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Cicvara with cornmeal, milk and fresh white cheese
Cicvara belongs to the family of simple Balkan dishes in which cornmeal and dairy are made substantial through careful stovetop cooking. It appears in Serbia and neighbouring traditions in many household forms, so proportions and dairy choices vary. This version uses milk, water, full-fat fresh white cheese and a small amount of lard, producing a softer porridge-like base than belmuž while keeping a distinctly rich finish.
The liquid base is important because it defines the dish. Milk contributes sweetness and dairy solids, water keeps the mixture from becoming overwhelmingly heavy, and lard adds a small amount of savoury fat before the cheese goes in. Bringing that base just to a steady boil creates enough heat for the cornmeal to hydrate as soon as it is added.
Cornmeal should be introduced in a thin stream while the spoon is already moving. Dumping it into the saucepan all at once traps dry pockets inside gelatinising grains and creates lumps that are difficult to break later. Low heat after the addition gives the meal time to cook through without scorching milk solids on the bottom of the pan.
The cheese goes in only after the cornmeal has thickened. At that point the cooked grains can support the dairy and the cheese can melt into a cohesive mass instead of separating into watery curds. Continuous scraping matters because the bottom of the saucepan is where the thick mixture first catches as moisture is absorbed.
Cicvara is ready when two things happen together: the raw taste of cornmeal is gone, and the surface looks glossy with a little fat visible at the sides. It should be thick enough to mound softly in a bowl but not dry enough to hold a rigid shape. A brief rest off the heat allows bubbles to subside and the texture to settle before serving.
The dish is best eaten hot. Cooling makes both the cornmeal and dairy fats firmer, so reheated cicvara is naturally denser than a fresh batch. If leftovers are reheated, only a small amount of liquid should be used to loosen them; adding too much changes the intended balance between creamy softness and cooked-grain body.