Support Local Farmers

If you are traveling to Belgrade for the first time make sure to learn more about its customs and tradition. Make sure to support Local Farmers. Buy a food from the first hand. Meet Serbian culture. Maybe get to know few words on Serbian. Definitely make sure to meet locals. This is the country of hedonists! Serbs enjoy good food and good wine. Once you are here you will fall in love with our specially prepared dishes. And if you are fan of cooking, make sure to support local farmers, and instead of buying ingredients – fruits and vegetables from big markets, buy them fresh and organic at green markets directly.

Support local Farmers! Word in Serbian for green market is pronounce “Pijaca”. There are several of these located in different parts of the city. So, wherever you are, you can just grab your “Ceger” and explore one of these places. Have in mind that local farmers might not know English very well, or not even at all, but they will be more than happy to help you out with what you are looking for. They’re very polite and very kind, and their fruit and vegetables are organic, coming from their own farms from different parts of Serbia. Another important information is that prices are reasonable and compared to regular big markets and prices in other European capitals, very low. Pretty much any grocery is less that 1 euro per 1 kilogram. So, for a very good price you will get fresh and organic plus you will support local farmers who are working hard, investing and producing during the whole year.

If you get hungry on your way to Green Markets get some snack in some of amazing Belgrade fast food places.

As already mentioned previously, there are several green markets. One of the biggest and definitely most popular ones is Zeleni Venac, positioned in the city centre at starting point for many busses. It is very easy to get to it, and also navigate from it. Another quiet popular, located in Vracar, the old part of the city, is Kalenic pijaca. It was built in 1926., and it represents one of the oldest, biggest and definitely most impressive green markets in the city. There is also Bajloni market, located very close from Skadarska Street, known as “Skadarlija” or the bohemian quarter. On your way to Bajloni you will hear sounds of “tamburitza” and enjoy this narrow cobbled street that is still preserving the spirit of old times. And have in mind that you can check and compare prices in all of these online. The difference is usually not more than 0,10 euros.

All of these markets are places where besides huge variety of fruits and vegetables, you can find different dairy products as cheese, Kajmak (pronounced “Kaymak”, very popular in Serbia), other home-made dishes as “Ajvar”-kind of salad made with red paprika that comes from the South of Serbia, big selection of mushrooms, etc. Also, at green markets you can buy cooking ingredients as cooking oil, salt, sugar, and similar for lower prices than in regular markets.

Locals will find it very charming if you learn few basic words in Serbian. Here are some that you might find useful:

Dobar dan! – It means “Good afternoon”. Very simple one and definitely always a good start.
Koliko kosta? – What is the price?
Hvala! – Thank you!
Dovidjenja! – Goodbye!

These words are very basic, and learning these will make you seem very kind and polite among locals.

In the spirit of Serbia, make sure to try to cook at least one of Serbian traditional dishes. There are few pretty easy to make as “proja” (dish with corn flour and cheese), “prebranac” (dish made with beans and sometimes with meat added), “sarma” (dish made with minced meat and cabbage) or “gibanica” (it is a kind of pie made usually with cheese). Surprise your Serbian friends and invite them for Serbian traditional meal!

If you want to burn some extra calories, you can check out the best Gyms in Belgrade.