The Donevski family from Kratovo are guardians of a 250 years old recipe for the spice known as k'cana sol - salt mixed with a unique blend of herbs and spices that is a staple of Macedonian cuisine.
Stevce Donevski, the head of the house does not keep the recipe secret. And why should he - the k'cana sol, whose name implies the long process of battering the salt and the spices in a large mortar, is notoriously difficult to produce. It takes six hours non-stop over the mortar to produce the unique flavor of the k'cana sol.
Main ingredients include the carevka corn and raw sea salt brought over from Italy. To this, you add about a dozen of herbs, which have been dried, ground to powder and sifted through a fine sieve. Additions can include the exceptionally strong summer savory herb, or the so-called Gypsy pepper, which gives a stronger taste to the spice.
Making just 100 grams of k'cana sol can take up to 24 hours, and can include six kilograms of ingredients, including three kilograms of carevka corn. In goes the dried wild and domestic mint, thyme, basil, dill and a number of other dried herbs. The salt comes in last, and then the "k'canje" - crushing of the ingredients - begins. The mortar itself is made of the wood from a cherry tree, with an iron pestle. The Donevski's use a 250 years old mortar for their k'cana sol. It can take in two kilograms of ingredients, so the six kilogram batch of ingredients is divided into three parts. Once finished, the spice is put in jars and added to bread and olive oil, kebabs, beans and potatoes.
The Donevski household produces between 35 and 38 kilograms of k'cana sol annually. The quantities are limited mainly because of the lack of carevka corn. "We buy it from the village of Vak'v and the harvest is not big. The Gypsy pepper comes from the same place. Summer savory is picked near the village of Lukovo in July. It is added when we want to make the taste more intense, but you have to be very careful with it. A small spoonful is all we can put in, at the very end of the process", Donevski tells us.
Sales are guaranteed in this well known family which runs a rural tourism business from the 300 years old Shanceva house in Kratovo, which the family bought in 2009 and converted into an ethno-house hotel. They have regular visitors to the house which affords old style lodging in the mining town. Guests can eat delicacies with k'cana sol, and buy it to go.
"The house belonged to a wealthy Catholic family which traded in silk, as well as salt and textiles. It is right next to the Catholic Church Of Our Lady. Most of our visitors are foreigners coming to Macedonia", adds Stevce Donevski.
While there, visitors can also enjoy the sweet fruit jams, compotes and the ajvar pepper spread. Most of the visitors are from the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland and Italy. The area is also known for its apple vinegar, brandy mixed with herbs and pastrami, which can also be savored in the Shanceva house.
As an important mining center, Kratovo used to be a major market town in Eastern Macedonia. Merchants came from the Republic of Ragusa - Dubrovnik and Solun (Thessaloniki). Caravans from Dubrovnik would take 18 days to reach Kratovo, carrying merchandise in wooden crates. They would bring in fish and olive oil, and bring back metal works. Now, Kratovo is a small, sleepy town, long past the glory of its mining days, but is coming strong as a site for tourists interested in its numerous medieval landmarks and, of course, its good food.
