Afternoon Dinner at Erak in Kotor, Montenegro

Ketchup on Pizza? Very common in the Balkans!

I asked if we could hit Kotor this trip after reading about it in a book we have about the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is one, and I try to see all I am near when I travel. I was immediately awestruck when we drove by the ancient city walls and saw the massive fortifications and the wall extend high up into the mountain. But, first, dinner. We were all starving after it took us so long to find suitable accommodation. Everyone we asked recommended Erak for the best local food. Perfect. It was between our rooms and the old town.

Does the first course look familiar? That is because Montenegro is the closest of all of the former Yugoslavian countries to the Serbian way of life. Though, this chikcen soup is a traditional throughout the Balkans. This one was “œOK”. We were also served two huge baskets of bread including homemade proja (corn bread) and white bread as well as what we are consistently told is “œnormal” vinegar with “œnormal” oil. It is a lovely apple or red wine vinegar, depending upon where you get it. The oil is not an olive oil. It is “œnormal” oil!

We asked about the house specialities, so Pava ordered the Paprikash that was one of the recommended dishes. It needed a LOT of salt for my palate, but was deeply flavourful otherwise. It was made with veal. Veal is not too expensive in the Balkans, and not force-fed as it is in Canada, so very desirable and an always available meat choice.

I had the traditional Balkan hamburger called pljeskvica which is made exactly like cevapi, but shaped differently. It is often sold at fast food stands inside of a flatbread with your choice of onion, cabbage, kimak, pavlaka (sour cream), ljuto (hot) paprika, ketchup, mayo, and pickles. Of course, I could not eat it all, but that never matters with meat. Petar can always eat more meat! Even after the massive Mixed Meat Platter he and Vanja shared again. He can never get enough meat! This platter included two of the same patties I had, including some cevapi, sausage, pork chops, and chicken kebabs. Whew! Little Vanja was in the mood for a pizza. Suffice it to say that this was NOT a house specialty, but, delicious and every part homemade, including the curing of the ham. Did he eat the whole thing? Almost! Did I mention that he usually has his eye on the Mixed Meat Platter, too?

This little restaurant was in the family’s front yard. They had made a huge patio and it was surrounded by a high hedge, and trees for shade and privacy. It was extremely rustic and clearly every person in the family was involved in some part of the running of this little venue. And, they were fairly busy while we were there, too.

I gave up the hair and make up days ago. In this sweltering heat, all I care about is survival. Now, on to the old town!