Tlačenica

Tlačenica is a type of pressed pork sausage that is made with pork parts, usually pig’s head meat, heart, tongue, skin, and cheeks. The meat is cooked, deboned, and chopped into pieces, and it is then seasoned and mixed with some of the cooking liquid before it’s stuffed into a clean pig’s stomach or large intestine.

The spices used for seasoning the meat vary from one region to another, but they usually include salt, black pepper, sweet or hot paprika, and garlic. Once stuffed, the sausage is cooked in water over low heat, and it is then chilled and pressed. Also known by other names, including švargl, presvuršt, or prezvuršt, this meat product can be consumed after it’s been cooked and pressed, or it can undergo a process of smoking and drying in traditional smokehouses for up to two weeks.

This delicacy is traditionally prepared in rural households after the pig slaughter, and it is typically enjoyed sliced as a cold appetizer. It is recommended to serve tlačenica as a cold cut with garlic and bread, or use it as an ingredient in a variety of traditional specialties.