Seafood

I wrote shortly after my arrival in Serbia in June that I had developed a craving for seafood, and that craving has finally been sated in one of the most delightful and memorable ways possible. We had two ‘lunch’ work events this week (as mentioned on my birthday, ‘lunch’ here seems to mean any meal in the afternoon, in these cases beginning at around 4pm). At the one yesterday, where menus were in Serbian and Italian but not English, I ordered grilled calamari; a plate of slightly blackened tiny squid and a bit of spinach arrived. The texture was nice and it was tasty enough, although not a meal I wished to repeat. I wanted to have at least one inarguably good seafood meal before going back inland, but it was not clear where this would happen; the thought hovered at the back of my mind as I walked around the city and the ruins of Stari Bar.

Then, at Friday’s event, platters of seafood were borne to our table such that I had never dreamed of and was not a little awed by. The centerpiece of each platter was half of a loaf of bread, from the end of which protruded metal skewers of shrimp – two kinds, one small, the other whole – and from the sides of which were fastened tiny grilled squids; the bread was surrounded by black risotto, which served as a bed for another kind of squid, stuffed with tuna; sliced octopus tentacles; grilled white calamari rings; mussels on the half-shell. The risotto had been cooked in some sort of olive oil and squid ink combination. It was a stunning presentation, and an even more stunning meal.

I had never eaten octopus before, and although the suction of the tentacle on my tongue in the first bite was rather disconcerting, it tasted so delicious that I was amazed at how easy it was to overcome my initial revulsion. (I suspect that I will seldom, if ever, be able to find it prepared as well again.) Thanks to my parents, who did not countenance picky eating and also made efforts to provide a wide variety of different foods for their children to experience, it is very unusual now for me to find any food that I have never previously tried, and an especial treat for me to try something truly new and to enjoy it so much.

I already sense that this meal is something that I will remember for years to come.