Travel guide
Serbia

The 12 keywords Serbia

1. #Serbian Coffee

This specialty of the Balkans inherited from the Ottoman era has several names: domestic coffee, Turkish coffee, black coffee or Greek coffee. It refers to a coffee "black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love". Don't forget the right gestures: it is drunk in small sips after the grounds have fallen to the bottom of the cup.

2. #Cyrillic

In Serbia, both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets are used, and the written language varies randomly: it is bijective, meaning that its letters are interchangeable from one alphabet to another. Cyrillic has been the official alphabet since the 2006 Constitution. The uninitiated do not know that Serbian Cyrillic differs from Russian Cyrillic.

3. #Danube

Crossing the plains of Vojvodina and passing through the famous Iron Gates, the Danube also marks a cultural border in the country, like the demarcation between Northern and Southern Italy. On the one hand there is the influence of the German organization of the Habsburg Empire, on the other hand the Ottoman exuberance and warmth.

4. #Grillades

Traditionally, several specialties of grilled and marinated delicacies are served in a row at large banquets: ćevapčići (minced beef in the form of rolls), vešalica (smoked pork chops), ražnjići (kebabs), kajmak dumplings, sausages... in short, happiness. Prijatno (good appetite)!

5. #Inat

This expression of Turkish origin translates as "stubbornness". The concept goes a step further, it refers to the idea of doing something precisely because you are forbidden to do it, acting out of pride or against reason. Standing firm in the face of adversity and living the way you want is now at the heart of Serbian identity.

6. #Komšija

Neighborhoods have a whole new dimension for a Serbian! A real micro-society is organized on each floor of large buildings, where people exchange tutoring for car repairs. Often, you know the habits and private life of the members of your komšija better than those of your own cousins.

7. #Rakia

Serbian brandy is part of everyday life. The most famous one, made from plums, has become a classic of meals. Between the twenty or so national flavors and the local recipes, there is something for everyone! Distilleries can be visited throughout the country, an opportunity to discover your favorite and, above all, to bring back a few bottles.

8. #Salaš

Serbia is not exactly a green economy or sustainable business paradise, but ecotourism and the system of traditional family farms(salaš) turned into rural bed and breakfasts is very developed, especially in Vojvodina. Turn to a tourist agency to book a stay there.

9. #Splav

Initially Belgrade floating houses that appeared in the 1970s, the clubhouses on the Sava and Danube rivers have been the symbol of Belgrade's summer nightlife since someone had the genius idea of inviting the rest of the capital to them, sound system in hand. Since then, drunken revelers are regularly fished out of the rivers.

10. #Turbo-folk

This music originating from the Balkans appeared in the years 1980-1990 and aims at making you enter in a trance (and chaotic dance). It is associated with the lost kids fed with cheap pivo, zoning the day in the streets and at 4 am in the parks. However, the turbo-folk scene is sometimes very salacious and macho.

11. #Yougophilia

Yugophilia", also called "Yugonostalgia", is the regret for the great Yugoslav era, a feeling that is particularly widespread among older people. This opinion, which appears to be revisionist, mostly corresponds to a demand for more social justice in the face of the brutal impact of the post-socialist economic transition.

12. #Yugo

This iconic car manufactured between 1977 and 2008 by Fiat and Zastava engineers in the Kragujevac factories is nicknamed "the worst car ever". The Fiat 127-like (but much less successful) model has been produced in almost 795,000 units and you can still drive it around Belgrade.