Knedle sa Sljivama (Plum Dumplings)

The admonition to navigator what's successful play is not conscionable idle proposal successful the Balkans, wherever residents gorge connected strawberries successful May and June, feast connected raspberries and blackberries successful July, and lament the passing of each of them by precocious August. Tiny, luminescently greenish Brussels sprouts look successful open-air marketplace stalls successful February and past the full bleak Balkan winter. Author Joan McQueeney Mitric knows this firsthand: She has cooked them all, from the luscious berries to the agleam small sprouts, portion caring for elders here.

Fall is the play of the small, dusky purple Italian prune plum, oregon sljiva. Cooks from Belgrade to Novi Sad to Dubrovnik are making the plum dumpling dessert known arsenic knedle sa sljivama (pronounced keh-NAID-lay sah SHLI-vah-mah), sinking pitted plums into simple-but-yummy batter to service with tiny cups of heavy Turkish java -- oregon with plum brandy, different known arsenic sljivovica, oregon slivovitz. When the plum dumplings are chopped open, the acheronian fruit's aureate centers should beryllium succulent and sweet.

These beauteous prune plums person made their yearly little autumn quality successful American East Coast markets. Locally, they are disposable astatine Snider's markets, M.O.M. (My Organic Market) successful Rockville and immoderate Trader Joe's and Giant Food stores. So, Mitric says, you mightiness accidental the 2 continents are sharing a uncommon United Nations infinitesimal of culinary solidarity.

This dessert look was passed connected to writer Joan McQueeney Mitric immoderate 35 years agone by the cooks successful her husband's colony of Lipolist, southwest of Belgrade.

Ingredients

Nutritional Facts

Per serving (based connected 6)

• Calories

  378

• Fat

  17 g

• Saturated Fat

  6 g

• Carbohydrates

  52 g

• Sodium

  193 mg

• Cholesterol

  57 mg

• Protein

  6 g

• Fiber

  4 g

This investigation is an estimation based connected disposable ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s oregon nutritionist’s advice.

This dessert look was passed connected to writer Joan McQueeney Mitric immoderate 35 years agone by the cooks successful her husband's colony of Lipolist, southwest of Belgrade.

Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick.

Published March 12, 2026