Salad cult
Macedonia enjoys about 280 sunny days per year, just one indicator of a good climate that enables successful growing of different vegetable varieties.
Undoubtedly, the best known vegetables for this region are the tomato and the pepper. The attractive tomatoes are large, juicy and fresh, with Macedonia’s native tomato being the “jabolchar”.
There are also different kinds of peppers – green, yellow and red, sweet or hot. They are enjoyed fresh, used in salads, marinated with vinegar and cooked straight on a barbeque.
The hot pepper is irreplaceable for preparation of spicy dishes. Nearly every street corner has a market where you can find fresh vegetables and a great variety of salads to eat them with. It’s heaven for those who prefer healthy food.
The traditional Macedonian salad is prepared by combining fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, roast peppers and parsley.
The best known salads in the Macedonian kitchen are the shopska (tomato, cucumber, onion, green pepper and sheep cheese), the Aegean (olives, tomato, cucumber, onion, green pepper) and the taratur (cucumber, garlic, yoghurt, olive oil).
In order to become part of the traditional way of eating in Macedonia, one must experience the old-fashioned “meze”.
This is practiced by real gourmets who, before eating the main dish, sip a glass of rakia with their salad.
Even if one does not enjoy alcoholic beverages, they will certainly want to see what is so magical about this ancient tradition.