Živa pljeskavica

Živa pljeskavica is an appetizer made with ground veal, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, paprika flakes, Vegeta, oil, and chopped onion. The meat and spices are placed on a large plate and mixed with a fork until they form a homogenous mass that is then shaped into a patty.

The dish was created at the restaurant Kod Bore in Sedlari near Valjevo in Serbia, and it's a take on a dish eaten by hospitality workers in state-owned restaurants in the former Yugoslavia. Because they were pressed for time, they would typically eat a raw meat patty tucked into a warm lepinja flatbread for lunch. Živa pljeskavica is served with grilled bread or lepinja flatbread and salt and paprika for seasoning and is usually consumed while waiting for one's order of grilled and barbecued meats to arrive.