Kaçamak

A thick cornmeal porridge stirred with butter, cheese or kajmak. Mountain food from Rugova and rural Kosovo, eaten hot with yogurt or pickled vegetables. Kaçamak is cornmeal cooked slowly with water and salt until it becomes a thick, spoonable porridge. Butter, white cheese or kajmak is folded in at the end so the dish turns rich without losing its simple taste. In Kosovo it is mountain and village food, especially around Rugova, where corn was a dependable crop. Shepherds and farm families ate it as a full meal, not a side. The texture should be smooth but not runny. A well-made kaçamak holds its shape on the plate and tastes of toasted corn and dairy. Serving notes: Serve very hot in a shallow bowl, with extra butter or kajmak on top and cold yogurt on the side. Pickled peppers or cabbage cut through the richness. It is a winter and mountain dish more than a summer one. Where to try: Rugova guesthouses and traditional restaurants in Peja are the most reliable places. Ask for it by name. It is not always written on city-center menus. Ingredients: Cornmeal, Water, Salt, Butter, Cheese or kajmak, Yogurt.