Skopje - the capital of the Republic of Macedonia
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Local Flavors
Throughout its history, Macedonia has produced some of the very best of agricultural produce since it has been blessed with fertile soil. It has stuck to its original roots and remains the agricultural heartland of the Balkans, producing a variety of goods such as citrus fruits, grapes, hazelnuts, tobacco, rice and mountain teas.
Its many lakes yield a variety of freshwater fish, especially the Lake Ohrid Trout, which is famous in this part of the world. And if all that wasn’t enough the region is also well known for its cheeses in particular the sirenje (soft white cheese) and kashkaval (yellow cheese).
The wines produced here are made using grapes of unusually high quality, such as Vranec, classic Cabernet Sauvignon, and mellow Merlot, and if you are not a wine drinker, try the local fiery brandies, rakija and mastica.
Traditional Macedonian cuisine combines Balkan and Mediterranean characteristics where the Turkish influence predominates owing to the centuries of Ottoman rule here. Some Turkish delights include specialties, such as burek (a pie filled with ham, cheese, spinach, and ground beef), taratur (sour yogurt with bits of cucumber), pindzur (cream salad with peppers and eggplant) and the baklava.
Macedonian dishes include tavce gravce (baked beans), shopska salata (sliced tomato, cucumber and onion salad), selsko meso (pork chops and champignon mushrooms in a rich brown gravy), pastrmajlija (pizza topped with meat) and, ajvar (the national sauce, made from sweet red peppers), just to name a few.
Getting About
Skopje is connected to the world by air through the Skopje Airport, around 22 km east of the city. It is a relatively small airport and there are no public buses running into the city so visitors have to rent a car or hire a taxi. The city’s bus networks are considerably better. The main bus terminal is just east of the centre on the southern side of the river.
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“Skupi, in Latin, was the name of a pre-Greek people of the region…” What does this even mean? Greeks have never lived in Skopje.
Thanks Gjore. The reference should have been to the slavic Berziti tribe.
Gjore,
That is correct. Greeks have never lived in Skopje. It has always been Macedonian!
Until the late 1920s there was a Greek community in Skopje. The wars and the populations exchanges changed all this.
In fact, the area just across the Old Bridge (where you will find today the traditional Ottoman and Albanian restaurants) was known as the ‘Greek Quarter’. Other areas of the city were knows as the Slavic Quarter, the Turkish Quarter, the Mojahadir Quarter, etc…