A HIT ON THE MENUS IN SLAVONIA AND BARANJA How come so many tourists fall in love with Perkelt at first bite?
Could its appeal lie not only in its ingredients and preparation, but in the sense of togetherness it brings to the table?
Written by: Ivana Rab Guljaš
Why is perkelt so popular? Why do we love eating it at restaurants just as much as we do at home? How come so many tourists fall in love with this traditional dish at first bite?
According to Tomica Đukić, chef at Josić in Zmajevac, the answer is simple: “It’s a family meal,” he says, elaborating his theory: “Perkelt is a pot dish meant for sharing; it’s put in the middle of the table, and everyone digs in, just like at home. There's nothing strange or unusual about it; we, the people of Slavonia and Baranja, have good meat and excellent river fish. Add the perfect paprika, and there’s your perkelt. Dalmatians cook a similar dish called brudet. In this region, we're people of the kotlić (hanging pot), fire, meat, fish, onions, and ground red paprika. We love gathering around the table, serving from the pot, and eating in good company. Some prefer pike perkelt, others prefer catfish, some people like the meat-based version, while the pickier eaters might even want duck. Whichever way you look at it, though, I believe that alongside the right balance of ingredients and proper cooking techniques, the feelings that this dish evokes while you’re eating it are just as important. Come on, tell me if that isn’t the truth.”
Inexpressibly Delicious
Chef Đukić is spot-on, and my grandmother, a skilled cook from Osijek, would agree. Perkelt was a staple on her weekly menu for our family of six, and I remember my little sister stumbling over the pronunciation of the dish’s name. It’s a small word packed with a bilabial (P), alveolars (R, L), a velar (K), and a dental (T), along with the vowel E appearing twice. In a way, we can say it’s an 'inexpressibly' delicious dish.
In the Đakovo area, they solved this linguistic challenge by dropping the “L,” calling it “perket,” as shared by Ljubica Pilipović of the Šokačka Grana Association. “In our family, perket was usually made with chicken,” she explains, sharing her family recipe. “It was an everyday dish that took a long time to cook, so it was rarely prepared. Our family recipe is as follows: one kilogram of red onions, two tablespoons of lard, one chicken (cut into pieces), salt, and red paprika. Chop the onions and brown them in the lard, add lukewarm water, and simmer until they break down. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper. Continue simmering until the meat softens, add lukewarm water to cover the meat, season as needed, and let it cook on low heat until the meat is completely tender and the sauce thick. Add spicy paprika to taste, so that children can enjoy it as well. On the side we usually serve egg noodles, with a single egg, half a kilogram of flour, two deciliters of lukewarm water, and a teaspoon of salt. Roll the dough as thin as possible, cut into strips of about four centimeters, dust with flour, stack them, and then cut the noodles about one centimeter wide.”
The wild rabbit perket that her grandmother Ana from Semeljci used to cook holds a special place in her memory, she says with love. “My grandfather was a hunter and often brought rabbits, so my grandmother would make family dinners on Mondays. The process was no different than preparing chicken perket; the only difference was longer cooking time for the tougher rabbit meat. But my grandmother was resourceful, so she would separate most of the meat to make patties and use the rest for perket, always with homemade noodles,” she recalls.

Best Shared
Mihalj Gerštmajer, or “Mišika,” a renowned winemaker from Zmajevac, also believes perkelt is the perfect dish for family and other close-knit gatherings, that should be eaten slowly and in good spirits. This owner of the family farm Vinotočje Gerštmajer in the Baranja village of Zmajevac is a firm advocate for pike perkelt, describing pike as the “king of river fish.” Although its meat has a specific aroma and can be dry and bony, and though he makes it with catfish as well, Gerštmajer insists, “When prepared right, pike perkelt is unbeatable!”
His recipe is no secret, and he readily shares it with others. First, he says, fry up some bacon in lard, drain the excess fat, and then fry the onions (for one kilogram of fish, use a large onion about 8-9 cm in diameter). Once the onions start browning, add a bit of water, the salted fish (roughly chopped), and a large spoonful of ground red paprika. A bit of tomato passata can go in at this stage as well. He adds a splash of white wine with plenty of acidity which, as he says, helps keep the meat from falling apart. The pike takes about 45 to 60 minutes to cook and needs more fat, while twenty minutes is enough for catfish. He emphasizes that it’s important for the fish to be fresh!
“As a side dish to the perkelt, we serve warm pasta with cottage cheese (fried bacon can also be added). It’s important to serve the dish hot, and even the plate should be warmed. Oh, and it’s eaten with a fork, not spoon,” advises Gerštmajer.
The winemaker, whose select wines are widely known, offers his semi-dry wines or a special selection of Riesling alongside the stew, as it is a hearty, somewhat spicy dish.
To wrap up, here are some statistics for those who trust numbers more than opinions. A year or two ago, I read that the Citadela restaurant in Vardarac, owned by the third generation of the Lazar family, annually serves approximately 50,000 portions of either fish stew or perkelt (also made with Podolac cattle). Just imagine the quantities made throughout Slavonia and Baranja considering that it’s offered in most restaurants. And though you may stumble over your words while ordering it, once you taste it you’ll realize that perkelt itself speaks a hundred languages.