Podvarak

The story

Podvarak is the baked cabbage dish of Serbian home kitchens: chopped onions, cabbage and meat combined and baked in the oven until the flavors merge. It is eaten across the former Yugoslavia and is counted as poor man's food in parts of Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Families often make it in large batches for winter gatherings, and it appears on the Christmas table and in the days after. Cooks disagree about the cabbage. Some use fresh cabbage sharpened with grape vinegar; others use sauerkraut, which the cook behind the food blog The Balkan Hostess says is eaten regularly in Balkan households in the winter months, when smoked meats are also easy to find. The meat follows the household. Pork roast and bacon are common, lightly cooked chicken or turkey also works, her mother prefers smoked turkey, and Bosniak Muslim cooks use poultry, beef or lamb instead of pork. A vegetarian version of onions and cabbage alone is made for feast days. Pork shoulder suits an American kitchen because it stays moist through two hours in the oven. Serve it hot with boiled or mashed potatoes, cornbread and a wedge of feta.