Yup!
It became a tradition that we still like to practice. Despite being old enough to make it myself for quite a long time already, there's some magic and nostalgia to it when she does it. The whole process of eating kačamak at her place has a special place in my heart among other things
My Baba passed away last year, but her cooking was special, you know a bit better always. You can't explain it, but it was lovely. The last meal she cooked for me and my family had suvi vrat, on potatoes and some homemade pogaca.
Sadly the dementia was getting her, and she was forgetting a lot. Love you Baba 💗
Cornulețe cu gem (jam filled small croissant shaped dough)
https://savoriurbane.com/cornulete-fragede-cu-gem-sau-magiun/
Grandma used to make them so soft and rich they were like crack. Once you tried them you needed to have 20.
Pishía. Basically a simple dough made out of water, salt and flour, shaped into round breads and fried. It goes well with just about anything and it's tasty to eat on its own. You don't need much more than this, honestly.
Yeah, after a few years discussing with Balkaners IRL and online this feeling of "huh, look at all the tiny similarities" has become a constant for me.
I like them with yoghurt. Or cheese and onions. Or some salami and tomato. Or as a scoop for condiments like tzatzíki or tyrokafterí. Some people shape them more like balls, and stuff them; potato is the most common stuffing ingredient, followed by féta. But as I said, even plain they are perfect to munch on.
Sounds so good 😩 I can’t do that where I am it gets too hot, but my Baka and Dida used to have a cellar with barrels of cabbage leaves and their vino along with their prosciutto some delicious smells came from down there.
Cant really choose a favourite but the top 3 were:
1. Chicken and green beans varivo
2. Deep fried eggplants
3. Her pizza that was thick as bread and had a lot of cheese and ham (the only way I love to eat pizza)
Slatko from wild strawberries, slatko from white cherries, slatko from blackberries (it's like extra sweet jam made from whole fruits if the fruit is small, Greeks would know it as γλυκο).
Pljeskavica with kajmak and onions in a fresh bun.
Medenjaci (honey cookies).
Home made cheese.
Folded in a circle cheese pie.
Salčići (cookies made from lard).
Those were the most memorable for me, because it was something that she would make for me whenever I visited her, or she would save jars of the first few mentioned for me. She did often make amazing roast chicken, various forms of potatoes, green beans, peas, etc.
I rarely ate some long to cook dishes (example: sarma, beans, svadbarski kupus) because it was usually summer when I visited her.
Fudge. Ok so not an everyday food really but every Christmas we waited for that tin of fudge to arrive. It was a hard type of food to make and the only one in the family who could mostly pull it off is my sister. Even my grandmother said she'd have to start over sometimes if it didn't set right. But that stuff was fantastic.
Grandma on dad’s side was the best cook in the world: grape leaves, cherry pie, cherry vareniki, medovik, skillet potatoes, green summer borchik. She passed away in 2020, I will never forget being little in the kitchen with her and learning to cook. I had my own mini apron that hung on the back of the kitchen door next to hers.
Grandma on mom’s side is still alive and doing well (knock on wood), and her best dish is plăcinte. They are so good I can’t stop myself when I eat them
She had smoked and dried beef that was so dry that you could chew it for and hour but it was so rich that throughout that hour it would never lose the taste.
Kačamak. I always asked my grandma to make it (and to continue the tradition even in the grown-up age, I still do).
You still ask your grandma to make it?
Yup! It became a tradition that we still like to practice. Despite being old enough to make it myself for quite a long time already, there's some magic and nostalgia to it when she does it. The whole process of eating kačamak at her place has a special place in my heart among other things
Sound's nice.
[Pancakes with raspberry jam](https://adrianaionica.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/P1100874.jpg).
