Pekara Trpkovic Slavija ★ 4.7
Pekara Trpkovic on Nemanjina in Vracar runs Belgrade's most-queued burek counter under 300 dinars a slice. Century-old recipes, no additives ever.
Try: Burek sa sirom
History
Gibanica is the canonical Serbian breakfast and Slava feast pie. The Pirot region of southern Serbia claims the original recipe, with documentation in 19th-century Serbian cookbooks. Belgrade kafane have served the cheese version (sa sirom) since the 19th century; the Skadarlija bohemian quarter rooms (Tri Šešira, Dva Jelena) standardised the modern breakfast format. Variations include gibanica sa spanaćem (spinach), sa mesom (meat) and sa pečurkama (mushroom). The Slava feast (the family saint's day, every Serbian Orthodox family's largest annual celebration) is incomplete without a freshly baked gibanica at the centre.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g phyllo pastry sheets
- 500g sirene cheese (or substitute feta and ricotta in equal parts)
- 4 large eggs
- 300ml full-fat yoghurt
- 200ml sparkling water
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100g butter, melted
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease a deep baking dish (30x20 cm) with butter.
- Whisk eggs, yoghurt, sparkling water, oil and salt in a large bowl. Crumble in the cheese.
- Lay one phyllo sheet flat on a board. Spoon a thin layer of filling over it and crumple the sheet loosely into a ball shape.
- Place the crumpled phyllo in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining sheets and filling, packing them snugly side by side.
- Pour any remaining filling over the top to fill the gaps. Brush the surface with melted butter.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is deep golden and crackling.
- Rest 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve hot with thick yoghurt or Bulgarian-style buttermilk.
Tip from the editors. Crumple the phyllo rather than layering flat; the texture is the whole point of a proper gibanica. The sparkling water adds airy lift.
Where to eat gibanica
Gibanica in Belgrade
Manufaktura ★ 4.7
Manufaktura on Kralja Petra plates traditional Serbian with regional cheeses, Mangalica meats and cherry iced tea in Belgrade. Large garden seating.
Signature: Cevapcici, Mangalica platter, Homemade cherry iced tea
Stara Hercegovina ★ 4.4
Stara Hercegovina hosts Belgrade artists from a Carigradska street room. Three halls (Travunia, Zahumlje and main) plus a 130-seat summer garden.
Signature: Herzegovinian lamb, Mixed Serbian grill
Tri Sesira ★ 4.6
Tri Sesira (Three Hats) opened on Skadarska in 1864 in a building whose previous workshop had three pleated hats for trademark. Skadarlija anchor.
Signature drink: Sljivovica, Tamjanika
Food: Cevapi, sarma, gibanica, mixed grill
More cities are in research. Want gibanica covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.