Bosnia's Slatko-making tradition returns

Whenever invited to my Yugoslavian friends’ home I felt like royalty in their small, yet elegant flat. My friends were like the thousands of mixed families from the cosmopolitan city who never really identified with ethnic or religious groups. They wanted simply to be Yugoslavian, which after all means South Slav, and their Balkan hospitality was unmatched.

Any meal we enjoyed together was always finished off with a cup of strong Turkish coffee and Slatko,traditional plum preserves. Slatko, which is Serbo-Croatian for sweet, dates the Bosnian fruit-growing tradition back centuries.

The making and giving of preserves reflects the region’s warmth and hospitality. Pozegaca Plum Slatko, the local Gorazde variety from the Upper Drina Valley, is especially unique. The plums come exclusively from trees alongside the banks of the River Drina near the city of Gorazde. The Slatko is pure, composed only of a local, indigenous plum variety.

Producing the Slatko

The first plum crop is harvested in early August for eating. The next crop gathered in mid-September is used for the Slatko. The plums are picked when fully ripe and their skin just slightly shriveled near the stem, making them easier to peel. After being washed, they're drenched in boiling water. The pits are removed with a sowing needle and then the pitted, peeled plums are drenched again in a water-lime solution for about half an hour to firm up their flesh. They are then boiled with slices of lemon in a clear sugar syrup. Depending on the cook, they may then be flavored by placing cloves, walnuts, or almonds into the pitted plums.

The entire process from peeling to packing the plums is done exclusively by hand. The finished Slatko hints of tea rose jam in its creamy consistency. The preserves are traditionally served in small bronze, glass, or ceramic cups uniquely designed to hold just one plum. They are also often served to welcome guests especially with locally produced kaymak, unpasteurized double cream. Some of the older villagers believe Slatko with walnuts is an aphrodisiac.

Gorazde Slatko remains pure

The Gorazde Slatko is produced exclusively from the robust local ecotype, Prunusinsistitia, known locally as the Pozegaca plum. These semi-wild plums are grown entirely from seed. Fruit trees are almost always grafted, as those produced from seed retain characteristics from both parents and thus do not grow true to the original.

According to the village's older residents, the Pozegaca Plum originated from the time of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia. The local elders say that the plum originally came from a wild fruit tree with especially flavorful, juicy fruit. The trees were then replanted, nursed, and cultivated in private orchards. Their excellent quality and resistance is likely due to the geographic isolation of the Upper Drina Valley.

Emina Women revive orchards

Slatko-making is a labor of love for the seven women of the Emina Association. Under the leadership of Jasmina Sahovic, the women are working alongside Gorazde’s older women to perfect the original, traditional recipe for Slatko of Pozegaca’s pilled plums, Slatko od guljene sljive Pozegace, that has existed for hundreds of years.
 
The women prepare the preserves in the village of Filipovici. The village’s political situation, like much of the region, is complex and sensitive. After the war and the signing of the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, Bosnia was divided into two entities - the Federation of Bosnia and the Republika Srpska. As the village of Filipovici is located on the so-called inter-entities boundary line, it is thus divided between municipalities in the Republika Srpska and the Bosnian Federation’s Podrinje Canton, whose capital is Gorazde. 

Located about 120 kilometers southeast of Sarajevo, Gorazde straddles the Drina River and is isolated by mountains bordering Serbia and Montenegro. Gorazde, part of the Ottoman Empire until 1865, prospered following World War II and the opening of state-run factories. Before the communist period's industrial turn, the Upper Drina was a prolific fruit-producing area. Gorazde was famous for its fruit-growing, notably its apples and plums which were exported across Europe. 

The devastating events of the 90’s saw the neglect and destruction of the nurseries. The region suffered extensively and the women of the Emina Association are only recently replanting their orchards with the Pozegaca plum and local apples. The food production economy is helping them to rebuild their lives and those of their families. The women hope to market and export their Slatko as well as traditional red pepper preserves, apple syrups, and dried fruits through their own firm. They hope to fill orders placed by mid-August. Once sealed, the Slatko's shelf life is 100 years!

By Angela Boskovitch, Food-Travels.com Editor