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Cornmeal porridge (pura, kačamak, or bakardan) is a delicious Balkan dish consisting of corn flour and butter, garlic, and yogurt sauce. We're bringing you the best regional recipe, called Herzegovina porridge (hercegovačka pura s lučnicom/ lučenicom). Shall we?
Jump to:
- Background
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- What's What?
- Recipe FAQs
- Handling
- Ideas For Lunch
- Thoughts?
- Balkan Cornmeal Porridge (Pura, Kačamak, Bakardan)
- More Recipes to ❤️
Background
Cornmeal porridge is a delicious Balkan dish consisting of chunky porridge, topped with a mouthwatering garlic-yogurt-butter topping.
In the past people considered porridge to be "poor-man's food," but today it's a cherished dish. In addition, they used to cook it on wood stoves with corn flour (or cornmeal) from nearby mills. (Don't worry, our stovetop version is amazing too!)
Cornmeal porridge goes by:
- pura in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia,
- kačamak in Serbia and Montenegro, and
- bakardan in North Macedonia.
Traditional Balkan cornmeal porridge is slowly cooked, vigorously stirred, and deliciously topped with a butter sauce infused with garlic and yogurt tailored specifically for this delicacy.
However, some like to build on its taste even more by adding kajmak (clotted cheese), cow cheese, bacon, lard, and/ or cracklings.
Because it takes some elbow grease to make, today most people make the quick version of pura, a sort of instant polenta topped with yogurt and cheese.
Hercegovačka pura, or cornmeal porridge from Herzegovina, is regionally considered to be the best, so that's the recipe we're going with today.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need for Balkan cornmeal porridge (hercegovačka pura s lučnicom or lučenicom).
- Water.
- Salt.
- Corn meal or corn flour.
- Butter.
- Sour milk or plain yogurt.
- Garlic.
- (Optional) different types of cheeses, and meats like fried bacon or dried beef.
- (Optional) oil.
Instructions
Here are easy instructions for Balkan cornmeal porridge. Moreover, we're making Herzegovina porridge with a garlic sauce (hercegovačka pura s lučnicom/ lučenicom).
Step 1. Add water and salt to a deep pot and bring to a boil. Slowly add cornmeal (or corn flour), so it forms a hill. Cook for a few minutes.
Step 2. Puncture a hole (or draw a cross), in the middle of the flour. Cook for 45 minutes on low, covering the pot halfway with a lid.
Step 3. Caramelize butter in a deep pan.
Step 4. Mince garlic. Once the butter cools down, add garlic to it. Mix. Add yogurt, and whisk together.
Step 5. Take out extra water from the porridge. Vigorously mix porridge with a wooden stick for 15 min. Add the water back in if needed.
Step 6. Transfer porridge to a big bowl (or separate bowls) and pour butter, garlic, and yogurt sauce over it.
What's What?
As the terms for corn flour are sometimes used interchangeably, take a look at our quick dictionary.
- Porridge is a dish made by cooking starchy plants, usually grains, in milk or water it thickens. (Oatmeal porridge is an example.)
- Polenta, cornmeal, and corn flour are all powders derived from corn kennels that have different consistencies.
- Corn maize is a British English term for corn flour, while cornflour (one word) is a British English term for starch.
- Hercegovačka pura, bakradan, or kačamak is traditional Balkan cormeal porridge. It was traditionally made from cornmeal (due to the coarser grain), however, corn flour (a finer powder) is mostly used today.
Recipe FAQs
What is cornmeal porridge called?
In the Balkans, cornmeal porridge goes by a few names.
Pura, kačamak, and bakradan are the terms that are most often used.
Additionally, the within those, hercegovačka pura, or Herzegovina porridge, is one of the best-known variations, due to its grit and a delicious butter-garlic-yougrt sauce.
Is cornmeal the same as polenta?
Almost. While both are derived from corn kennels, the consistency of their grain is different. Polenta is coarser and more processed.
How is Balkan porridge (pura, bakradan, kačamak) consumed?
Although there are regional variations, usually pura is topped with yogurt, sour milk, sour cream, clotted cream, and/ or different cheeses (young cow cheese, local feta, etc). Sometimes cracklings, smoked beef, fried ham, or bacon bits are added.
Furthermore, in some places, sometimes the first bowl of porridge is topped with just yogurt, while the second (or third), is topped with the yogurt-butter-garlic sauce. Others serve it in reverse: first bowl with the sauce and then the second bowl with yogurt. This varies from town to town, and there are no written rules.
(Look under serving for more ideas!)
Handling
Serving: Balkan cornmeal porridge (hercegovačka pura s lučnicom, kačamak) is tastiest when consumed as warm as you can handle.
- Along with the yogurt sauce, you can also top it with sour cream, clotted cream, more yogurt, feta cheese, cracklings, dried beef, or fried bacon bits.
- Finally, some people eat porridge with grah (bean soup), baked sauerkraut, Balkan-style jagerschnitzel, or a meat sauce like the mini ćevap, or goulash.
Storing: Cornmeal porridge is the best soon after it's made. You can store it for up to 24 hours in an airtight container, in the fridge. However, the dish will not be the same the next day. Be aware you'll be saving it to make a different meal.
