Days of banica – pastries with the scent of tradition
Serbia preserves all the culinary traditions and old recipes of our grandmothers at events.
This is exactly how the Days of Banica in Bela Palanka preserve the recipes, appearance and taste of banica, the rolled pastry from the Bela Palanka and Pirot region. The name of this pastry is said to be derived from the word gibanica (which is also a type of pastry), but banica is prepared faster when guests drop by unannounced. The crusts of banica are filled with eggs and cheese, rolled and folded into a spiral, covered with hot fat and baked in the oven.
This recipe sounds simple, but you should still go to Days of banica and watch the preparation live. More than 300 competitors gather in one place there, each with their own family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation.
They compete in preparing traditional savoury or sweet, traditional and creative banica. There you have an opportunity to try banica with nettle, greens, Swiss chard, grated apples or pumpkin.
Whoever wins has a not-so-simple task to do. Next year, on the last day of the event, he or she should prepare a giant banica and serve it to the visitors.
On the last day, the Olympiad for children is held, a competition in the preparation of banica for the youngest. This is how the tradition is passed on to new generations.
Banica is the star of the event, but you should also try the Bela Palanka pepper called vrtka, belmuž or “lovačka mućkalica”, as well as everything prepared and displayed by the hard-working women. You should also have fun. Concerts and cultural and artistic programmes are organised on all three evenings, which make the summer evenings in Bela Palanka unforgettable.