Salads (Meze)

Being a country where agriculture plays a major role in the economy,  fruits and vegetables are plentyfull, fresh and diverse. This means that the salads are delicious, healthy and are considered a budget food with seasonal offerings.

Locals most often enjoy their salads when drinking rakija or mastika and in this case you will often hear the term Meze.  Macedonians love their Meze, and sometimes it lasts for several hours so the whole meal turns into only Meze and Rakija or Mastika, which is usually accompanied by singing, brotherly hugs and  laughing.

Remember... never have Meze without a drink even if you only plan to use it to say cheers (Nazdravje!)

Makalo is a hot and spicy salad prepared as a dip for a homemade bread. It's made by grinding garlic and hot peppers and adding different spices, vinegar and oils to make it a delicious entree while waiting for the main dish or as a salad during the course of the meal. Since many spices are added it's quite easy to customize it and experiment by adding your flavour. Check out the recipes page to learn how to make it on your own. 

Zelen Pindjur (Green Pindjur) is a salad and a side dish made from green peppers, usually during the summer period when peppers are abound. It is prepared by roasting the green peppers, preferably on barbeque and spicing them with garlic, oil, tomatoes and other spices if desired. It is particularly delicious if the peppers are still warm and goes very well with white cheese and homemade warm bread or pie. 

Grilled Peppers is another salad made from peppers and can be done from hot or sweet, red or green peppers. The peppers are grilled and then seasoned with garlic, parsley, vinegar, olive oil and salt. This salad is usually prepared prior to barbequing and is both healthy and delicious. 

Shopska Salad is arguably the most ordered salad in the country and consists of the best products Macedonia has, tomatoes, cucumbers, white cheese, onions and olives, spices by choice. Shopska salad is the perfect salad used as Meze and is quite refreshing and healthy especially if seasoned with olive oil. 

Tarator is a very refreshing salad made from yoghurt/sour milk/sour cream mixed with sliced cucumbers and seasoned with a choice from garlic, walnuts, olive oil.