Traditional customs of western Srijem / pig slaughtering

Forget our hectic world for a day, shopping malls, large grocery stores where products are put on the smallest of packages, prepared for daytime consumption.

Let’s go back to the not too distant past, when it didn’t exist, when we made everything ourselves at home. The days of pig slaughter were the happiest times on a farm. We wonder why ? The answer is simple, these days have brought us a full pantry for next year. All the meat delicacies that we still appreciate today: bacon, cracklings, ham, various sausages, kulen (special types of sausage) … We can enumerate endlessly, let’s live these customs.

We arrive at the farm early in the morning. Everyone is in a hurry, the kettles are full of hot water, the tools for the work to be done are ready. Men and women, everyone knows their part of the job. On the cold winter morning, refreshments come in the form of cooked plum brandy and mulled wine. Men get the toughest, first part of the job done quickly and skillfully.

When the processed pork halves are already hanging and the women have done the first part with the entrails and offal, breakfast follows. Fresh lard-coated liver with garlic, fresh roasted meat, homemade salad, everything is fragrant and invites you to a hearty breakfast.

The meat processing continues, with hours of hard work we approach the end products. At dusk the work is done. As a reward, a rich dinner, prepared from fresh pork, roasted meat with onions, sausages, sarma (sauerkraut filled with minced meat), homemade lettuce, beets and sauerkraut, peppers, cucumbers, as dessert donuts and other sweet pasta.

If you want, you can help with various tasks during the day and test your own skills and knowledge.

I believe that this day will remain in your unforgettable memory.