Over the weekend, a few of my sitemates organized our first
annual Tetovo Beer Tasting. Basically,
we went to the local grocery store and purchased 10 beers that we could
purchase in bottles or cans. We then
randomly poured them into small dixie cups, from which we tasted blind and
ranked based on our preferences.
I am providing my own ranking below (beers brewed in the
Bakans are indicated with their country of origin in parantheses):
1 1. Skopsko (Macedonia)
2. Laško (Slovenia)
3. Starogradsko (Macedonia)
4. Becks
5. Amstel
6. Tuborg
7. Kamenitza (Bulgaria)
8. Heineken
9. Staropramen
10. Zlaten Dab (Macedonia)
Not only was I surprised that Skopsko ranked at #1 for me
(it is brewed in Skopje), but I also feel very guilty that the Prilep-brewed
Zlaten Dab ranked last. Typically, when
I go out for a beer in Macedonia, I prefer to order a Zlaten Dab over a
Skopsko. But this taste test was
eye-opening.
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| Ready to be judged |
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| Examining dat viscosity |
Also, here are the averaged results of the entire taste test
(ranks added and then divided by 3):
1. Laško (8.7)
2. Skopsko (8.3)
3. Starogradsko (6.7)
4. Staropramen (6.3)
5. Amstel (5.7)
6. Heineken (5.3)
7. Becks (4.7)
8. Zlaten Dab (3.3)
8. Kamenitza (3.3)
10. Tuborg (2.3)
Other Reviews of Macedonia
Given that I have lived here for almost three years now, I
figure that I may also share my favorite places for different Balkan delicacies
or other cuisines. Of course, these
reviews are all based on my opinion, but they are well weighed/ contemplated given the amount
I have traveled and eaten during my time here.
And if you want a review of what each of these food items are, feel free
to visit my previous post about Macedonian cuisine.
Best Burek- Beličev
Bakery, Kochani
Burek is the basic fast food in Macedonia. It is greasy, cheap, and prevalent. The basic types are with ground meat, with cheese
(sirenje), pizza, and with spinach. So
choosing the best burek is a complicated task, since there are so many
dimensions from which to judge them. But
without a doubt, only once have I repeatedly praised the taste of a burek, and
that was of the burek with leeks and cheese which I purchased in Kochani at the
Beličev bakery. The cheese was markedly
fresh and creamy, the crust was crispy without being greasy. It was heaven in a burek.
Best Kebabi- Baba
Tsana, Kumanovo
Kebabi are also very difficult to judge, since they are very
prevalent and seem pretty difficult to screw up. In a way, judging kebabi is like judging
breakfast sausages (minus the maple syrup taste), so a lot of the content for
judgment comes down to the texture and consistency of the kebabi. But in my opinion, the kebabi from Baba Tsana
in Kumanovo ranks at the top. The flavor
is distinct and heavenly, and the texture is perfect (not at all spongy). Baba Tsana is renowned in Macedonia for being
a quality kafana overall, so do not limit yourself to the kebabi if you make it
out to Kumanovo for a visit.
Best Shopska Salata-
Berovo
Tomatoes, cucumbers, and white cheese (sirenje). These three simple ingredients together make
one of the most delicious and healthy meals you can eat in Macedonia. As I mention multiple times through this
blog, the tomatoes in Macedonia are heavenly (when they are ripe in the spring
and summer). The best are supposedly
produced near Strumica, which gives Berovo an edge. Berovo is also known for being very cold
(given its elevation), so that makes for delicious, creamy cheese throughout
the year. It probably does not matter
where in Berovo you eat a shopska salata.
Just know that the cheese and tomatoes will be out of this world.
Best Tavče Gravče-
Žežo, Bitola
I mentioned in a previous post that tavče gravče is my favorite
Macedonian dish. There is nothing like a
simple batch of baked beans siting in a clay pot (and sometimes topped with a
kielbasa) that can fill you up for the night.
Anytime I eat tavče gravče, my stomach instantly becomes happy. But Žežo has the best tavče gravče I have
ever eaten. And Žežo is also my favorite
kafana throughout all of Macedonia (probably more due to the great nights I
experienced there than anything else), so any visit to the Bitola restaurant is
warranted.
