SPLICED LIFE /
ISSUE 01
FEATURE / Burger Barons
But the story’s not over. After securing a stall the
Ivanoviç’s opened up shop at the market, but with
no licence for an open grill as yet, all was not smooth
sailing. Luckily, not long after this they were granted
permission to cook on the premises, and they made
the fateful decision to focus solely on the burger. This
changed everything and the now named Balkan Burger
Bar went from running at a loss to turning over a profit
and establishing a name for themselves.
The Balkan Burger Bar draws its name from
the Ivanoviç’s heritage, as Serbia is a part of the
southeastern European region known as the Balkans,
which in turn takes its name from the Balkan
Mountains. The Balkan region is known for its complex
mix of religious and cultural groups resulting in a vibrant
and eclectic society with rich traditions. It is recognised
most prominently in other parts of the world for its
music and cuisine.
Eventually Lidija and Bojan decided to focus on
Balkan Burger on a more full time basis, and although
they still kept up with their professions part time, Balkan
Burger was doing well enough that it seemed like the
perfect opportunity to pour all their passion into what
has now become an incredibly successful business.
They haven’t just made a local impact either, they’ve
been featured on CNN and BBC, and while they made
their debut at the Neighbourgoods Market, you’ll also
find them at the Farmer’s Market in Fourways, at Arts
on Main and at a variety of festivals, serving hungry
customers the best burgers you’ll find anywhere.
Building a
better burger
THE ORIGINAL
Balkan Burger makes two kinds of
burgers, both of them a traditional
Serbian recipe. The Original is their
number one, and is served in soft
‘somun’ bread which is heated as
the meat cooks. The bread absorbs
all of the flavour of the meat and
softens up. They then use a unique
technique that they invented where
they fold the large, very thin patty
up and add a healthy portion of
vegetables and green salad inside
the fold over meat patty. This stops
the bread getting soggy from the
vegetable juice and stops the veggies
falling out.
THE SIR
The SIR is the alternative version of
the Original burger, incorporating
a mixture of homemade kashkaval
and mozzarella cheese. The
kashkaval has quite a strong
flavour which could overwhelm
the rest of the flavour if used alone.
Mixed with mozzarella however,
it tones down the flavour and
melts to perfection. Neither the
Original nor the SIR come with
tomato sauce, mayo or mustard
– they use a traditional roasted
red pepper based sauce, whatever
level of spiciness you prefer, to
add flavour. Balkan Burgers are
also traditionally not served with
french fries.
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Photography by Tim Hulme