On the topic of food!

About time, many people would say, when it comes to a blog written by someone with Balkan lineage…

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It goes without saying The Balkans is a region with a rich variety of cuisine. It is often more influenced by nearby countries or empires that have come and gone through the region than any other what can be said of other parts of the world.

Instead of going straight into talking about a specific type of food, region or even recipe right from the start, I’d like to cover the topic of food from a different perspective; That of someone holding onto a specific memory, trying not to deviate in any way from what is in my mind. As years passed, trying to hold onto a specific memory of mine about what certain dishes were like the way my grandparents made them, became more and more difficult. Food has a deep-seated connection with emotions, youthfulness and people in the lives of nearly everyone, which causes them to try to replicate to the smallest detail, what they remember.

My experience with this is that there is no certainty to these attempts, and the more time passes, the more abstract memory of food becomes; at some point, all that is remembered is something specific that created the strongest impression at that time, such as a specific texture, spice or smell.

I have tried many times to re-create dishes that, even if recorded as a recipe, never came out the same. Some things should be left as what it they are; a memory of a different time and place.

Placing too much emphasis on holding on to these memories isn’t realistic; instead a much more positive result comes from enjoying the present and opening yourself to new experiences.

In retrospect, one thing that is rarely considered is what your grandparent’s experience was with food when they were growing up. Was the food they grew up around even remotely close to what you remember your grandparents making? There is a high chance that, like all good recipes, they were improved and changed over time. In some cases, even something that at first wouldn’t be memorable would end up after many changes, either planned or unplanned, caused it to be something unique.

How many recipes, thinking about the basic ingredients and methods of cooking, likely happened by experimentation or mistake? A few examples:

– Tzatziki

– Popara (a dish of hard bread mixed with hot water, often with cheese, milk or honey added)

– çilbir (eggs, poached or fried, on top of yogurt mixed with paprika + olive oil)

All of the above could be seen like something that happened by accident, right?

– Hard, old bread fell in a pot of hot water or soup

– Poached or fried eggs ended up a plate with a yogurt appetizer

– Who hasn’t put random food items in yogurt at least once, to see how it would taste?

It goes back to this same point:

What benefit is there to keeping to a specific recipe or trying to replicate it, as opposed to trying a new version of that same recipe?

Past generations all did the same thing, they made their own version of a family recipe, whether intentional or not.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that a slight change will remove any authenticity to a recipe. Just look at your experience trying the same dishes at multiple different restaurants. The food has basic similarities, although it’s rare to find two places that have a dish that has the same appearance, taste and texture or consistency.

Many of your favorite family recipes are far more likely to be kept alive for future generations if you add your own touch to it. Don’t forget that our lifestyle now is so far separated from the lifestyle of previous generations, and to expect something from then to be replicated today, isn’t realistic.

For example, who really has a dedicated person in the house who takes care of all the chores at home, including cooking, without rest?

In a book I read recently related to Balkan culture and history, there was a section of a chapter talking about how people growing up in the Balkans through the time of the industrial revolution, no longer had the ability or interest to keep maintaining the family and village authority structure that was prevalent before then.

They adapted everything to what suited their new lifestyle best.

People change, society changes, sometimes recipes change too.

Change has brought about many good things we take for granted, however more often than not, accepting change is never a straightforward process, even if the majority of people actively want to implement that change.

For those like me, who want to keep the traditions, culture and cuisine of my family heritage alive, sometimes accepting a minor change to keep a hold on one specific subject is the easier route than struggling against the current.

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