🍔 Pljeskavica
Pljeskavica is a large, flat grilled patty of minced beef and pork seasoned with onion and paprika, the best-known street food of Serbia. It is cooked over charcoal until smoky and juicy, then usually served on a plate with chopped raw onion and a spoonful of kajmak, a rich clotted dairy cream that melts over the hot meat.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g minced beef
- 200 g minced pork
- 1 onion, very finely chopped, plus 1 onion for serving
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper
- 100 g kajmak
Method
- Mix the beef, pork, chopped onion, paprika, salt and pepper and knead for 3–4 minutes.
- Chill the mixture for at least 20 minutes.
- Shape 4 wide, thin patties about 1 cm thick.
- Grill over high heat for 4–5 minutes per side until cooked through.
- Serve hot with chopped raw onion and a spoonful of kajmak on top.
How to make it lighter
- Use lean minced beef and less pork to cut the fat noticeably.
- Keep the kajmak to a teaspoon or serve it on the side; it is mostly fat.
- Plate it with a big tomato, cucumber and pepper salad as the side.
History
Pljeskavica is part of the Balkan grill tradition shared with ćevapi, and the town of Leskovac in southern Serbia is especially associated with it; it holds a well-known annual grill festival. Today pljeskavica is sold at grill stands across Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and the wider Balkans.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →