It is the season of baptismal Slava and all of those abiding by the Orthodox faith, in addition to the anticipation, are experiencing headaches caused by the staggering cost of celebratory feasts.
Every host tries to please their guests with a rich selection of food and beverages. The cost of organizing depends on the number of attendees. However, if we are talking about the average feast, large expenditures are unavoidable.
Thus, for example, the celebratory meal is unthinkable without a “meze” table, however a few plates of sausage, teamed with quality cheese, cost not less than 15 EUR.
Meat is expensive but unavoidable for the first course, however according to data from the State Institute of Statistics, a kilogram of boneless veal costs 9 EUR and when you add a few vegetables to the mix, the total comes to 10 EUR.
After the soup, sarma (traditional sauerkraut roles filled with meat) is served. Like the soup, sarma is absolutely “mandatory” to a Slava celebration, however at least two kilograms of meat are necessary to make this traditional dish. Teamed with sauerkraut, rice and spices, the cost of sarma comes to about 15 EUR.
Those who celebrate baptismal Slava will have to put aside 100 EUR for roasted pork, this amount should cover the price of pork, slaughtering and baking.
“The demand has not yet begun and the price of pork is still under 2 EUR per kilogram. I expect the first customers early next week”, said Miso Maljcic, President of the RS Association of Pig Breeders.
The sirloin demands an entree of lettuce, which comes to a cost of approximately 5 EUR, whilst a few fruit baskets will cost about the same as the lettuce. Fruit has in recent years become a normal part of the Slava feast.
An additional 100 EUR are needed for the purchase of cakes coupled with alcoholic beverages and juices, coffee and bottled water.
A few kilograms of pie (burek, krompirusa) need to be on the list of groceries, along with a number of loafs of bread and a Slava cake which, in total, will cost around 25 EUR.
If the host would like to welcome a large number of guests he should be sure to count on unplanned costs. Leave aside at least 50 EUR for items such as lean cuisine, Slava candles and the like.
Associations for consumer protection are warning citizens to pay attention to their already thin wallets.