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
History
Proja is the southern Serbian cornbread, descended from Roman polenta traditions through 19th-century Serbian peasant kitchens. The Šumadija and Pirot regions claim canonical forms, with the southern Serbian variant adding sirene cheese, yoghurt and eggs to the cornmeal batter for a fluffier, near-cake texture. Belgrade kafane serve it for breakfast through brunch with thick yoghurt and a side of kajmak; the Vapor mehana on Cara Lazara serves the city's reference version with house-cured kulen sausage. Modern Belgrade bakeries (Trpković, Pekara Komšija) keep proja on the morning counter alongside burek, and family households bake fresh slabs each Sunday morning.
Common allergens: Dairy, Egg, Possible gluten if mixed flours used
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g fine cornmeal (polenta)
- 200g sirene cheese (or feta), crumbled
- 300ml full-fat yoghurt
- 100ml sunflower oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Oil a 25 cm round baking dish.
- Whisk eggs, yoghurt and oil together in a large bowl.
- Mix cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then fold into the wet ingredients.
- Crumble in the cheese and stir to distribute evenly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish, smoothing the top.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden on top and set in the centre.
- Rest 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve warm with thick yoghurt and a side of kajmak.
Tip from the editors. Fine cornmeal (kukuruzno brasno) is what gives proja its texture; the supermarket polenta works but the proper Balkan flour is finer. Don't skip the yoghurt, it's the binder.
Where to eat proja
Proja in Belgrade
Iva New Balkan Cuisine ★ 4.2
Iva opens 09:00 every day for Belgrade's modern Balkan breakfast. The Bib Gourmand kitchen on Svetog Save takes refined cevapi and Serbian eggs to morning.
Order: Serbian breakfast and refined cevapi
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
Saran ★ 4.6
Saran was founded by fisherman Vicentije Vukotic over a century ago on Zemun's Danube quay. Belgrade's oldest fish house, fishermen soup recipe.
Signature: Fisherman fish soup, Pan-fried Danube carp
More cities are in research. Want proja covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.