I felt like my options were limited this week, as North Macedonia is a small country and a lot of the dishes I was coming up with were really better suited to another country in the region. My Reddit post was also taken down shortly after posting; I got only one response before it was removed. So I didn’t have a lot of help from Macedonians this week. As a result, I didn’t make as much food from North Macedonia as I would have liked.
North Macedonia is a small landlocked country, located in Southeast Europe. It makes up about a third of the geographic region known as Macedonia, with the remainder spread across Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo.
Like all countries in this region, the land has been inhabited for thousands of years. Macedonia grew from a small kingdom, which was controlled by an ancient Persian empire in the sixth century BC. A couple of centuries later, this kingdom was incorporated into the Kingdom of Macedonia. The Romans conquered the region and merged it into their existing province of Macedonia.
From then on, Macedonia was part of the Byzantine Empire until the 14th century, when the Ottomans took over. The modern territory of North Macedonia came under Serbian rule after the Balkan Wars of the early 20th century, but was ruled by Bulgaria during World War I and World War II. During 1945, North Macedonia became a state of communist Yugoslavia, until its peaceful secession in 1991.
You may wonder why the country has the name ‘North’ Macedonia. This is because the region of Greece that was originally part of historic Macedonia has the name ‘Macedonia’, and Greece didn’t want a country taking the name for various reasons. There was a dispute over this that caused instability in the region for 25 years. Finally, the name ‘North Macedonia’ was accepted, effective in 2019. As I understand it, the name is still an issue of contention between North Macedonians and Greek Macedonians, who do not consider themselves related.
Macedonia is a member of NATO and is currently a candidate for joining the EU. It is considered a developing country, though it’s pretty advanced in some ways as it has social security, a universal health care system, and free primary and secondary education for its citizens.
What Do People Eat in North Macedonia?
Macedonian cuisine shows influences from the Ottomans and shares similarities to that of the surrounding Balkan countries. A range of fresh produce is easy to grow and is incorporated into many dishes.
Meat such as pork and beef is common, but there are also many dishes that focus on vegetables, such as stuffed peppers and a range of stews, salads, and spreads. Popular seasonings include both mild and hot varieties of paprika, as well as fresh herbs.
Macedonia produces high-quality dairy products, particularly cheese. This can be served on its own, as a garnish, or it may be incorporated into dishes.
Popular drinks include coffee, in particular Turkish coffee, and rakija, a fruit brandy found all over the Balkans.
What I Made
- Tavče Gravče (Baked Beans)
- Turlitava (Vegetable and Meat Stew)
- Pastrmalija (Pork Flatbread)
- Makalo with Potato and Dried Peppers (Potato Spread)
Scroll down to read about other popular Macedonian dishes I didn’t make!
Tavče Gravče (Baked Beans)
This is North Macedonia’s national dish, and it can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. I chose to make a simple version, focusing just on the beans and seasonings, but it’s common to top the beans with tomatoes and peppers, or even meat—typically smoked pork ribs or sausage.
I started with the beans. I meant to soak them before I left for work but completely forgot, so I had to cook them for longer. I put them in water with a quartered onion and bay leaves, as well as a little baking soda (my off-recipe addition to speed up the cooking time). I was also meant to add peppercorns but didn’t want to deal with fishing them out of the cooked beans so I skipped them. (In retrospect, I realize the peppercorns would most likely have floated the whole time and hence been easily removed.) I cooked the beans until they were done, and moved on with the rest of the recipe.
I sautéed some chopped onion in olive oil until soft, then added paprika, cumin, and dried mint. After 30 seconds or so I added the beans and their cooking liquid, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Next, I was meant to put the beans in a baking dish and bake them for 2 hours. However, I hadn’t read the recipe properly before the night I was making it and realized I didn’t have that kind of time after work. So instead, I let the beans simmer on the stove on low heat for as long as I could—around 20 minutes or so. Technically, I didn’t actually make baked beans!
These still turned out really good. The flavor may have been more intense if I’d actually baked them, but I was happy to have these as leftovers for the next few days. I served them with a simple Macedonian-style salad made from cucumber, tomato, onion, and feta, as well as garlic bread.
The recipe I used here is from Balkan Kitchen.
Turlitava (Vegetable and Meat Stew)
This is a traditional stew, usually baked in a clay pot. It contains a range of vegetables and can optionally include meat. I went with a pork version.
I started by seasoning bite-sized pieces of pork loin with salt and pepper and browning them. Pork loin wasn’t my first choice here but I somehow couldn’t get pork shoulder except in ginormous amounts, and I needed the loin for the next dish anyway.