Reheating: Our recommendation is to cut old pura into slices, fry them, and then top them with a jam of choice or cheese. If you want to eat it as is, heat it for 10 minutes on the stovetop and keep adding a little hot water while stirring at the same time.
Ideas For Lunch
- EASY Serbian Ground Beef Potato Moussaka Casserole
- Vegetarian Eggplant Moussaka
- Baked Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Beef Stuffing
- BEST Instant Pot Cabbage and Beef Chuck Soup (Kupus Kalja, Slatki Kupus)
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Balkan Cornmeal Porridge (Pura, Kačamak, Bakardan)
Aida
Scrumptious Balkan delight called pura (Hercegovačka pura s lučenicom), made from corn flour, and topped with an incredible butter, garlic, and yogurt sauce.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Kosovo, Macedonian, Montenegro, Serbian, Slovenian
Servings 2
Calories 2123 kcal
Equipment
1 sauce pot (or another taller pot), not overly wide, with a lid
1 sturdy wooden spoon (utensil) with a round stick
Ingredients
Cornmeal Porridge (Pura, Kačamak)
- 6 cups water
- ½ tablespoon salt and more, per taste
- 1 pound cornmeal or corn flour
- (Optional) 1 tablespoon oil
Butter, Garlic, Yogurt Sauce (Lučenica)
- 3-5 ounces butter
- 16-20 ounces plain yogurt or Greek yogurt (with a little water added and stirred so it's liquid), or sour milk
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced or ground with mortar and pestle
Optional Toppings
- dairy: feta cheese, kajmak clotted cheese, goat or soft cheeses
- meats: fried bacon or ham, cracklings, or fried smoked beef
Instructions
Cornmeal Porridge (Pura)
In a sauce pot, add water and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Slowly add cornmeal (or corn flour) into it, making a small "hill" or "island" on top of the water with the flour. The water will surround it. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
With the end of your wooden spoon, puncture a hole from the top of the cornmeal "hill" to the bottom of the pot. (Alternatively, write a cross, or an "x" with your spoon, but only on top of the flour). This will allow some of the water to come through. (If you'd like, you can add a tablespoon of oil inside.) Cover the pot halfway with a lid. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook the cornmeal half-covered for at least 40-50 minutes.
With a ladle, take out any extra water from the porridge. Using the end of your wooden spoon, vigorously mix porridge for at least 10-15 minutes (the longer, the better) while keeping it on the lowest setting. Mixing will require some elbow grease because the mixture becomes very thick. When you start mixing, it'll look as if some of the flour is left uncooked. However, it only looks this way. It needs to remain firm, and clumps are normal. (If you want the porridge to be less "clumpy" return more water to the pot. The porridge shouldn't burn, however, it's expected that a minimal amount of the corn flour will stick to the bottom of the pot.
Butter, Garlic, Yogurt Sauce (Lučenica) - Parallel Step
Start making your sauce about halfway into the cornmeal cooking. In a deep pan, add butter, and set the temperature to the lowest. Cook until it caramelizes, about 6-8 minutes, swirling and stirring it very frequently. (It can go from caramelized to burnt very quickly, so be careful!) Remove from heat and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes.
While the butter is still warm, add yogurt and garlic to it. Stir well until it integrates.
Combine
Transfer the porridge to a big (preferably wooden) bowl and pour the butter, garlic, and yogurt sauce over it. Alternatively, pour the porridge into individual bowls right out of the pot, and top each with the sauce at that point.
Handling
Store it for up to 24 hours in an airtight container, in the fridge. However, the dish will not be the same the next day. Be aware you'll be saving it to make a different meal.
Serve as warm as you can handle. Add more regular yogurt if necessary. Optionally top with cracklings, dried beef, fried bacon bits, ham, feta cheese, clotted cheese kajmak, or goat cheese. Also optionally, serve along grah (bean soup),baked sauerkraut,Balkan-style jagerschnitzel, or a meat sauce like themini ćevap, orgoulash.
Reheating recommendation is to cut old pura into slices, fry them, and then top them with ajamofchoiceor cheese. If you want to eat it as is, heat it for 10 minutes on the stovetop and keep adding a little hot water while stirring at the same time.
Notes
- Traditional Recipe
Traditionally, the recipe was prepared with fresh corn flour or cornmeal brought directly from a local mill.
The mortar and pestle were used to grind the garlic, and sour milk was bought from a local dairy farmer.
- Flour to Water Ratio
Most pura recipes call for a 1:2 ratio of corn flour to water.
We like to go 1:2.5, or 1:3 of corn flour to water, as we find it tastes better this way and makes it a tad bit easier to cook. You will take out some of the water anyway, and (if needed) return some to the pot with the corn flour.
- Making Porridge for More People
When making this dish for more people multiply the ingredients accordingly.
- Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1of 2Sodium: 1159mgCalcium: 1881mgSugar: 58.7gFiber: 7.9gPotassium: 2873mgCholesterol: 371mgCalories: 2123kcalSaturated Fat: 85.5gFat: 134.4gProtein: 63gCarbohydrates: 161gIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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