How prosciutto is made in Montenegro: recipe, composition, advice on transportation and storage. Montenegrin prosciutto: what is it and how is it made

This is the second part of the story of our day trip from Budva to Gorazda Fortress, the mountain village of Njegusi, the historical capital of Cetinje and the Lipska Cave.

Today I’ll tell you how to get to Cetinje and Njegusi from Budva by transport or by car, which house has the most delicious prshut in Njegusi, where to dine in Cetinje and much more.

One day itinerary to Lovcen on the map

Negushi and prosciutto production

Mountain village Njegusi is in 8 kilometers from the entrance to the national Lovcen park and 52 km from Budva.

It is famous for the fact that in almost every house the locals produce real Montenegrin prosciutto. It is from here that he then gets to the markets and cafes of the country's resorts.

In Negushi there are several restaurants with a meager menu and overpriced prices, at the entrance there is a mini-market selling honey, cheese and prosciutto.

Mountain air in Negushi is a fairy tale!
From all sides of the mountain

Each house has a sign with the inscription “Prosciutto, cheese and wine”. I found a report on the Internet in advance, which tells about a man named God, which produces the best prosciutto in Montenegro. There were no coordinates, but there was a photo.

We decided to search by photo. We reached almost the end of the village. I look - there is a person standing on the road, similar to the image saved in my phone. Yes, that's right.

Showed the garage where the legs are dried.

This is how meat is cured in the garage

He gave cheese to try, one-year-old and two-year-old prosciutto, poured me wine, and Mishka - non-alcoholic honey drink. Bought prshut there as a gift to relatives.

At this table we were treated to wine and non-alcoholic mead

Coordinates of the house where we bought prosciutto: 42.43481, 18.82954

Prices for prosciutto in Montenegro:

1 year old - 16€ /kg

2 year old - 18€ /kg

With us, everything was cut, packed in vacuum packaging. They said that you can store up to six months.

This prshut first lay in the refrigerator for a week, then flew with us to Belarus. Not spoiled, but still in the mountains on an empty stomach, the meat seemed much tastier.

Prosciutto and cheese to sample

Cetinje

Distance from Budva 32 km

This is the historical capital of Montenegro. I saw Cetinje only from the car window. After the mountains, there was no particular desire to walk around the city, which is a pity.

Cetinje reminded me of the provincial towns of Belarus. Also small neat houses, painted in different colors, slowly walking people, men with beer on the streets. No fuss.

They usually look here Cetinje Monastery and main square. Even in the city, the buildings of the former embassies with signs. You can find them on Dvorski Trg square, Baja Pivljanina, Njegoševa, Bulevar Crnogorskih junaka streets.

In Cetinje there is a square with interesting crafts and a tree in shorts. Definitely a must see in the city!

On the way to Cetinje

We found a nice cafe in the center of Cetinje. Lunch was great. They serve delicious Mint tea and breaded Camembert cheese.

Restaurant Kole in Cetinje, coordinates 42.39219, 18.92152

Lunch in Cetinje

In Cetinje, we decided to take a chance and go to Budva along the main highway, so as not to spin along the serpentines. After 20 kilometers, a peasant stood on the road, who turned all the cars around with the words “the road is closed, there is no bypass, return to Cetinje, you can only get to Budva through or Podgorica.”

How so? No detours or parallel rural roads. Absolutely no alternative! I had to return again along the serpentines over the Bay of Kotor. It turned out a circle of about 100 km.

Suddenly the passage is closed

Lipskaya cave

Lipskaya Cave is located in 5 km from Cetinje, 33 km from Budva, 35 km from Podgorica.

Entrance - 10.9€

Lipska pecina opened to the public a couple of years ago. This is one of the largest caves in Montenegro. Previously, it was flooded, but three years ago, about a million euros were invested in its restoration. Now there is lighting and footpaths.

Working mode:

From May to October Mon-Sun from 9.00 to 18.00

Air temperature - always from 8 to 12 degrees

You need warm clothes and shoes.

