Janjetina

Crispy golden brown skin. The meat is juicy, fragrant and sweet.

Ingredients:
Domestic lamb of optimal weight around 12-13 kg
Preparation:
The inside of the abdominal cavity and mouth is washed from the rest of the blood, and it is placed on a skewer, and immediately afterwards the inside should be salted. Punch a hole on the back and thread the wire through and fasten the lamb to the skewer. It should be firmly attached to the skewer, so that it does not turn during baking. Cut off the front legs at the knee. Also fasten the head, back and hind legs to the skewer. Put the hind legs over the skewer, pass one leg through the tendon of the other, then tie both of them with wire to the skewer and tighten well. The lamb is salted first from the inside and then from the outside (salt needs about 2% of the weight of the lamb).

It is good to leave it salted for at least half an hour. The abdominal cavity is closed by cutting through a brick or a shin. Score the thighs with a knife and season with salt, make a stab at both shoulders with a knife and season with salt, then season with salt on the outside of the whole lamb. When the lamb is well heated (about 45 minutes), add a little ember under the thighs and shoulders. It is placed in the oven over low heat while constantly turning the skewer.
The flame of the fire must not be too close to prevent the meat from burning and drying out excessively. To prevent the meat from burning and cracking at the beginning of roasting, the lamb is coated with salt water. Roasting takes, depending on the size of the lamb and the amount of available embers, an average of two and a half to three hours on low heat.

Serving:

With potatoes and salad, homemade bread.

Occasions when food is prepared and eaten:

Lamb is a symbol of the table – serving lamb means special honor to guests in all important events for a family.

Interesting facts about the dish:

There is almost no family or business celebration where lamb is not served. It is indispensable for Eid, Christmas and Easter. The main reason why grilling on a spit is so present and popular in many Mediterranean countries is not only the primordiality of livestock preparation, but also the culinary simplicity seen in the patient and slow roasting of the meat, which in this way becomes juicy and soft.

Significance (categorization – aesthetic, economic, political, religious, social):

Lamb is a social food and must be eaten in company, only then is it a real experience. Beer with a skewer, talk and laughter by the open fire, sharing and dining together.