TASTES OF TRADITIONAL VOJVODINA CUISINE – KITNIKEZ

Kitnikez is a unique desert that has a long tradition in this area. Namely, it is one of the oldest desserts in Vojvodina. The magic of the taste of this unique desert will meet your high expectations. But let’s start at the beginning: What exactly is kitnikez? The simplest answer would be – quince cheese. In Spain it bears the name dulce de membrillo, and cotognata in Italy. In our region, it is called kitnikez, which comes from the German word quitte, which means quince, so that the translation of Quittenkäs is quince cheese.

This dessert has a specific gelatinous texture, an irresistible smell of quince, can be of different shapes, depending on the molds used for its preparation.  The color of kitnikez is mostly red, although it may vary slightly. The basic ingredient of this dessert is, as we have already mentioned, quince, fruit that was very common in this area and had multiple purposes in the past. Quinces decorated our grandmothers’ closets, scented the rooms, and were used in folk medicine and cuisine. The process of preparation of kitnikez implies long cooking, preferably of ripe quinces and sugar, and walnuts can be added to taste.

Although this delicacy used to be an integral part of Vojvodina’s diet, today, due to the long cooking process, the fast pace of life, it has lost its popularity. However, the tradition of this almost forgotten desert has been revived by some of the hardworking hosts of Vojvodina, so you can buy kitnikez at various gastronomic events throughout Vojvodina, as well as at the Radukin farm in Titel, which recommends kitnikez with lisnati (leafy) cheese.