• Complexity: complex

Cooking

With every trip to different countries world, our experience is becoming richer not only culturally, but also culinary. Trying local delicacies is one of the main tasks of every tourist. Prosciutto is a feature of Montenegrin cuisine, you should definitely taste it if you are relaxing in Serbia or Croatia, and take it with you to treat friends at home. IN butcher shops Moscow, you can find this delicacy for all meat-eaters. But if you have tried real Serbian prosciutto or jamon from Spain, cooked exactly according to the old folk recipe you will feel the difference. No one shop product cannot be compared with dried homemade prosciutto from Montenegro. And yes, the price is a bit steep.

What it is

Before delving into all the subtleties of how prosciutto is made in Montenegro, it is worthwhile to figure out what kind of delicacy it is and what are its features. Perhaps Croatia has been left out of your tourist travels for the time being, and you have never tasted real Negush prosciutto. But you really want to do it. In any case, a small educational program will not be superfluous.

So, the original Croatian prosciutto is a dried-smoked ham, previously well-salted, and then smoked or dried in the wind. Every family and every tavern in Montenegro, specializing in the preparation of this meat delicacy, keeps the cooking technology a secret. signature recipe is passed down from generation to generation. That is why a truly delicious prosciutto is obtained only if you cook it with your own hands. In addition, during cooking it is important to “communicate” with the ham” and be in a special mood - and this is for at least a year. Well, what kind of meat processing plant are we talking about here ?!

For cooking, you can use, in principle, any type of meat. From pork, the dish turns out to be more tender, but also more high-calorie. From beef - more delicious, special fibrous texture. You can cook an excellent prosciutto from the thigh of a lamb. The calorie content of prosciutto, depending on the type of meat and the method of preparation, is from 250 to 330 kcal per 100 g of the product.

Fortunately, not only in the Balkans is it known how prosciutto is made. If you don’t know where to buy prosciutto in Moscow, or you don’t live in Moscow at all and prefer to cook meat yourself, you will need a proven recipe for prosciutto at home - the most delicious, fragrant, exactly the same as you tried on an unforgettable vacation in Negushi.

So, first you need to find in St. Petersburg or Moscow and buy the oldest Ham, which will be found. Not in the sense of stale, but just the ham of an old pig - the drier the meat, the better. They start cooking in the fall, not earlier than October: you can order a pig in the village in the spring and ask them to feed it on acorns. What to do next:

That's all, this is the end of the cooking process. Its essence is that the output is dry, delicious, lightly salted meat with a pronounced taste of pork and the aroma of oak logs, without any other impurities. It will be difficult to find this in Moscow, and if it does, then you will have to pay exorbitant prices. That is why tourists, having visited Montenegro, tend to take with them more dried pork legs, so that they have enough for themselves, and relatives, and friends.

How to store prosciutto if you are lucky enough to get hold of a fragrant ham from Croatia? But no, you use it before it has time to deteriorate. But seriously, they store jerky in a dark, cool and well-ventilated place, wrapped in parchment paper. It is with this method of storage that prosciutto will not lose its unsurpassed aromas and taste, but, on the contrary, will ripen and acquire new flavors.

Note to the tourist: In Montenegro cold cuts from jerky not considered a snack, but an independent dish. Prosciutto is served for breakfast so that it has time to be completely digested throughout the day and provide a person with the necessary energy, and not extra pounds. Traditionally, meat slices are smeared with kaymak, a delicate cream cheese often mixed with olives and herbs. It is also a traditional treat at the wedding and any festive table.

You can buy a good dried ham in Budva, for example, starting from 20 euros per kilogram, the average ham will drag on at least 80-90 euros - a pleasure not for the poor, even by the standards of Europe, agree! Buying a fresh and high-quality delicacy in Moscow will be even more expensive. The cost of the product is due to the complex and lengthy process of its preparation. The point is not only in the ingredients, but also in the aging of salted and smoked meat. How much dried-salted meat costs will depend on the timing of its exposure. The longer the exposure, the more expensive the prosciutto will cost.

Separately, it is worth considering the ways of serving prosciutto. For Croatian chefs, this is a whole art! First, the meat is cut into the thinnest, almost transparent slices and laid out in a fan or spiral on a wooden board. Olives, pickled peppers, onions, homemade are placed on top. goat cheese, which the Balkan states are also famous for. Sometimes prosciutto is served with melon slices or fresh figs- the taste of such a delicacy is unforgettable!

