Popara

Ingredients

Base

• 400 gstale bread, torn into pieces
• 600 mlmilk
• or 400 ml water and 200 ml milk

To enrich

• 60 gbutter
• 150 gfeta or sirene, crumbled
• a pinch of salt

Optional sweet version

• 2 tbspsugar or honey
• a pinch of cinnamon

To serve

• hot, in a bowl

Directions

1. Use genuinely stale bread, a day or two old and dry. Tear the bread into rough pieces rather than cutting it into neat cubes.
2. Cut the crusts off if they are very hard, or leave them if you like the texture. Warm the milk in a wide pan until it is steaming but nowhere near boiling. Never boil the milk.
3. Add a pinch of salt to the milk. Now take the pan off the heat and add the torn bread. Add the bread off the heat and let it soften in the residual warmth rather than cooking it.
4. Press it down gently with a spoon so every piece is wet. Cover the pan and leave it 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Leave some texture in it. Popara should have soft recognisable pieces of bread, not be a smooth porridge, and over-stirring ruins it.
6. Stir in the butter while it is still hot, so it melts through. Add the crumbled cheese and fold it through lightly. Add the cheese at the end and off the heat, so it softens in lumps rather than melting away into the milk.
7. Taste for salt, remembering the cheese brings plenty. Serve it hot in a bowl, immediately, with a spoon. It must be eaten straight away.

Technique

• It is regarded as convalescent food as well as children’s food.
• The proportions are entirely a matter of household habit.
• Some versions use kajmak instead of butter and cheese, which is far richer.

Substitutions

• Any stale white or brown bread.
• Kajmak or cream cheese in place of feta.

Variations

• Sweet, with sugar and cinnamon.
• With kajmak stirred through.
• Made with water only, which is the leanest version.

History

Frugal Bosnian breakfast for children and the elderly, built on saving every scrap of bread.

Frequently asked questions

What is Popara?

Popara is a breakfast from Bosnia and Herzegovina: stale bread softened in warm milk with butter and crumbled cheese. Frugal Bosnian breakfast for children and the elderly, built on saving every scrap of bread.

How long does Popara take to make?

Popara takes 5 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Popara?

Yes, within limits. Any stale white or brown bread. Kajmak or cream cheese in place of feta.

What is the most important thing to get right in Popara?

Use genuinely stale bread, a day or two old and dry. Tear the bread into rough pieces rather than cutting it into neat cubes.