Festival of "Duvan" Cracklings in Valjevo | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Festival of "Duvan" Cracklings in Valjevo is an event dedicated to probably the most famous local brand. This gastronomic event takes place every year in the first half of October and is accompanied by a rich cultural and artistic program on the plateau in front of the Valjevo Cultural Center and the Kolubara River promenade.

This gastronomic festival is considered one of the most original in Serbia because while other products can be found worldwide, "duvan" cracklings are made only here.

It is a relatively recent event created with the aim of promoting an authentic product of the Valjevo region. The first edition of the festival took place on St. Michael's Day, October 12, 2006, and had a promotional character. At that time, only 12 butchers from Valjevo participated in the festival. They rendered about two tons of pig fat near the Kolubara River, resulting in around 300 kilograms of "duvan" cracklings, which were then distributed to the visitors.

The conceptual creator and organizer of the festival is Mr. Slaven Batočanin, a butcher from Valjevo, who protected this event with copyright and registered "duvan" cracklings as a traditional specialty of Western Serbia.

The people of Valjevo are extremely proud of the cracklings that are still prepared according to a 200-year-old recipe. They say that the secret to good "duvan" cracklings lies in their long cooking, followed by frying and then pressing them through linen fabric, typically using a wooden press made specifically for this purpose.

They say that the preparation takes six to eight hours. In addition to the main ingredient, pork fat, water and pieces of meat are also added to make "duvan" cracklings. They have a specific taste and resemble cut tobacco in appearance, hence their name.

Participants of the Festival kindly consider the tastes of gourmets from different faiths, so apart from the traditional pork, you can also sample beef cracklings or beef fat at the Festival.

The festival's central event is the competition in making "duvan" cracklings, but the most visited part is the sales and exhibition area, where besides cracklings and meat products, other homemade products such as honey, wine, brandy, souvenirs, and wooden handicrafts can be found.

In recent years, around 90 teams usually participate in the Festival of "Duvan" Cracklings, with even more exhibitors present. The event lasts for two days and usually takes place during the second weekend in October. It also includes a series of accompanying activities such as concerts, exhibitions, and organized tourist tours.

In 2018, the festival introduced the so-called "šoder" cracklings, which are particularly famous in Srem. They are much greasier than "duvan" cracklings and due to their great popularity, they earned a special day at the Valjevo festival. Since then, on the first day, there has been a competition in melting them.

According to the organizers' estimate, the attendance of the festival in 2018 was record-breaking and reached approximately 100,000 visitors. Exhibitors estimate that during the Festival of "Duvan" Cracklings, several tens of tons of various delicacies and pork fat are sold.

This year's edition of the Festival of "Duvan" Cracklings is scheduled to take place on October 8th and 9th. More information can be obtained on the official website of the festival and from local media.