Proja

The story

Proja, Serbian cornbread, is a frequent companion to winter and holiday meals, with roots reaching back to a time when corn was a cheaper and more accessible grain than wheat for most of the rural population of the Balkans. It is simple to make—cornmeal, eggs, oil, and cheese or yogurt, baked in a pan or in the oven until the crust is golden and lightly crisp—and that very simplicity is what makes proja such a common partner to richer, more complex dishes like pasulj or roast meat, where its mild sweetness and coarse texture balance the rest of the table. Some families add bits of bacon or cheese straight into the batter for a richer version. Although proja is not tied strictly to Christmas, its presence on the winter table is so customary that a large Serbian feast without it is almost unthinkable. For Serbian families in the diaspora, proja is one of the easiest and quickest recipes to turn to when time is short and the need for homemade bread on the table is great.