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Cicvara
Most countries have a favorite or national dish. Montenegro has two – Kacamak and Cicvara. But aren’t they the same? At least they look very similar and are made of similar ingredients with the difference being that Kacamak is made with wheat flour and potatoes whereas corn flour is used for Cicvara instead.
And while the secret of a good Kacamak lies solely in the quality of its ingredients and the way you smash the potato-flour mixture with the Kacamar, skilled chefs and old grandmas alike swear that you need to stir the porridge-like substance clockwise for the best results.
Cicvar Recipe
A dish can only be as good as its ingredients. Here is what you need for your cicvara to succeed:
- 200 grams of Kajmak (clotted cream)
- 200 grams of high-quality corn flour
- 500 gr of semi-hard, full-fat cow’s milk curd cheese
- 200 ml of wole fat milk
- 200 ml of water
Heat water and milk in a large pot over medium heat and add cheese into the mix; cook and stir until the compound starts boiling. Then add corn flour while stirring until it becomes one homogenous mixture. Add Kajmak on top and keep stirring energetically until the texture gets rubbery.
Info: You know you are ready when a thick layer of fat appears at the top.
A delicious Cicvara owes its creamy texture then to this skillful act of stirring for hours at a time – if you want to be taken seriously by the Montenegrin highlanders who know how to distinguish their original Cicvara from a cheap imitation.
Cicvara has been a staple food in Montenegro’s hinterlands for centuries and then slowly fell into oblivion when other food trends came to define the past 50 years of Montenegrin food culture. Montenegro became independent again in 2006 and went on to rediscover its historical food recipes.
Cicvara is mostly eaten as a hearty breakfast meal with the intent to keep well-fed until the afternoon hours. But it also served as the first meal on Christmas Day, breaking the Nativity Fast, a 5-week-long period of abstinence practiced by many believers of the Eastern Orthodox church.