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Montenegrin · Balkan

Kačamak

Vegetarian

Качамак · Kačamak

A thick mountain mash of cornmeal and potato beaten until smooth, served with a generous spoonful of kajmak and fresh cheese.

Kačamak is a Montenegrin porridge from Montenegro, ready in about 50 minutes and made with potato, cornmeal and kajmak. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of crumbly cornmeal kačamak served with yogurt and white cheese
Photo: Ssofija / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
40 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
435

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Boil the potatoes (opens in a new tab) in the salted water until soft, about 15 minutes. Do not drain.

    Potatoes boiling in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Lionel Ntasano on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Lower the heat and sprinkle the cornmeal (opens in a new tab) over the surface without stirring. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke a few holes so it steams, and cook 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Now mash and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat for 8–10 minutes until the potato (opens in a new tab) and cornmeal (opens in a new tab) become one thick, smooth mass.

    • 10 min
    • low heat
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Spoon onto plates, top with kajmak (opens in a new tab) and cheese, and serve with sour milk or yogurt (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Northern highlands, Montenegro · Commonly attributedCornmeal mashes under this name are also made in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.Also popular in Serbia, Bosnia and HerzegovinaMore food from Montenegro
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Porridge & cereals · Side dishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
creamy, mild, salty, rich
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Potato · Cornmeal · Kajmak
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom kajmak, feta, yogurt

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

435 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 452 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 61%
  • Fat 31%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy435 kcal96 kcal
Protein9.4 g2.1 g
Carbohydrate67.6 g15 g
Net carbohydrate61 g13.5 g
Sugars2.6 g0.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.7 g1.5 g
Fat15.2 g3.4 g
Saturated fat7.9 g1.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol38 mg8 mg
Sodium1025 mg227 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
654 mg
Calcium
78 mg
Iron
3 mg
Magnesium
111 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
122 µg
Vitamin C
20 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
34 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: feta, yogurt.
  • Kajmak: Full-fat cream cheese (FDC 173418) used as a stand-in for Balkan kajmak/kaymak (clotted cream); kajmak is usually richer, so fat and energy are underestimated.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The beating is what makes kačamak — be patient and use a sturdy spoon.

Common mistakes

  • Stirring the cornmeal in at once — it forms lumps; let it steam on top first, then beat.

Serve with

  • Some families add browned pork cracklings (čvarci) on top.

Storage

  • Best eaten freshly made.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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