Serbian Beef Goulash: A Rather Meaty Introduction

Across the border

That familiar name allows for more variation than it first suggests. Goulash originated in Hungary, where gulyás is known as a paprika-seasoned soup of meat and vegetables. Across borders, related names also came to describe thicker meat stews. Serbia’s gulaš belongs comfortably at that end of the family, often with mashed potatoes alongside. A dish can keep a recognisable name while changing what you do with the potatoes.

Kafana Balkan traces its history to 1913, making it one of Kragujevac’s longstanding kafanas, or traditional taverns. Old photographs hung along the walls. Beyond my table, rows of wooden chairs and checked tablecloths led towards an arch and a mural.

Beef and its accompaniments

The kafana’s goulash remains the richest I have tried. The thick sauce carried a strong beef flavour, with the fat adding a savoury depth that made even a little go a long way. The meat dominated the dish, but its influence reached beyond the pieces themselves.

The mashed potatoes gave that concentrated sauce somewhere to go. A mouthful of beef with the smooth mash brought the two textures together. The combination was every bit as satisfying as the beef itself.

The bread extended that pleasure beyond the edge of the mash. A round roll in a basket took care of whatever sauce the mash had missed.

Between the bread and the potatoes, leaving any of it behind would have required a fairly deliberate decision.

The cabbage salad offered a change of pace. Finely cut and simply dressed, it brought a clean, pleasant acidity that contrasted with the deep, savoury flavour of the stew. I usually struggle with pickles and coleslaw, but this was a salad I enjoyed.

Then it was back to the goulash, which had not become any less beefy in the meantime.