A guide to food in Montenegro

Along the Bay of Kotor, fish and shellfish are often prepared with olive oil, wine and herbs. Centuries of Adriatic trade helped define a coastal cuisine closely connected to nearby Italy and Dalmatia, with simple preparations that keep fresh seafood as a cornerstone of the local diet.

Ottoman influence appears in foods such as burek and ćevapi, both now familiar throughout the region. Tear into a warm burek, and crisp pastry gives way to seasoned meat or soft cheese. Ćevapi arrive from the grill browned at the edges, usually with bread and raw onion. Strong coffee served in small cups is another Ottoman-era influence that remains part of everyday café culture across the Balkans.

At higher elevations, cooking relies more heavily on dairy, cured meats and slow heat. One traditional method uses a sač, a domed metal lid covered with hot embers, to slowly roast meat and vegetables while keeping their juices in the pan. Together, these coastal, Balkan and mountain influences help define food in Montenegro and give Kotor cruise guests access to very different flavors from what they might experience near the port.

Buzara is a traditional preparation around Boka Kotorska, with shellfish cooked in wine, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs. Breadcrumbs may be added to give the broth a little more body. A pan arrives glossy with oil and wine, with the savory scent of garlic carried in the rising steam.

Crni rižot gets its near-black color from cuttlefish ink, which also gives the creamy rice a concentrated marine flavor. The dish is especially associated with the Adriatic coast and makes a memorable contrast to the lighter seafood preparations found elsewhere around the bay.

Sea bass and sea bream are often grilled whole and served with little more than olive oil, garlic or herbs, keeping the flavor of the fish at the center of the plate. Pašticada may also appear on coastal menus. The slow-braised beef dish has roots in Dalmatian cooking and combines wine, vinegar and spices with fruit in some versions, giving the sauce a subtle sweet-savory character.

Guests interested in the ingredients behind coastal cooking can join Princess' 4.75-hour Local Connections: Olive Oil Tasting & Panoramic Budva: Meet The Celanovic Family excursion, which includes an olive oil tasting alongside local specialties such as anchovies, cheese pie and prosciutto. For a freshwater counterpoint, the 7.5-hour Skadar Lake excursion includes lunch featuring fish from the lake. Carp and bleak are both abundant in Lake Skadar, giving you a different taste of Montenegro's waters from the shellfish and sea fish of Kotor.

The road above Kotor climbs toward Njeguši on the slopes of Mount Lovćen, where cool mountain air and Adriatic moisture create ideal conditions for curing meat. Njeguški pršut is salted, smoked over beechwood and dried, producing a firm texture with a pronounced smoky character.

Njeguški cheese is its usual companion. Served together with bread, the pairing offers a simple introduction to the highland side of the country's cooking. The six-hour Lipa Cave Exploration For Families excursion opens with a 90-minute drive along the Budva Riviera and ends in the Njeguši village with smoked ham, cheese and homemade bread, served with a glass of local wine. The Kickin' Kotor excursion reaches the same village by a different route, climbing the Lovćen serpentine road and continuing off-road by 4x4 over 5.25 hours before stopping in Njeguši for its best-known specialties.

Other Montenegrin dishes showcase the heavier dairy and grain traditions of the interior. Kačamak combines cornmeal and potatoes with cheese or kajmak, creating a dense, creamy dish often associated with Montenegro's mountain regions.

Ispod sača is defined by its cooking method. Lamb, veal or other meats are placed with potatoes and vegetables beneath a bell-shaped metal lid covered with hot embers, allowing everything to cook slowly until the meat becomes tender and the vegetables absorb the cooking juices.

The three-hour Ultimate Kotor: Lunch in A Local Home – A Discovery Exclusive excursion begins in Kotor's marketplace, where stalls carry fresh produce, nuts, local wine, cheeses and smoked meats. After tasting samples from vendors, guests continue to the private home of a local chef for a traditional lunch and an introduction to the country's culinary history. It's a natural way to experience food in Montenegro — first seeing the ingredients in the market, then sitting down to a meal prepared in a home kitchen. The three-hour format also keeps the experience focused enough for a port day while still leaving room to see more of Kotor.

The three-hour Cooking Class & Kotor On Your Own excursion begins with a guided walk through Kotor's cobbled Old Town before arriving at Restaurant Cattaro. There, a chef leads guests through the preparation of Montenegrin seafood recipes. Each participant has a workstation stocked with the utensils and the ingredients to cook a meal on par with what you'd find in Kotor's restaurants.

Once the cooking is finished, you eat what you prepared, then have free time to explore Old Town. For those interested in technique, the class adds something particularly memorable to lunch: a hands-on opportunity to understand the preparation and ingredients before the finished plate reaches the table.