići is to use glowing coals beneath a grill, and the distance between the grooves must be exactly eight millimeters. The both expressions ćevapčići and ćevapi are common in Serbia. In other parts of Serbia cevapcici are often made of both pork and beef.

In Bosnia, “Ćevapi” is a dish commonly associated with the area comprising the for mer Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular is widely recognized as the republic most associated

with Ottoman-influenced food such as ćevapi. Some of the locations in Bosnia known for their great ćevapi include the Baščaršija district in Sarajevo and Banja Luka. Banja Luka's ćevapi are multiple rolls /usually four/ joined together.

Some prefer the Macedonian variant kebapi /ќебапи/, since they're made of both pork and beef. The dish, which usually comes in 5-10 pieces, is served only with white bread, minced red pepper, salt and onions. The old Turkish bazaars in Skopje, Bitola, as well as in the rest of Macedonia, are traditional locations to get a “desetka” /десетка, a 10 piece dish/. In the '60s the word and the dish spread on the Adria coastline. Starting from '70s cevapčići has also become a popular fast food, both in the Balkans, the USA and Europe.

“rostilj” from Svrljig

SERBIAN SAUERKRAUT – BEEF AND CABBAGE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

3 kg sauerkraut / small cabbages/1 kg beef, cut into chunks2 pig’s trotters, cut into pieces1 pig’s ear cut into pieces200 g smoked bacon sliced,

300g pig’s ribs3 onions, chopped4 red peppers, deseeded and sliced2 tbsp parsley, chopped2 tbsp coriander, choppedsalt and black pepper

Method:

Rinse the cabbage thoroughly and remove outer leaves. Core each cabbage, cut into 8 wedges, then again into three pieces. In a large earthenware casserole layer cabbage with meat, onions, parsley, coriander and black pepper. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, finishing off with cabbage. Add cold water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer half covered for about 4 hours.

Kupus in Mrcajevci

kupus in Guca

CHICKEN STEW

5 chicken quarters, about 600 g each, 200 g onions, chopped150 g sunflower oil or lard150 g tomatoes, cut into wedges150g bell peppers, cut into strips400 g cream fraiche30 g flour1 tsp chili powder1 garlic clove, crushed

Method: Sauté the onions and garlic until golden brown. Add chilly powder, chicken and little water. Simmer on low heat. Bring to the boil. Add tomatoes and peppers. When the meat is done, remove from the pan, bone and keep warm. Strain the juices through the sieve and pour over the meat. Garnish with peppers and tomatoes. Serve with pasta or noodles.

VEGETABLESVariety of colors and flavors, tomato, paprika, cabbage, gourds... each one tells a different story, meaning and aroma, and above all healthy content, either fresh, cooked or fried in Serbian cuisine have great importance as main course or supplement.

Paprikas /pepers/ from Cenej

PRESERVES

In the households, it is usual to prepare vegetables and fruits for winter period by thermic or other process adding the spices. Localized and unavoidable, making preserves is home made masterpiece with great taste and visual effect.

Ajvar and preserves from Velika Hoca /Kosovo and Metohija/

SLATKO /”sladko”/CONSERVE

Can be made of any kind of fresh fruits, represents the delicacy, but above all it is exceptional hospitality custom as a part of welcoming to someone's home. The word ”Sladko” reffers to a number of special jams that belong to Balkan cooking as well as to Jewish cooking. Traditionally, these jams are served on a small glass plate together with a teaspoon and a glass of water. “Sladko” is different from the European type of jam, because when preparing “Sladko”, the sugar is first boiled to make a kind of syrup, and the fruit is only added later on.In the preparation of “Sladko”, many ingredients are used that are not common in traditional European jam. For example, in Eastern Jewish cooking, there are variants where radish is boiled in honey. “Sladko” can also be made from carrots or beet roots.

apricot“slatko” from Neradin

FRUITS

Harmonic flavors of fresh fruits, used in so many different ways as natural juices, sort of wines, brandies, extruded fruits but also as jam, marmalade or conserve.

PUMPKIN PIE

Pastry ingredients and preparation:500 gr flour, 1 egg, SaltKnead the pastry of flour, egg and some water /if needed/, make 2 or 3 pieces and leave it to rest for some time. Knead the pastry again and make thin pastry peels, adding little oil.Filling500 gr pumpkin meat, cut into strings250 gr sugar2-3 spoons of sunflower oil or fatSome vanilla and cinnamon powderSome milk 300 gr cream fraisePut the filling on every peel, adding some milk and oil. Roll it and put into greased baking pan. Dress with cream fraiche and bake until golden brown.

RAKIJA - HOME MADE BRANDY

Fruits like plums, apples, apricots, peaches, walnuts, grape-vine combined sometimes with special medicinal herbs, grown for generations in households, gain their special value in making the home-made brandy, which is usually a very strong spirit. Recipes for making brandy are passed on for generations in families. Serving this kind of brandy also represents the welcome custom in Serbian

households.

It presents the health elixir, but only if drinking with esteem and toast “živeli”(live long ) or “uzdravlje” (in health) . It is common to drink brandy slowly from small glasses.

Serbian home-made bread and pastry

Panacomp Travel, 2007