Turks in Serbia: the flavors we share — from sarma to coffee

On a Belgrade tram, on a Novi Sad campus, in a Niš bazaar — hearing Turkish in Serbia is no longer a surprise. Exchange students, IT professionals, families running businesses: the Turkish community is growing. And when a Turk sits down at a table with Serbian hosts, a small miracle happens — half the menu needs no translation.

A dictionary you already know

Centuries of shared history left thousands of Turkish loanwords in Serbian, and the sweetest part of that heritage lives in the kitchen: sarma (from sarmak, to wrap), dolma (from dolmak, to fill), kajmak/kaymak, čaj/çay, kafa/kahve, burek/börek, jogurt/yoğurt, ćufte/köfte, ratluk/rahat lokum, plus tulumba, baklava, boza and pita — same words, same dishes. It is not a linguistic curiosity; it is proof the two cuisines cooked side by side for centuries. The kajmak/kaymak pair got its own story.

Who are the Turks in Serbia today?

A colorful community: exchange students who stayed, engineers in international companies, entrepreneurs trading between the two markets, families running bakeries and restaurants. Visa-free travel and direct Belgrade–Istanbul flights have brought the countries closer than at any point in a century — while more and more Serbs holiday on the Turkish coast and come home with suitcases of spices and rahat lokum. The bridge, in other words, carries traffic both ways.

What Turks in Serbia miss most (and the fix)

• The tea setup: Çaykur Tiryaki 1 kg, a double-stacked çaydanlık and Paşabahçe tulip glasses — abroad, home is wherever the teapot whistles.
• Sarma for the homesick: stuffed vine leaves with rice, 400 g — the Turkish olive-oil version, served cold. Serbian sarma uses sour cabbage and arrives hot; try both and start a friendly family debate.
• Desserts of childhood: şekerpare and kemalpaşa — the syrup sweets Turkish grandmothers make on Sundays.
• Kitchen foundations: baldo rice for pilaf and sarma, cumin for köfte — Serbian ćufte and Turkish köfte love the same spice — and Gemlik olives for breakfast.

New to Serbia? Our practical shopping guide: where to buy Turkish products in Serbia.

An invitation to Serbian neighbors

The bridge runs both ways. If you are Serbian and wondering what "Turkish food" really is — the answer is: much closer than you think. A Turkish breakfast is a more lavish version of what you already love (cheese, olives, jam, tea — guide here), Turkish pilaf is a cousin of your rice dishes, and köfte will greet you like an old friend. Start with one box of tea and one tin of vine-leaf sarma — and see where the road takes you.

Gastro-diplomacy in action

At Eksen Doo we believe the best diplomacy happens at the table. That is why we built a Turkish market for all of Serbia: bringing Turks the taste of home, and Serbs the taste of a neighborhood that was always closer than the map suggests. The catalog is here, prices on the site, delivery to every city. Restaurants and shops: our B2B portal. Write to us via the contact form — in Serbian, Turkish or English.