Kacamak

The story of Kacamak is the story of an impoverished Montenegrin Nation struggling to survive amidst the constant and dreadful threat of Ottoman invasion. By 1785, the forces of the Ottoman Empire had devastated large parts of Montenegro, including the village of Njegusi which is the cradle of the Montenegrin ruling dynasty Njegos-Petrovic.

Historical Context

Then-ruler Petar I Petrovic Njegos was not physically present during the devastating attack on his homeland. He was far away on official visits to Austria and Tsarist Russia. It was in these times of chronic malnourishment and luring occupation that Kacamak was born.

Petar returned from Russia one year later and brought with him a couple of potatoes, a starchy vegetable that would help fight hunger and nourish the troops. Montenegro, a country that is almost entirely made up of rugged mountain terrain, was mostly reliant on food donations from Russia back then to feed its population.

Food was genuinely scarce in the Montenegrin Highlands, a region that relied on livestock farming to sustain itself. Even everyday essentials such as wheat flour were surprisingly hard to come by. The housewives had to become creative and work with as little as they had.

Adding a little potatoes – that surprisingly did very well on Montenegrin soil – into the mix was a surefire way to save on scarce flour produce so that many hungry mouths could be fed. Remember that family sizes were huge in the day and having 10 children or more was rather the norm than the exception.

source: Wikipedia

And guests had to be fed as well. Cordial hospitality is part of the cultural fabric in Montenegro. So it does not wonder that in those poverty-stricken days, the guests ate the best bits while the leftovers were reserved for the nuclear family and were probably served along with Kacamak.

Today, popular among all Balkan nations and almost impossible for anyone to dislike, Kacamak – against all odds – managed to catapult itself on the menus of even the fanciest restaurants. Be it as a warm Entree or main dish, Kacamak is a staple in contemporary Montenegrin cuisine.

How to prepare Kacamak

Centuries have passed, wars have been fought, and Montenegro has become an independent country in the meantime – what has stayed abiding is the way Montenegrin highlanders prepare Kacamak. Undoubtedly, it is this continuity and enduring tradition, and maybe even gratitude that makes this uniquely Montenegrin food so popular in our modern, hurried times.

If you would like to try authentic Kacamak, you will find it in the mountain chalets and restaurants around Kolasin and the Durmitor National Park. If you would like to try the recipe yourself, continue reading.

“The story of Kacamak is an essential part of our culture and struggle with poverty, without which Montenegrin mountain life cannot be imagined.”

A proper Kacamak can only be as good and fresh as its handful of components: 

• wheat flour
• potatoes
• layered semi-soft white fresh cheese from Kolasin
• clotted cream (Kajmak)

That’s it.

The secret of the perfect Kacamak lies entirely in the freshness of its ingredients and your cooking skills. Because only four ingredients are used in the process, you need to make sure to select only high-quality ingredients, especially good cheese and kajmak.

Kacamak recipes have been passed down for generations and yet very little has changed in the way this energy-boosting meal is prepared. And even though many Northern Montenegrin housewives and mothers will try to convince you otherwise, you too, can learn how to prepare delicious Kacamak.

Be warned, however, it is an arduous process that requires true physical strength. Hence, for the optimum taste, you need to smash the flour-potato mixture with a Kacamar, a wooden bat that resembles a baseball bat. If you keep batting long enough, the flour with mix nicely with the potatoes into a thick compound.

“Kacamak is best served with homemade yogurt but can also be paired with all sorts of salads and meat dishes.”

Some hill people joke that women in Northern Montenegro are stronger than men. This should come as no surprise – smashing Kacamak is a strenuous and intense exercise. Others emphasize the need to be always gentle to your woman and above all faithful. Caught in a transgression, beware of the Kacamar which is made from extremely hard wood.

You need to be experienced to smash the dough to perfection. And while everybody agrees on the need for fresh ingredients, each household has its little production secrets. Some claim that cooking the Kacamak over a wood-fired stove will produce the ultimate taste.

In any case, cooking the yellow porridge-like dish takes about one hour. It is then topped with thin and gooey strings of melted cheese and kajmak. Kacamak has been served this way since Petar I Petrovic Njegos brought the first potatoes to Montenegro in 1786.

As they say, you can best experience a new culture through its cuisine. And while Montenegro’s coastal fare is heavily influenced by other Mediterranean cultures, you can only find Montenegro’s true flavors, which are hearty, caloric, and savory, in its heartland of hamlets and small villages.

“Kacamak is much more than just food to us”, at least if you want to believe the words of Nebojsa and Andrija, two local inhabitants of Kolasin. And people seem to notice. For a couple of years already, locals and tourists alike, can take part in the Kacamak Food Contest.