This past weekend witnessed another Prilep
get-together. Motwani and his NGO
organized an event called “Intercultural Lunch” where local youth were invited
to come to a café to enjoy a bevy of ethnic cuisines served by Peace Corps and
EVS volunteers. Thus, a few volunteers
came to Prilep to help with the event and to enjoy our vibrant nightlife.
Overall, the lunch was a hit, as students packed into a café
in the business center to eat dishes that included sushi, teriyaki chicken, Paraguayan
tortillas, BLTs, guacamole, latkes, and salads.
Even two ethnic restaurants in Macedonia, Peacock from Skopje and the
Thai restaurant in Prilep, had donated food (Indian and Thai respectively) to
our event. And of course, I decided to
make a batch of lumpia. Despite a
Saturday morning spent entirely on cooking, the weekend was extremely
relaxing. Of course, Macedonia does not
celebrate Memorial Day, but since it was extremely warm in Prilep this weekend,
it also felt like the first unofficial weekend of summer here. For example, we spent the early part of
Saturday night sitting on my balcony and listening to Ted play his
ukulele. It was so hot on Sunday that I
decided to wear shorts for the first time since arriving in Macedonia.
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| Prilep volunteers taking a family photo |
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| Cooking for the Intercultural Lunch |
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| Latkes! |
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| Tomatoes for Jake's BLTs |
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| So much Lumpia |
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| Ted grilling his teriyaki |
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| At the event |
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| Chilling on my balcony after a day of cooking |
Eating Like a Local
Despite cooking ethnic dishes for the event, many of the
ingredients that we bought were attainable in Prilep. For example, I was able to find some bok choy
for my lumpia rolls. The mild winter and
diversity of farms in Macedonia truly makes purchasing produce a fun
venture. Unlike in the USA (especially
the Midwest), Macedonia’s agricultural industry is dominated by small plots of
farms tilled by individual families.
Therefore, the acres of land covered by huge plots of corn, irrigated by
long sprinkler systems, and etc etc hardly exists in Macedonia. Many farmers continue to till with simple
tools or beasts of burden. As you may
assume, leading such a bucolic lifestyle makes for humble living, but most
families balance their agricultural work with service or manufacturing jobs
(through which the men are usually employed).
Also, most families sell their produce directly at the pazars, thus
avoiding most taxes through the grey market.
All of this certainly benefits the consumers of
Macedonia. Most of the food is cheap,
and the variety of produce available based on the seasons creates variety in
one’s diet as the year progresses. While
most of the food is locally grown, one would go too far in assuming that the
produce is “organic”. Chances are that
much of what we buy is smothered in pesticides that many times are cheaper and
cruder versions than what we are used to in the States. Nonetheless, all of the produce is neither refrigerated or irradiated for shipping, so the food (especially the tomatoes)
taste so much more succulent.
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| Skopje's pazar |
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| Cheese at Skopje's pazar |
Given how fresh and fun it is to shop locally, I challenged
myself at the beginning of the month to solely buy food from the pazar. Throughout May I made an effort to cook meals
that were based on items that can be bought at the pazar, while abstaining from
buying items from the grocery stores or small shops, except when purchasing
drinks, oils, milk, or bread.
Over the past month, I have broken my commitment more
frequently than I had hoped. Part of the
reason behind this is that I had not bought a cookbook or found a robust
website with local recipes (also, my oven does not work, and I have yet to buy
a toaster oven). But I have definitely
enjoyed a more fresh diet filled with more vegetables and fruit.
So what is fresh today?
As I mentioned, the variety available at the pazar changes with the
season. One week the stands at the pazar
are decorated with brown and white, and the next week you see more orange and
red. Now of course, there are a few
vegetables and fruits that are imported year round.
For example, one can always find oranges and bananas at the pazar, since
they are imported to Macedonia. Vegetables like brussel sprouts and broccoli are also probably imported since
most Macedonians do not know how to cook with them.
In order to give you a sense of how the variety changes over
the year, I am providing below a calendar of seasonal produce that I had
observed during my time in Prilep so far.
Each month is listed with the three produce items that seemed most
prevalent. Much of this is based on
memory, since I never really collected data or consistently took detailed
notes. But it should give the reader a
sense of the connection Macedonians have to their seasonal foods. And it may make you hungry!
December
Cabbage
Leeks
Walnuts
January
Spinach
Russet Potatoes
Leeks
February
Romaine Lettuce
Russet Potatoes
Leeks
March
Romaine Lettuce
Green Onions
Cucumbers
April
Green Onions
Cucumbers
Waxy Potatoes
May
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Spicy and Sweet Green Peppers