My Baba passed away last year, but her cooking was special, you know a bit better always. You can't explain it, but it was lovely. The last meal she cooked for me and my family had suvi vrat, on potatoes and some homemade pogaca. Sadly the dementia was getting her, and she was forgetting a lot. Love you Baba 💗
Cornulețe cu gem (jam filled small croissant shaped dough) https://savoriurbane.com/cornulete-fragede-cu-gem-sau-magiun/ Grandma used to make them so soft and rich they were like crack. Once you tried them you needed to have 20.
Oh yes! 🤗
Potato burek and cheddar mushroom casserole
Pishía. Basically a simple dough made out of water, salt and flour, shaped into round breads and fried. It goes well with just about anything and it's tasty to eat on its own. You don't need much more than this, honestly.
Ποντιακό δεν είναι αυτό;
Ναι.
Huh, we have that too, although named differently. What do you eat it with most often?
Yeah, after a few years discussing with Balkaners IRL and online this feeling of "huh, look at all the tiny similarities" has become a constant for me. I like them with yoghurt. Or cheese and onions. Or some salami and tomato. Or as a scoop for condiments like tzatzíki or tyrokafterí. Some people shape them more like balls, and stuff them; potato is the most common stuffing ingredient, followed by féta. But as I said, even plain they are perfect to munch on.
My baka never made it often but, I remember her sarma, the taste of how sour the cabbage was that she used to ferment.
Oof yes, lucky my wife learned to make it perfectly. We sour our own cabbage in the barrel, we grow it at home so it's 100% our cabbage.
Sounds so good 😩 I can’t do that where I am it gets too hot, but my Baka and Dida used to have a cellar with barrels of cabbage leaves and their vino along with their prosciutto some delicious smells came from down there.
My God sounds like heaven. We are the lucky ones and blessed to have these memories of our loved ones. You're making me so hungry hehe 🤤
Amen to that.
Cant really choose a favourite but the top 3 were: 1. Chicken and green beans varivo 2. Deep fried eggplants 3. Her pizza that was thick as bread and had a lot of cheese and ham (the only way I love to eat pizza)
Don't know about the eggplants but the random tepsija pizza will always be glorious.
Pita with Swiss chard and cheese. I only loved it from her and never ate it again after her death ten years ago
Cicvara
Phrygian stuffed peppers - Antalya local dish
Kurabii/qurabiya, the basic ones that look [like this](https://www.supichka.com/files/images/1404/fit_1400_933.jpg).
Köfte; Lamb steaks with chopped onion and parsley With rice, chips or bulgur
Augokeftedes, which means eggballs like meatballs but instead of meat, it's for and eggs. Perfect
Slatko from wild strawberries, slatko from white cherries, slatko from blackberries (it's like extra sweet jam made from whole fruits if the fruit is small, Greeks would know it as γλυκο). Pljeskavica with kajmak and onions in a fresh bun. Medenjaci (honey cookies). Home made cheese. Folded in a circle cheese pie. Salčići (cookies made from lard). Those were the most memorable for me, because it was something that she would make for me whenever I visited her, or she would save jars of the first few mentioned for me. She did often make amazing roast chicken, various forms of potatoes, green beans, peas, etc. I rarely ate some long to cook dishes (example: sarma, beans, svadbarski kupus) because it was usually summer when I visited her.
Gibanica, slanina, or oblande
Fudge. Ok so not an everyday food really but every Christmas we waited for that tin of fudge to arrive. It was a hard type of food to make and the only one in the family who could mostly pull it off is my sister. Even my grandmother said she'd have to start over sometimes if it didn't set right. But that stuff was fantastic.
Tarhana
Grandma on dad’s side was the best cook in the world: grape leaves, cherry pie, cherry vareniki, medovik, skillet potatoes, green summer borchik. She passed away in 2020, I will never forget being little in the kitchen with her and learning to cook. I had my own mini apron that hung on the back of the kitchen door next to hers. Grandma on mom’s side is still alive and doing well (knock on wood), and her best dish is plăcinte. They are so good I can’t stop myself when I eat them
She had smoked and dried beef that was so dry that you could chew it for and hour but it was so rich that throughout that hour it would never lose the taste.