What is in season in Belgrade. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

  • Easter lamb: Easter lamb on the spit is the Serbian spring centrepiece. Markets fill from April with whole young lamb, served at courtyard grills with green onions and kajmak.
  • Wild garlic and ramsons: Foraged wild garlic (medvedji luk) and sorrel start hitting Kalenic and Zeleni Venac in late March and run through May. Goes into omelets, banitsa fillings and spring stews.
  • First strawberries: Bulgarian and Serbian strawberries arrive at Belgrade markets late May into June. Kalenic stacks crates by the bag, eaten with Serbian yoghurt or kajmak for breakfast.

Summer

  • Tomato and shopska: Vojvodina tomatoes ripen through July to September. The shopska salad (tomato, cucumber, raw pepper, sirene cheese) is on every Skadarlija and Vracar menu through summer.
  • Tarator and yoghurt soups: Cold yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and dill soup turns up at Belgrade kafane through July and August. The summer staple cools off the Tasmajdan terraces and Skadarska courtyards.
  • Danube fish: Summer is peak season for Danube carp, perch and catfish at Zemun fish houses on Kej oslobodjenja. Saran's fishermen soup runs through summer evenings.

Autumn

  • Ajvar pepper season: September brings the red pepper harvest and Serbian families gather to roast and blend ajvar pepper relish in courtyards. Kalenic market sells whole crates of paprika peppers.
  • Prokupac and Tamjanika harvest: Serbia's indigenous Prokupac (red) and Tamjanika (white) grape harvest runs through September and October. The first young wines hit Belgrade tables by November.
  • Mushroom and forest: Autumn brings porcini, chanterelles and other forest mushrooms from Sumadija and the Fruska Gora foothills. Used in stews, paired with kajmak on grilled bread.

Winter

  • Sarmi: Cabbage-leaf sarma stuffed with rice, minced pork and dill. The Serbian Christmas Eve dish, served with kajmak and pickled vegetables through January.
  • Pasulj and prebranac: Slow-baked bean dishes anchor Serbian winter kitchens. Pasulj (white bean stew) and prebranac (baked beans) run through every kafana through January and February.
  • Sljivovica and rakija season: Winter is the canonical season for sljivovica plum brandy and the broader rakija family. Skadarlija kafane pour flights through the cold months alongside hot meat plates.

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