TRADITIONAL MACEDONIAN COLOURFUL SALT (SHARENA - K'CANA SOL)

 
Sharena sol, also known as colourful salt,(authentic name in Macedonian "k'cana sol") is a spice mix used extensively in Macedonian cuisine. Its most typical ingredients are dried summer savoury, paprika and salt. Also, dried fenugreek leaves are often added and thyme is not uncommon.
There are plenty of recipes for preparing mixed salt. It is so widely popular that in almost every place people have come up with their own recipe with "secret" ingredients. The recipe has changed and perfected during the time depending on one’s taste. In the last years, you can also find manufactured mixed salt in the markets, but the taste is far from the home-made one.
Sharena sol has no single fixed recipe, although virtually all of them include summer savory (chubrika), paprika, dried fenugreek leaves (piskavica) and – of course – salt.Here is one of the many recipes for this salt.

Ingredients:
  •     3 tbsp summer savory
  •     2 tsp fenugreek leaves
  •     1 tbsp paprika
  •     1 tbsp fine corn flour
  •     1 tbsp kosher salt
  •     1 tsp ground thyme
  •     1 tbsp dried basil
  •     1 tsp dried dill
  •     ½ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
  •     1 tsp freshly-ground cumin
  •     1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
  1. Toast the cornmeal over medium heat in a frying pan, stir constantly until it starts to darken slightly.
  2. Put all the ingredients in a food blender and mix until everything is finely grounded.
  3. Keep in a jar or a container with a lid in a dark and dry place.
  4. Add it when roasting meat or as an addition to any savory food or just grab a warm bread and dip it in the salt and enjoy the authentic taste.