Prosciutto can also be used as a hearty and delicious addition to salads from fresh vegetables. We like salted slices of dried meat with beer, which is also acceptable, although a little expensive as a snack for such a trivial, "proletarian" drink. But adding prosciutto to a hodgepodge is blasphemy. it is better not to heat it at all. last resort use for baking pork tenderloin or meatloaf.

Types of prosciutto

As a standard, Montenegrin prosciutto is mentioned in tourist brochures and restaurant menus. But in fact, it is cooked in every region of the Balkan Peninsula. And in each region it has its own characteristics and subtleties of cooking.

Istrian prosciutto or Croatian - the meat is first salted and then dried, but in no case smoked! The name comes from the name of the city near which the pshrut is prepared - it is here that the climate is optimal for long-term drying of prepared meat. First, the salted ham is dried for five months in special rooms with drafts. Then another year ripens, and only a field of this premium delicacy of a characteristic ruby ​​red color is ready to eat.

Dalmatian prosciutto is prepared in a completely different way. First, the ham is salted, then smoked exclusively on oak logs. And then dried in the sun and winds for at least 9 months. The very special taste of Dalmatian prosciutto is due to the quality of raw materials. Local pigs, whose hams are used to make prosciutto, spend the whole day not in a barn, but in high-mountain meadows, and feed exclusively on acorns. This gives a special, recognizable aroma and taste to the finished meat.

And, of course, Negush prosciutto - business card Montenegrin cuisine. How thirty craftsmen from the village of Negushi cook it, the only ones who still know vintage technology salting and smoking pork hams, we will consider in detail.

The village of Njegusi is a special place, and it is known far beyond the borders of Montenegro.

This is where the traditional prosciutto is made.

But not only delicious meat the village of Negushi is famous.

Want to know what else?

What is the village of Negushi famous for?

The village of Njegusi is the birthplace of not only Petr Petrovich Njegosh, but also Montenegrin delicacies: prosciutto, cheese and honey.

What is a prosciutto? This is dried pork ham, the most traditional of all traditional Montenegrin dishes.

It starts to cook around November. First, the meat is rubbed with salt and dipped in a special brine for 15 days. Then it is washed with water and put under pressure for several weeks. Then the meat is smoked for about 4 months, after which it “comes” for some time, dried in a dryer.

And although we tried prosciutto in different places and repeatedly, it was interesting to check if the Negush prosciutto from Negushi differs from the Negush prosciutto from the store. Well, plus, it's interesting to see how the carcasses dry. Mission accomplished, photos attached)

Negushi on the map

How to get to Negushi?

There are two ways to get to Negushi: from, from (easier option) or from (26 serpentine loops, hardcore =)

I must say, both options involve gorgeous views. For example, this one, on Boka Kotorska:

It's hard to believe that this is even real. Incredibly beautiful, breathtaking!

Njegusi village

Negushi turned out to be a quiet, peaceful place. At the same time, it is quite civilized and well-groomed.

Where to eat in Njegusi?

You can taste local specialties in konoba.

But it seemed to us not colorful enough and we went to look for a real Negush house, with a smokehouse, a dryer and other personal belongings. And found.

Sushara

The house in the foreground is sushara. This is where the carcasses are dried.

And here they are:

This is a small dark room, almost completely curtained. pig feet. It is a pity that the photo does not convey the smell)

We bought prosciutto and cheese from the hostess of the house, which we just wanted to try, and finish it at home in the evening, drinking Vranac and watching the sunset. But, alas! Everything was eaten here, in the shade of grapes)

It turned out to be too tasty to take somewhere)

In no comparison with the store, the taste is very different (only for the better). The same can be said about cheese.

Therefore, if possible, it is better to try Negush prosciutto in Negushi. Well, in addition to pleasant taste experiences, here you will find pacifying rural Montenegrin landscapes.

Popular souvenirs from Montenegro are the national dishes of the country. Traditionally, locals prefer meat delicacies, especially prosciutto. This is smoked meat, which is served finely chopped along with herbs and cheese. You can learn how prosciutto is made from Montenegrins, but each village has its own nuances of cooking.

