Traditional Balkan foods: future outlook

Abstract

Ethnic diversity is one of the Balkan region’s most characteristic features. Naturally, ethnic geography of the Balkans has led to interrelated rich traditional cuisines and to the formation of a unique and varied Balkan diet. Although often symbiotic, the cultures in the Balkans are diverse and fascinating. Living together in this region for centuries, people in the Balkans have created similar eating habits, food choices, and food related folklore traditions incorporating all the features of the region’s nature, geographical biodiversity, and ecosystems (Bradatan, 2003; Stankov, 2002). However, globalization is nowadays changing the food systems and food choices at unprecedented levels, influencing all aspects of human life, and the Balkans are not excluded from this trend (Tekiner, 2020). Studies have revealed that the most important factors on food choice are sensory appeal, purchase convenience, health, and natural content, while the least important ones are familiarity and ethical concern (Antuono, 2016; Danforth, Crampton, & Allcock, 2019; Gurinovic´ et al., 2016a; Miloˇsevic´, Zˇ ezˇelj, Gorton, & Barjolle, 2012). At the present time, people consider traditional cuisines to be healthy (Sproesser et al., 2019). At the same time, the traditional eating habits and food choices add a new dimension to the traditional cuisines by bringing forth challenges (e.g., on nutrition, health, quality, safety, harmonization with international food regulations) for manufacturers, legal authorities, and regulators. Therefore, current efforts are being made to build knowledge platforms and/or databases that are able to effectively centralize information on traditional Balkan foods and thus act as valuable resources for multiple stakeholders (Antuono, 2016; Danforth et al., 2019; Gurinovi´c et al., 2016a; Miloˇsevi´c et al., 2012).