The Best Homemade Aged Meat is Produced in the Village of Stojakovo, Macedonia

The south of Macedonia always surprises with something new and unusual. If we look at the fact of which region in Macedonia is continuously and innovatively developing, we would place the Gevgelija region among the top five.

Today, we take you to the village of Stojakovo, located just a few kilometers from the windmills above Bogdanci. A village with a Mediterranean climate, where the scent of the sea can often be felt, offering excellent conditions for local producers to make aged meat.

The Kajak.mk team spoke with Aleksandar, who is part of the production of various homemade sausages, prosciutto, ham, neck, and ribs.

Aleksandar says that, at the moment, they produce for local needs, but in two to three months, they will be ready to offer their products in the Kajak.mk shop.

This is a new product on the market, fresh and homemade, made from meat sourced from local farms, where only the highest quality is selected. Aleksandar says that the aged products are processed in a local village slaughterhouse and in a special room ideal for aging meat. With the fact that the meat comes from local residents, Aleksandar emphasizes that the aged meat here is not produced individually but is made by the entire village of Stojakovo.

The procedure is very simple, he says. On one hand, because only seasoning, salt, and starter are added to the raw material, but on the other hand, it is difficult because the temperature and humidity must be carefully monitored to ensure they don't vary more than 1 to 5 degrees of humidity.

The products "age" for a minimum of 2 months in a specialized chamber. Since there are different products and raw materials involved, Aleksandar says that it is impossible to define a fixed time when the product will be ready for the table.

According to him, the process is finalized when a product loses 50% of its water content. To achieve these results, each product is checked once a week, and the date and weight are recorded. Afterward, they are vacuum-packed to preserve the freshness and flavor of the product.

Currently, the market offers kulen and sausage of 150 grams. The latest kulen is called Toscana, and it comes in the shape of a loaf. The advantage of this product is that it doesn't have a casing. Recently, they have also started aging prosciutto from the loin called Lonzino, ham called Frikando, and ribs called Pancetta.

Pancetta is unique because it is rolled and looks beautiful on a serving board. Let’s not forget the sausage, which is similar to kulen but with a completely different seasoning and a different mosaic, named Bella, as it is in a white opaque casing. Aleksandar says they plan to start production of another completely different sausage with a different seasoning and pieces of prosciutto inside.

As we mentioned at the beginning, products from Rural Foods will be available during the autumn, when you can order them through the Kajak.mk shop.