Best Donër- Dajti Donër,
Tetovo
Even more so than with kebabi, donërs are difficult to
compare since they usually comprise of the same ingredients, and they are very
difficult to screw up. They are also the
perfect night food (ie. helping to soak up some brews in the gut), so they are
like the late-night tacos of Europe. Donërs
are very difficult to find outside of Albanian communities, so it's
self-evident that my ranking for the best donër would be from Tetovo. Nothing really sets Dajti's donër apart from
others, besides that you can order one quickly, and it was the first donër
which I have ever eaten here. Nonetheless, it's always good.
Best Čorba-
Makedonska Sofra, Ohrid
Čorba is like the McDonalds breakfast of Macedonia- if you can start your day early enough to eat it, you may have to Snapchat about it. Basically it is just a simple soup, but it is
heralded as one of the best hangover cures (if accompanied by a rakija) that
one can eat in the morning. Thus, čorba
is difficult to find after 11AM each day, since most of the old Macedonian men
finish the morning stock early in the morning so they can start the day of
drinking anew. Luckily, getting to
Makedonska Sofra in Ohrid had never been an issue to many of us PCVs who were
in the town for a weekend of fun. They
also typically have multiple čorbas on stock each morning, including čkembe
(stomach lining, similar to menudo), chicken, beef, fish (their specialty), and
jagneška (lamb, my favorite). Don't
forget to add the vinegar!
Best Topeno Sirenje-
Castello's, Struga
As Ohrid's neighbor along the lake, Struga has the best
topeno sirenje in the country. Topeno
sirenje is basically a clay pot filled with a medley of baked cheeses (saturated
fats galore). When we celebrated Vevčani
in January 2014, we devoured many pots of this delicacy, which was easy since
Castello's offers three different versions of the dish (including a pot with garlic). And the baked bread with sesame that accompanies the cheese- glorious.
Best Pizza- Leone,
Prilep
Sure, it may seem strange to include pizza on a list of
cuisines within Macedonia. But as I
mentioned in previous posts, pizza in Macedonia is so different to those
typically found in the USA since pizza here pretty much lacks pizza sauce. Thus, many Macedonians top their pizza with
mayonnaise and ketchup (which many PCVs see as barbaric). I have personally adapted to topping my pizza
with ketchup, especially since the component I find most crucial when judging
pizza is the sauce. If a Macedonian
restaurant cooked a pizza with a delicious sauce, I would certainly give it my
vote. However, no pizzeria has diverged
from the norm, so I have to give my vote to the most delicious pizza in
Macedonia- in my former site of Prilep.
The pizzas here are cooked perfectly in what seems to be a wood-burning stove. The best pizza is the Krali Marko
pizza, which may not be on the menus anymore, but basically contain peppers,
pepperoni, gorgonzola cheese, sour cream, and sesame seeds on the crust. Pizza made for a king.
Best Rakija- Kruševo
It is a bit sacrilegious of me to claim that the best rakija
in Macedonia is not made of grapes (Lozova rakija, the kind most people make at
home), but rather of plums (Šlivka, which is more prevalent in Serbia). Yet, whenever I want to buy a bottle of
rakija, I always head straight for Kruševo, where they serve a glass of the plum
elixir for only about 50 cents. My love
for this rakija may also be a result of great memories created while drinking
it (one of which involved good company before our 2015 YMLP camp). Note: I
forgot the name of the restaurant that serves it, but once I rediscover it, I
will share it on this blog.
Best Late-night Food-
Kaj Vili, Skopje
I may have cheated with this category, since others on this
list may also qualify for late-night food (donër, burek). However, nothing has quite saved me on nights
where the balance of alcohol-to-food ratio in my stomach was off like Kaj Vili
(English translation: By Willie's). Their grilled chicken
sandwiches, stuffed with French fries and topped with curry sauce are the
perfect weapons to pacify any bender in Skopje.
And they are located in many locations around the city, including near
the Holiday Inn in the center and near the City Park.
Looking forward to my return to Macedonia in however many
years, you can be sure that I will be visiting a handful of these places to
satisfy my cravings for the epitome of Macedonian cuisine.
