The historic region of Herzegovina has been a place where different cultural influences mixed in the past. There was always a gap between living in the city and the lifestyle of people who lived in the countryside.
People from countryside learned to live from their land, plants and animals.
In case you have missed it, read our previous post – Organic food in Herzegovina.
Traditional food is often prepared with meat, and meals are plentiful and delicious. The meat is of extraordinary quality, often organic, and well prepared. Meat is the ingredient of some of the most popular Bosnian dishes such as bosnian pot, cevaphs, bey soup, burek, collards and beans soup.
One of the oldest dishes is collards made with smoked meat.
Collard greens are part of the Acephala Group of the species, which includes kale and spring greens. Collard greens have been eaten for at least 2000 years, with evidence showing that the ancient Greeks cultivated several forms of both collard greens and kale.
Eating collards and smoked meat in winter is a tradition passed from generation to generation in Herzegovina. This vegetable is highly adaptable to every type of soil and climate, it is often self-grown, and is harvested in the coldest months of the year.
It is clear then why the farmer sin the past considered it precious in fighting famine; it’s seed was carefully preserved to ensure future cultivation. Those who grow collards still protectively guard their crop.
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