WHAT DID HERZEGOVINIANS EAT THROUGH THE CENTURIES?

In an interview with Euronews, Dragan Brenjo, one of the authors of the monograph "Food in Herzegovina Through the Centuries", discussed the eating habits, customs, and food history of this unique region.

In Herzegovina, food has never been just a daily necessity – throughout the centuries, it has served as a reflection of culture, social class, and historical context. This is precisely what the monograph "Food in Herzegovina Through the Centuries", co-authored by Dr. Dragan Brenjo and academician Nova Pržulj, seeks to explore. The book acts as a culinary chronicle of the region’s diet over the past 800 years.

“It all began during the commemoration of 800 years of the Eparchy of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and the Littoral. Mostar parish priest Radivoje Krulj suggested we focus on food, and the blessing of the late Bishop Atanasije gave the project a special weight and responsibility,” recalls Dr. Brenjo for Euronews.ba.

The book aims to present food not merely as a culinary phenomenon but as part of a complex cultural system. “Diet was directly influenced by social structures and class divisions — the menus of the nobility, clergy, peasants, and soldiers never overlapped, but they did influence each other,” the author explains.

According to Brenjo, many dietary customs trace their roots back to the late Middle Ages. Later influences — from the Ottoman conquests and Columbus’s discoveries to Germanic and Austro-Hungarian cuisine — only enriched this medieval foundation.

The main ingredients in the Herzegovinian diet were grains — millet, barley, wheat, rye, and oats. “Millet and barley were consumed as porridge or bread. Common vegetables included onions (both black and white), cabbage, turnips, lentils, and broad beans. Meat was rare and usually reserved for special occasions, with lamb being the most common. Pork was less frequent, and beef was virtually unknown. Wild game was rarely eaten, while fish was relatively common,” explains Brenjo.

Among the most fascinating aspects of the book are recipes such as “kneževa jagnjetina u mlijeku” — lamb in milk, a favorite dish of the 12th-century Hum prince Miroslav — or chicken in sauce from the same era. The book also features a description of 15th-century cutlery belonging to Stefan Vukčić Kosača: forks made of silver, coral, and rock crystal.

“People today don’t think about food the way our ancestors did. For them, food was often divine — it meant life and survival. That sense of wonder is woven into our tradition and DNA, especially in Herzegovina,” says Dr. Brenjo.

He adds that during times of hunger, people approached food with gratitude and reverence, unlike today’s culture of abundance.

The geographical and climatic features of Herzegovina — with its karst fields and highlands — significantly shaped its agriculture and nutrition.

“Herzegovina is a land of stone. Traditional stone houses, built since the Middle Ages, confirm the strength of local identity. In remote villages, these houses are still built today according to ancient customs,” the author notes.

The monograph concludes with an intriguing look at phrases and idioms related to food, especially bread, which in local speech symbolizes life and existence.

“Through language, we can clearly see how deeply food is rooted in the collective consciousness of the people,” Dr. Brenjo concludes.