In this episode of Balkan Trip, we journey to two remarkable locations: the vibrant red village of Donja Lokošnica and the town of Pirot, renowned for its UNESCO-listed carpet weaving tradition.
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00:00Welcome to Serbia, you are watching the show Balkan Trip.
00:07In this episode, we are taking you to Donja Lokošnica, which is definitely the reddest village in Europe in September.
00:14And we will introduce you to Pirot chili, one of the valuable cultural heritages of Serbia.
00:20Village Donja Lokošnica, Serbia
00:24Village Donja Lokošnica, in the south of Serbia, in the early autumn, is the largest dryer in the open.
00:31In this way, in the sun and fresh air, the brand of this area is dried, from which the whole village lives.
00:38Every September, village Donja Lokošnica, near Leskovac, looks like this.
00:43They say that this is the reddest village in Europe, and all thanks to peppers.
00:51This is the sweetest pepper that exists.
00:55This is the pepper that our village produces the most.
00:59No other village deals with this pepper.
01:03This indigenous variety of peppers is sown in March, picked in September and dried until the middle of autumn.
01:09When peppers are picked, they are sown in pots and put on fences and facades of houses.
01:14In the season, Ljubinka sows one thousand and a half pots of peppers, two hundred pieces in each pot.
01:20For sowing peppers, we need a needle, a tap and a sower.
01:26Nothing else, just that. No technique.
01:30Children can sow, old and young, everyone can.
01:34Otherwise, there are no young people who do not work now.
01:38It is hard.
01:43Sowing peppers is usually a woman's job.
01:47On the days of the pepper manifestation, which is organized in this village, there is a competition in the fast sowing of peppers.
01:54The winner is the one who sows the lowest wreath of 50 pieces.
01:59Last year I was second place.
02:02How did you do it?
02:04I didn't practice, but I was sure in myself.
02:07This is traditional way of production, which requires a lot of work and effort.
02:12The number of producers is decreasing and this year, because of big drought, the yield is weaker.
02:17However, many people in this village do not have a choice, because only they know how to work.
02:22When we don't plant peppers, we think that we will not survive, because we have nothing to take money from.
02:29It is a big job around peppers.
02:32It is the hardest job there is.
02:35When the time comes, we cut it and make wreaths.
02:39We sell them.
02:42When peppers are dried, they are usually ground, chopped and sold as a spice.
02:47In the sun, 90 percent of peppers are dried.
02:51We put them on the roofs.
02:54During winter, we remove seeds and clean them.
02:58In whole Serbia, on every market, our stuff is everywhere, in every city.
03:02This pepper is hard, it has special aroma and it is used as an addition to many dishes.
03:08This is dry pepper, filled with sour cabbage.
03:12All dishes are prepared in this way.
03:16This is cooked food, roasted food.
03:19Actually, it is a spice pepper.
03:22It is used for everything.
03:25It is the beginning and the end of everything.
03:33We saw that Levkovo area is known for peppers.
03:36Now, we came to Pirod, where we will reveal the secret of Pirod chili and try famous Pirod cheese.
03:43In this workshop in south east of Serbia, in traditional way, Pirod chili is produced.
03:49This product is protected by geographic origin and represents one of the most valuable cultural heritage of Serbia.
03:56Real Pirod chili has to be made on vertical cutting, because of quality of fabric, so it can be used.
04:04It has to be made from natural material, from wool.
04:08It has to have big density of small balls in one square meter.
04:14It has to be made from one piece, without sewing.
04:18It has to have two identical faces.
04:23Fabric of chili has always been exclusively female work.
04:27Once in Pirod there were more than five thousand fabrics.
04:31Today, in this workshop there are only four of them.
04:34Fabric of chili is made on vertical cutting, with the help of hammer.
04:38It takes a lot of time to make it.
04:41The work is hard and it requires a lot of calculations and mathematical calculations.
04:45I have to take several threads. Then, I pull this.
04:50It has to hit hard? Yes.
04:53Is it important that this thread is to my left?
04:56Isn't it easy for you? How much time do I need to learn?
05:00Five years.
05:02Five years? It is not a little.
05:05In museum of Ponišavlje, in Pirod, there is the largest collection of Pirod chili in Serbia.
05:11Ethnologists say that it has been used for centuries in different purposes.
05:15As carpet, cover, drapery, pillowcase or as decoration.
05:20On original Pirod chili you can find some of 122 colors and 90 ornaments.
05:27For sure, the most famous one is this one.
05:30It is a color called Kornjača or Željka.
05:34Then, this is an interesting local color.
05:39In Pirod, this color is called Gugucce na direcci.
05:44What are they? They are pigeons on stools.
05:51Pirod chili is the jewel of folk craft, which is made of sheep wool, which is grazed on pastures of Stara planina.
06:00The best quality wool comes from sheep Pramenka, native breed, which was once spread all over Europe.
06:08Now, it is the most common in Balkan countries.
06:13Come on!
06:17Run, run, run!
06:27The advantage of this sheep is that it is one of the most resistant breeds in this area.
06:33It is our old, native breed of sheep.
06:37It is the most endangered breed of sheep in Serbia and the most endangered breed of domestic animals in general.
06:43There are only between 350 and 400 of them left.
06:47This is grazed Pramenka. They were grazed a month ago.
06:52Their Pramenka can be up to 20 centimeters long.
06:56Except Pirod chili, this sheep produced two more important national brands, Pirod lamb and Pirod cheese.
07:04Pirod cheese is made from cheese milk from pastures of Stara planina.
07:08That is why it has special taste.
07:11Pirod cheese is a specific product. It is a type of cheese steamed in dough.
07:15It is our most famous Serbian cheese.
07:18According to the rule, ripening of cheese should last two months for big dishes and three weeks for small dishes.
07:24In Serbia, ripening is one and a half year for small dishes and two and a half to three years for big dishes.
07:31So, cheese is pretty ripe now and it is a native product that is not in line with all expensive foreign cheeses.
07:43Products of Pirod region are recognizable all over the world.
07:47They are often presented to guests from abroad and it is best to taste them on the spot.
07:52See you soon with more Balkan stories!