Farms for you – tourist and gastronomic guidebook

“Sahlash” denotes a separate agricultural estate, an isolated island in the midst of fertile ploughland. They are a distinctive phenomenon of the Pannonian lowlands; the closest to it are the terms “ranch” and “farm” in English, “meierhof” in German, “hacienda” in Spanish, etc. In a more recent time, some of these estates have transformed into tourist oases, offering hedonistic experiences and complete relaxation. Farms are certainly one of the most impressive traits of Vojvodina’s tourist offer.

Miroslav Božin, a journalist, publicist and TV scriptwriter, writes about these islands of abundance in the midst of the fields of wheat, maize and sunflowers. In his guidebook “Farms for You”, readers are introduced into farm life and the author “opens up the souls” of farm dwellers. A richly illustrated book presents 65 tourist and wine farms, and a hundred dishes typical of farm life. Every estate’s offer of food and beverage, as well as the story about its origins and distinctive features, is presented. The following ones are described in the book: Zvonko Bogdan’s Farm, Zvonko Bogdan Winery, Kovačević Winehouse, Vindulo Winehouse, Farm 137, Dida Hornjak’s Farm, Lujza Farm, Perko’s Farm, Mother’s Farm, Buca’s Farm, and many other famous and less famous farms.

Farms in pictures, stories and songs

The book gives in a nutshell the whole of the richness of this special world. In the introduction, the farms on artistic canvases are presented, with a special focus on Sava Šumanović – the painter of the dazzling light of Srem, and the famous paintings by Milan Konjović and Sava Stojkov. Renown Serbian writers also wrote about farm life – the stories “Lady Nola” by Isidora Sekulić, and “The Farm Dweller” by Veljko Petrović. The musical “texture” was and still is an inevitable part of farm life – one part of the book is dedicated to popular Zvonko Bogdan’s, Đorđe Balašević’s, Danilo Danilović Daniluška’s (“A Farm in a Small Swamp”), Kornelije Kovač’s songs and the interpreters Milan Prunić, Zdravko Čolić, etc.

Our dishes

A separate chapter of the Guidebook is dedicated to the dishes of old and contemporary times. One hundred distinctive and “fundamental dishes” are selected. The author presents the “Farm Icons” – bread, ham, bacon and sausages. The inevitable menu also consists of grilled corn, magical sauces, the “kitinkez” quince dessert, as well as “Desserts from Yellowed Cookbooks”. The “Dishes from Our Farms” chapter is a small, nicely illustrated cookbook with recipes how to make buns with cracklings, cheese pies, soups, broths, stew, pörkölt, turkey with thin dried flatbread, dumplings, doughnuts…

100 archaic words

The book’s special curiosity is the glossary of exactly one hundred words: ajgir, ambar, amper, babica, dikica, evedra, tralje, kalamćov, pleva, žvala… A foreigner will read this small archaic dictionary of the times long gone as a piece of information about the Pannonian village life. The dictionary was specially drafted for this occasion by Pavle Malešev.

10 REASONS TO VISIT A FARM

  1. You never rush back home from a farm. Farm dwellers are flattered to have guests and want to be the best hosts possible.
  2. Lunch on a farm lasts for at least three hours. The offer is diverse. Don’t forget to ask for ham, paprika-flavored sausages, greaves, ceremonial soup, soup meat, stew, roast meat, strudels…
  3. Farms offer an idyllic view of the times long gone. Maize and wheat fields around, earthed locust-trees, domestic animals, attentive hosts…
  4. You can experience unforgettable moments in a relaxing environment, enjoy the table groaning with food, drink good wines, listen to tambura players if you may wish so… If you get tired of this, many farms offer you a place to pause for rest.
  5. A weekend or a shorter vacation there is synonymous of healthy life and return to naïve and careless childhood.
  6. Your farm clothes should be loose-fitting. In summer, you can walk barefoot; in winter, you can enjoy leaning against a warm peasant’s stove.
  7. Here, you are served homemade juices, homemade fruit brandies and famous vineyardists’ wines. Those three “sacred items” are what farm dwellers from the “three hearts beating as one” – Srem, Banat and Bačka – are proud of.
  8. A farm is a perfect place for a family to rest. Children can safely run around, stroke and watch domestic animals.
  9. One has never too much of learning about new things in life. You’ll discover the meaning of evedra, prljak, pleva, lenija
  10. You can buy and take with you homemade jams, fruits and vegetables; together with that, your hosts will also pack something for the journey.
Author: BelGuest
Photo: Miroslav Božin, Bora Otić, documentation Winery “Zvonko Bogdan”