Next, I sautéed some diced onion in oil, and once it was soft I added garlic. The vegetables were all supposed to be added to the pot and cooked without sautéeing, but I almost always regret skipping this step with onion.
I cut the other vegetables into bite-sized pieces and added them to the pot (I used an enameled cast iron Dutch oven as I don’t have a clay pot). The vegetables used here vary widely, but I used zucchini, green bell pepper, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and green beans. I actually saved the green beans for adding closer to the end though as they are a vegetable that I really prefer to retain some texture.
I seasoned the vegetables with salt, pepper, paprika, and a little MSG. Then I added bay leaves and chicken stock. I put the pot in the oven for around an hour, then I stirred in the green beans and cooked a little longer. Finally, I added the pork and cooked just a few minutes more. If I’d been using a fattier cut of meat, I would have added it on top of the vegetables at the beginning like the recipe instructed.
I thought this tasted pretty good, though pork shoulder would have been better. I think the vegetables themselves were quite good here and I’m always looking for ways to eat more of them so I appreciated that aspect.
This recipe is from Macedonian Cuisine.
Pastrmalija (Pork Flatbread)
Pastrmalija is sometimes referred to as ‘Macedonian pizza’. In its most basic form, it consists of a flatbread topped with seasoned pork, but it’s also common to add egg and/or cheese. I made two versions—one with just the pork for my picky husband, and one with egg and feta for me, which is the one pictured.
I started by marinating bite-sized pieces of pork loin in paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The recipe actually called for ‘red Bukovska pepper’ but I replaced it with sweet paprika and a little cayenne pepper. I let the pork sit in the fridge overnight.
I made the dough by activating yeast in warm milk mixed with a little sugar. The recipe called for instant yeast but I always use active dry so I changed the method a little. I combined the yeast mixture with flour, salt, and a little water to make the dough, then kneaded it and let it sit for an hour. After that, I kneaded it and let it rise for twenty minutes, then divided it into two balls (for half the recipe) and let it sit for twenty minutes again.
Next, I stretched the dough to make long ovals (or at least that was my aim). I brushed them with oil and added the pork. Here I began to wish I’d cut the pork into smaller pieces or else marinated more; I was aiming for the look of the pastrmalija in the recipe photos but I felt the pork looked a little sparse.
I baked the pastrmalija for about 10 minutes, then added a beaten egg and crumbled feta to mine before continuing to cook for another 10 minutes.
Now, I don’t think this came out looking so pretty, but I do have to say that it was delicious. I was a little concerned about putting raw meat on the pizza, but it came out perfectly cooked. I would definitely make this again but with smaller pieces of pork—it was a little hard to eat with the pieces this size.
The recipe I used is from Macedonian Cuisine.
Makalo with Potato and Dried Peppers (Potato Spread)
Makalo refers to a spicy garlic spread, but there are many varieties and I chose one that also contains potato since I was sure it would be amazing.
I cut up some potatoes and boiled them with dried chilies. Then, I blitzed the chilies in my spice grinder and combined them with the drained potatoes, salt, pepper, and some microplaned garlic. I’m not sure if I was meant to keep some of the water from cooking the potatoes since the makalo in the recipe looks a lot wetter than mine. The only liquid added in the recipe is warm oil which is meant to be poured over at the end. To avoid a dry mashed potato consistency, I mixed in olive oil until it seemed less dry and had more of a spreadable consistency.
I ate this with some bread as suggested in the recipe, and I also tried it with celery sticks. It was great both ways! I really like the raw garlic taste; it works well here. For such a simple recipe, this was very good.
I got this recipe from Macedonian Cuisine.
Other Popular Macedonian Dishes
- Selsko meso – a pork and mushroom stew. Other ingredients often include onions, smoked meat, ground beef, tomatoes, cream cheese, peppers, and wine.
- Kozinjak – sweet braided bread with raisins, typically eaten at Easter.
- Sarmi – cabbage rolls, typically stuffed with seasoned meat and rice.
- Polneti piperki – peppers stuffed with a variety of fillings, usually including meat and rice.
- Zelnik – a pastry made with layers of thin dough, similar to phyllo. The filling often includes cheese, but may also include meat, eggs, and/or onion.
- Ohridska torta – a cake made from thin layers of walnut sponge and a sweet egg yolk filling. It is usually glazed with chocolate and may be garnished with crushed walnuts and/or whipped cream.
Final Thoughts
This was a good week, though I wish I had been able to make more dishes. I plan on returning to some countries once I finish this challenge and adding dishes, and North Macedonia will definitely be on that list. My favorite dish this week was the pastrmalija, the one I made with egg and feta.
Next week, I will be cooking food from Norway.