Montenegro – a gastronomic guide

Archived material. Last modified on the old website: 2023-07-12. Prices, dates and conditions have been preserved from the original and may be outdated.

The trend of exploring a country through its cuisine is becoming increasingly popular.

On average, food accounts for more than a third of tourists' spending. According to World Food Travel Association statistics, 93% of travellers chose an authentic culinary experience on their trips at least 1 time in the last 2 years. And according to the World Tourism Organization, 9 out of 10 people consider local cuisine one of the main elements of a destination's brand.

Even Montenegrins themselves say that you cannot get to know their cuisine and culture until you sit like a local at a table in an authentic tavern or, even better, on a gastronomic farm in a village, enjoying a generous traditional Montenegrin lunch. We invite you to get more out of your holiday and feel like a local in Montenegro by exploring this country's vibrant palette of traditional flavours. We have prepared a gastronomic guide with top places, dishes, recommendations and prices.

MONTENEGRIN CUISINE

Although Montenegro is small in area, its cuisine is very diverse and differs between coastal, central and mountain regions. In the mountains, people eat more meat dishes made from lamb and beef, as well as plenty of cheeses made from goat's and sheep's milk. By the sea, the diet naturally contains more fish, rice and vegetables.

Traditional dishes you should try in Montenegro

Meat and fish:

• Čorba with fish or meat – a traditional thick soup.

• Lamb under the sač – meat slow-cooked for 3 to 6 hours in a cast-iron vessel with hot coals placed on its lid (the sač)

• Lamb in milk.

• Njeguši steak.

• Pršut – smoked or dry-cured pork ham.

• Buzara – stewed seafood.

• Ćevapi – grilled sausages made from minced meat.

• Uštipci – small minced-meat patties.

• Pljeskavica – a large minced-meat patty with onion.

In Montenegro, fish shops are called ribarnica and butcher's shops are called mesara. There, you can not only buy the freshest produce, but also ask for it to be grilled straight away.

Dairy products:

• Njeguši cheese – made from sheep's or goat's milk, similar to bryndza but less salty.

• Lisnati cheese – a slightly sweet layered cheese made in Kolašin.

• Cicvara – a porridge made with milk and cheese, with added corn flour; Montenegrins often eat it for breakfast.

• Kajmak – a dairy product with a consistency similar to sour cream and a flavour like the most delicate cream cheese with a creamy note.

Pastries and desserts (“slatkiši”):

• Heldija – a layered pie made from buckwheat pancakes with a cheese filling.

• Tulumba – fried unleavened dough soaked in syrup.

• Palačinka – pancakes with a sweet filling.

• Priganice – small doughnuts usually eaten with honey or kajmak.

Fruit:

Because the country has no large industrial enterprises, vegetables and fruit grown in Montenegro are considered among the most environmentally clean. The best place to buy them is at local markets.

• • In June: cherries, wild strawberries, blackberries and gooseberries.

  • In July: peaches, nectarines and kiwis.

  • In August: watermelons, melons, grapes, figs and jujube – a fruit that looks like a date and tastes like a blend of apple and pear.

CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS

The best places to discover Montenegrin cuisine are traditional restaurants called konobas. Here, traditional dishes are prepared from local ingredients using family recipes. And the portions are simply enormous.

Approximate prices of groceries and meals in restaurants

• Lunch for two – 960-1208 UAH

• 500 g of local cheese – 200-240 UAH

• 0.5 l of local beer in a supermarket – 32-52 UAH

• 1 bottle of good-quality red table wine – 400-800 UAH

• 2 litres of Coca-Cola – 60-73 UAH

• Bread – 32-40 UAH

• Cappuccino – 68 UAH

• Espresso – 60-80 UAH

• Water (0.33 l bottle) – 60-80 UAH

MONTENEGRIN WINES

The first association with Montenegrin wines is the bright ruby-red Vranac. This is a dry red wine made from the grape variety of the same name. Vranac is the most popular and entirely indigenous grape variety, used to produce up to 70% of Montenegro's red wines.

Among white wines, the most popular is considered to be Krstač, produced only in Montenegro from an indigenous grape variety.

The country has two wine regions: the Coastal region, stretching along the Adriatic Sea, and the Lake Skadar region.

Plantaže corporation is considered the main producer of local wines. It owns the largest vineyards in Europe, and Plantaže Winery wines have won more than 800 awards at wine competitions and fairs around the world**.

For wine tourists in Montenegro, there are 2 official wine routes in the Lake Skadar area:

• • Crmnica. It is believed that Vranac first began to be grown in this area.

  • Ancient Duklja. Named after an ancient Roman settlement whose ruins can still be seen on the outskirts of Podgorica.

TOP wineries for tasting Montenegrin wines

Taste Montenegro!