A GASTRO TOUR OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Last week I had the pleasure to accompany a small group of German tourists from the agency „Kunst & Kultur“ on a gastro tour through Montenegro. The tour was organized by Sabina and Musa Ramović, owners of RAMS Explorer from Bijelo Polje, an agency that is promoting – among other activities – rural tourism and slow food experiences, in particular in the northern part of Montenegro, but also in other rural areas.

Sabina and Musa are trying to make this offer one of the top travel offers in the Montenegrin north and wider. In 2016 they started the first slow food community called Slow Food Montenegro – Bjelasica, Komovi & Prokletije. With this concept, it was not difficult to bring interested members together. Nowadays, there are dozens of them. RAMS organizes workshops for local producers and also an annual bazaar in Bijelo Polje, where they can present their products.

And thus, apart from visiting some more or less known tourist attractions, we took our guests to various rural households and organic food producers – in the surroundings of Bar and Ulcinj, but also in the region of Plav and Bijelo Polje.

During the last few years, it has become clear that the gastronomy of a country is a very important factor in tourism. Today’s tourists are not only interested in the natural beauties and historical heritage of a country – they want to know more about the life of ordinary people, living far from the tourist resorts.

Believe me, this journey was a real eye-opener, not only for our German guests, but also for me. Isn’t it a miracle – such a small country and such a diversity in food, traditions and nature?

Why was this tour so interesting? Of course, not only because of the delicious organic food. First of all, we were surprised to establish that most rural households we visited are managed by „invisible women“ – women who are living with three or four generations in one family household and still have the energy to cook, to welcome tourists, to work at the farm, to prepare „zimnica“ (winter provisions) ….   

Some of them – all members of the Montenegrin Slow Food community – are just starting their tourist business, other farms have already visited slow food events abroad and show more experience in welcoming foreign guests.

It is impossible to describe all gastronomic delights and all unforgettable encounters with rural women in Montenegro, who work hard to provide for their family, showing creativity, optimism and lots of energy.

We were delighted with the „štufada“ (beef stew) prepared by Mirjana Babić in the village of Zubci near Stari Bar. Lindrita Šukalić from Valdanos surprised us with a snack of olive and fig products (olive oil, olive pasta, fig cake …..).

Guest House Vera in Ulcinj – just above the green market – has quite a lot of experience in the tourist business. They offer apartments for rent, but they also organize successful cooking classes, which are offered through GetYourGuide. It was a surprise to see our host Hajrija (wearing a hidjab) sitting at our table, while her husband served home-made cornel juices! The main dish was a rooster filled with rice, offal and raisins. Unusual, but very tasty!

One of the most interesting lunches we had was in the village of Boljevići, in the area of Crmnica near Virpazar. Winery Ukšanović, owned by Tomo and Tanja Ukšanović, is famous for its red wines, but unfortunately, the grape harvest was extremely poor this year due to bad weather conditions. Nevertheless, Tanja cooked a great lunch with trout and many other traditional side dishes. We tasted several wines, among others, a sweet red dessert wine. The dessert cake called „patišpanj“, soaked into this wine, was a real enjoyment for the taste buds!

Continuing our journey to the northern part of Montenegro we discovered the mountainous area around Bijelo Polje and Plav. The Pilica family in Bistrica welcomed us with a traditional white bean soup („pasulj“) and a wonderful view over the valley.

Vujadin Balšić and his 86-year old mother offered us a good glass of plum brandy at their traditional farm.

And what to say about Mersida Idrizović from Bijelo Polje, who invited us for a snack while preparing ajvar (a roasted red pepper spread), tomato sauce and plum marmelade? She returned to her home town after spending 10 years in Germany and nowadays, she is making a living by selling her products in the country and abroad.

The rural household Medeni Brijeg or, in translation „Honey Hill“, appeared to be an exemplary  household in the village of Buče near Berane. I had the best stuffed paprika in my life and that also applied to the various side dishes and home-made bread..

Sanja Simonović Delević, who prepared the dinner, is one of those women with an inexhaustible energy and creativity. She left her office job in town and started living at her husband’s farm. As they had bee hives, she registered a company for the production of cosmetics made out of bee products.

Traditionally, her husband takes care of the brandy production (plum, apple and pear brandy) and she is responsible for the tourist business. A hard life with the care of a mother-in-law, a husband, two sons with spouses and little children… all my respect for such an energetic and creative woman!

A visit of the Redžepagić tower in Plav gave us an idea about how people lived in this area 200 years ago. And in the mountains, high above Plav, we visited the Feratović family. Lunch was served at an open terrace with a breathtaking view of the Plav Lake.

We could pick some raspberries and blackberries from the garden and the host told us that his fruit harvest totally failed this year – everything was destroyed by storm, hail and rain.

And finally, we visited a big cattle breeding farm in Tomaševo. The Pešić family has eight children between 7 and 25 years old, all working at the farm with 42 cows, 15 pigs, many beehives, corn fields…..

And who was the “invisible woman” here? Is it possible that Milijanka, this fragile, small woman is keeping the household going? This was our first opportunity to taste “kačamak” with home-made yoghurt (sour milk) and the typical layered cheese and rolled cheese, which is produced only in Kolašin and in this region.

By the way, “kačamak” is made by cooking up a porridge of flour and potatoes, finished off by “kajmak” (clotted cream) and cheese. Heavy food? Yes, it was usually eaten to provide energy to the villagers working hard in the mountains.

What else could I mention about this gastro tour? The tasty desserts and sweets we got at each farm or household? Or maybe “sataraš” (a side dish made of various vegetables)? And what about the home-made juices made of raspberry, blueberry, cornel or elderberry? Or the delicious home-made bread? The participants in this extraordinary trip could not decide what they liked most!

Believe me, you will not understand Montenegrin culture and cuisine until you sit down to lunch or dinner, eat two or three plates and relax at the table like a true Montenegrin.

And finally, I could only say: enjoy your meal, or as the Montenegrins say: “Prijatno!”