Slatko (; ; ; meaning "sweet") is a thin fruit preserve made of fruit or rose petals in Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Serbian cuisine. Almost any kind of fruit can be used, including Fragaria, blueberry, plum or cherry.
Traditions
Traditionally, all guests in Serbian and Bulgarian homes are greeted with a spoonful of
slatko/sladko and a cup of water immediately after being seated.
Particularly honoured guests are offered twice, although any guest can ask for another taste, to honour the housekeeper. For the second taste another spoon must be used. To ask for the third taste, if not offered, is regarded as an improper behaviour, although usually granted. Alternatively, in the same manner, the guests may be offered
honey (or asked to choose between the two). Prior to the creation of
Yugoslavia, the tradition of slatko was common and widespread only in the
Central Serbia, south of Sava and
Danube, and was unknown in
Vojvodina or other parts of Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Variants
The most common types of slatko are those made of whole strawberries, slightly unripe skinned plums or sour cherries. Other fresh fruits like
Raspberry, sweet cherries, watermelon cubes,
,
,
,
, skinned
apricot halves or quarters,
, blueberries,
Blackberry or
can also be used. If a plum slatko is prepared,
walnut halves or
may be added to the mixture or even inserted into the plums themselves to replace the pits. Some fruits and vegetables (like
rhubarb and
physalis) rarely grown in Serbia have also been demonstrated to be well suited for slatko.
Frozen food and fruits are sometimes used as well, in which case the amount of water used and the cooking time are adjusted accordingly.
[ Serbian Cafe ]
Slatko-od-lubenica.jpg|Slatko made from watermelon rinds - the traditional way to serve slatko
Tableware for serving slatko and water (Serbian custom).jpg|Tableware for serving slatko and water
See also
