A Foodie's Guide to Skopje, Skopje, North Macedonia

Sarma is a Balkan specialty food, usually cooked during holidays; and there are plenty of holidays in January! We, Macedonians, are Orthodox Christians and celebrate Christmas on 7th January. We also have plenty of other religious holidays during this month, when the family gathers together for a meal. Sarma is one of the top 3 dishes served. Many families have cabbage in barrels for the cold winters, and sarma is made of cabbage rolls, with minced meat, paprika, onion, and chopped veggies. Sounds delicious? It is. Where to find it: Look for Macedonian traditional restaurants like "Makedonska kukja" (Macedonian house).

Ruska Salata is one of the most popular meals on the Balkans (although it originates from Russia, called Olivye salad there). It is a mix of chicken or grouse, potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, aspic, capers, olives, and mayonnaise. If you ask anyone here born in the 70s or 80s, Ruska Salata is probably their favorite dish. It reminds them of the family holidays and the days where everyone got together for a meal with relatives. Where to find it: Pretty much every restaurant has it, as long as they have fresh ingredients.

Spring is on the corner in Mach, and everyone awaits for those tasty veggies and fruits. Meanwhile, burek is on the rescue! Burek is a perfect meal if you are a carbs-deprived person; it has way more carbs than you can handle. Burek is a delicious pastry that you can find on almost every corner, in virtually every city on the Balkans, including Skopje. If the carbs from burek weren't, enough then "simit" is your answer; it is a sandwich of two slices of bread with pastry inside - that's "double carbs" for you. If you ever wondered why people from the Balkans have so much energy, here's your answer! Where to find it: There are over 500 pastry shops in Skopje where you can try burek. One of the best ones is called "Silbo", it's where most people from Skopje go after they're done clubbing, and want to replenish their energy. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).