Ingredients for Montenegrin prosciutto

By classical technology need a pork loin. Instead, lamb or beef is suitable. The cutting of the carcass begins with the separation of the hind leg, the hoof is cut out. The rest of the fat will flow out of this place. Leave an open bone for hanging during smoking. The meat should be a little tough, with a specific pungent smell.

Before making prosciutto, you need to prepare the following products:

• Pork - 2 kg. The meat is low fat.
• Salt rock - 3 tbsp. spoons. The amount is approximate, depending on the size and volume of the ham.
• A mixture of peppers - red black.
• Whole mustard seed - 1 tbsp. spoon.
• Sweet pepper - 1 pc.

Put the pork leg in a closed container and rub the entire surface with salt. By classic recipe prosciutto cannot be used saline solution, the meat will be saturated with water and will not have the desired taste.

Instead of long brining you can put the meat under the press. The preparation time will be 2 days. After that, the ham is tied with twine and hung out in a dark room. Time - 2 weeks. The temperature does not rise above +10°C.

What is needed for cooking

And now we will find out how prosciutto is made in Negush, a village in Montenegro. The name of this dish is Prosciutt, such signs can be seen on the slopes and in tourist areas. You can get to Njegusi from Lovcen, Kotor or Cetinje. This village is famous for its cheeses. Each house has a smokehouse for cooking prosciutto. She is the main component and the reason for the taste of this meat dish.

The smokehouse consists of the following elements:

• the main room without an attic, where meat is hung;
• ventilation holes on the roof to remove excess smoke;
• an oven located next to the smokehouse;
• Pipes run from the stove into the room, through which smoke enters.

The composition of the fuel is kept secret, firewood is used for smoking fruit trees, some coal. This is how the taste of prosciutto is formed. The smokehouse is open from March to May and from September to November.

How Montenegrin prosciutto is made

For real Negush prosciutto, only homemade pork is used. Meat with a small amount fat, which is achieved by a special diet. After processing, the hams are sorted by weight and size. How more piece- the longer preparatory stage. How prshut is made in a particular house is a secret. It is mandatory to have a sealed container on top of which the load is placed.

• when pressing, the open part of the ham should be at the bottom;
• liquid is removed once a week;
• pressing without adding salt, lasts two weeks;
• meat drying, temperature up to +10°С;
• hanging blanks under the ceiling of the smokehouse, they should not touch each other;
• during smoking, the smoke is mixed with air.

How is prosciutto made in wet weather? Smoking does not stop if the air humidity is normal - filling the room takes two hours. The processing time is 2-12 months. Special varieties prosciutto is made for 2 years.

To protect against insects, the surface is rubbed with a layer of red pepper. Before use, it must be removed if the ham was on long-term storage- remove a thin layer of meat from the surface.

Prosciutto prices in Montenegro

The cost of Negush prosciutto is 3-4 times higher than the price of pork. The reason is the duration of cooking; during salting and smoking, the meat loses up to 40% of its mass. For shopping, you can visit the markets in the resorts, but the price of prosciutto is high there. Bargaining in Montenegro is not accepted, so it's better to buy meat delicacy in a village or town, away from the resort areas.

In supermarkets and large shops, cuts cost 3-4 euros per 100 gr. In the market for 1 kg, the merchant will ask for 11-13 Euros. It is advantageous to take a whole ham. Its weight is up to 5 kg, the price is 8 € per 1 kg. You can not buy a product in sealed packaging, you need to try the meat. If the product is taken as a gift, it can be packed before departure from Montenegro.

Transportation and storage of prosciutto

Considering how prosciutto is made and its composition, for transportation national dish Montenegro needs to get ready. The ham is placed in luggage, bag or suitcase. Before that, it is wrapped in a sealed bag of food foil or film. The smell should not penetrate outside. After arrival, it is unpacked and left for airing to remove excess moisture.

How to store:

• In a refrigerator. Only in food paper, the ham should "breathe".
• There is moisture. hang in the dark and cool place for 2-3 days. The room must be ventilated.
• Cut before use thin slices. They do not do this in reserve, they dry quickly and lose their taste.

Since prosciutto is made for a long time, its taste and composition may vary. Two identical hams from the same smokehouse may have different palatability. Therefore, before buying this national dish of Montenegro, you need to try it.