82 | RitamSrbije » Rhythm of Serbia R I TAM SRBI JE RHYTHM OF SERBIA A L L T HAT PR A I R I E I was born there on a salaš… “...Bright summer nights will return, the plain of ours will flourish, hey salašes, I’ll return to you”… There’s no native of Vojvodina who doesn’t know these legendary lines, which are beloved and close to the heart, but which are also a simple, primordial promise that the salaš farms will not be forgotten, and that this tradition and way of life that’s specific to Srem, Banat and Bačka will be preserved. THE SALAŠ FARMSTEAD DOMINATED THE VOJVODINA PLAINS LONG before the Ottoman Turks arrived in this area, and for centuries this way of living gained its own recognisable form – with each of the local peoples adding something of their own to the original concept. However, they all had a common goal: for their home to be a practical farm surrounded by rich forests and fruit orchards, where comfort is valued and national differences are lost, and various cultures merge into one. e majority of the salaš farms as we know them today emerged in the mid 19th century, though now barely two hundred remain… Unfortunately, the modern age didn’t insist on that simple coexistence with nature, so ever fewer are left on the land. On the other hand, the tradition is preserved by several hospitality providers who offer experiences of this authentic, rustic concept of life as a kind of tourist attraction. Around 20 Vojvodina salaš farms have opened their doors to the public, offering a precious opportunity to experience what it looks like to lead a simple, healthy life with pure peace for the mind and the soul. So, when you wake in the dead of night on a salaš and the only light you see through the small windows is moonlight, you’ll realise how pointless worries are and how easy it is to be happy sometimes. What is certain on a salaš is that you will come across Vojvodina’s rich cuisine - that you won’t be able to avoid traditional fruštuk breakfasts, or a piece of bundevara pumpkin pie or gibanica cheese pie, homemade soup with noodles as an appetiser before lunch, smoked sausages, delicious strudel, pastry with nuts and sugar etc. In the evening you’ll get drunk on good home-made wine or strong rakija brandy, all to the unavoidable sounds of the tamburica lute! Numerous salaš farms offer various other activities - riding schools, carriage rides, hunting, gathering medicinal herbs, rowing on the rivers, hanging out with domestic animals, while you can also knead your own bread in the traditional way or fry bacon by a campfire, enjoy playing outdoors, visit a museum of baking, a house of old crafts, check out antique toys, kitchenware, examples of furniture from an entire century ago… Visiting a salaš isn’t merely a holiday, it isn’t just feasting on food, drink and nature, rather it’s also an authentic experience that recounts for us the story of the life that preceded ours; the story about how the people of the plains survived for centuries in a healthy life, with the ultimate goal of that life being pleasant for everyone. Let’s end these lines with a verse, just as we started them, and let’s use a verse that expresses the whole salaš philosophy in a few words, and which were sung by Zvonko Bogdan to the salaš farms of northern Bačka: “And make merry, but nice and slow, let everyone admire and see”…
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