Back in 1956 when the most famous Serbian chef Milovan Stojanović spontaneously made the first “Karađorđeva Steak”, no one knew the future that awaited this dish. Half a century later “Karađorđeva Steak”, colloquially referred to as the maidens’ dream, is one of the most famous dishes of Serbian cuisine and it is on a menu of almost every restaurant.
Legend has it that back in 1956 in “Golf” restaurant, executive chef Milovan Mića Stojanović got an order for which he lacked some ingredients. The announcer from radio “Belgrade”, who was also a regular guest of the restaurant, ordered “Chicken Kiev” and as he didn’t have all the required ingredients for that dish, the clever chef decided to make a new dish.
The talent and knowledge that he possessed combined with innovativeness and the desire to enrich Serbian cuisine led to one of the most famous Serbian dishes being made.
As the dish itself, the name for it was also rather spontaneously made.
When he decorated the steak the resemblance between it and “The order of the Star of Karađorđe” was clear and that’s how the name came to be.
The ingredients required for this famous dish are not many and they go as follows: beef, pork or chicken, kaymak, eggs, flour and bread crumbs, but when these simple ingredients are combined they become a very delicious meal which is usually served with tartar sauce, lemon, boiled green beans or French fries.
Milovan Mića Stojanović is the most famous Serbian chef. He was a Chef instructor at the hospitality high school and college, the executive chef at “International” hotel in Belgrade and Tito’s personal chef for almost twenty-five years. Stojanović has created two hundred new dishes, which never before existed on the menus of Serbian restaurants. Some of the most famous ones have very interesting names “Smederevsko đule”, “Oplenačke palačinke” (Oplenac pancakes). “Gružanski krompir” (Gruža potatoes) “Titovo jelo” (Tito’s dish), “Teslina teletina” (Tesla’s veal),“Gagarin supa” (Gagarin soup) etc.
As the time passed by,“Karađorđeva steak” became more and more popular and people started ordering it very frequently, which resulted in it becoming available in almost every restaurant. This dish gained in popularity even in the neighboring countries and though it may seem strange this Serbian dish can be ordered in some of the most exclusive restaurants in Singapore and Tokyo.
There are several ways to make “Karađorđeva steak”, but the most common way to make it is touse pork or chicken steaks, put little kaymak, cheese and ham on them, wrap the meat into rolls, coat the steaks into flour, dip them into beaten eggs and finally roll them in bread crumbs. It is fried in hot oil for about twenty minutes or until it becomes golden yellow. Depending on your creativity and taste you can decorate and serve it in different ways.
MIlovan Stojanović cooked for Gaddafi, Queen Elizabeth II, Brezhnev, Slobodan Milosevic and many others. During the time he worked for Tito the thing he remembers the best as he puts in his own words is: “When we were traveling by train, for refection I would make a half-cooked shin which I would serve to Tito with one liter of milk and one liter of whiskey and in the blink of an eye, the only things that would remain were a bone, an empty bottle of whiskey and some milk”.
If you never had an opportunity to try this national dish, we encourage you to do so. It doesn’t matter if you are in an exclusive restaurant or a pub, people in Serbia will gladly make “Karađorđeva steak” for you. The irresistible taste, traditional recipe and the interesting shape of this dish will get you accustomed to Serbian cuisine.
