The Pelivan ( sr-Cyr, Пеливан) is an Oriental-style
pastry
Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...
shop in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, the capital of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. One of the best known pastry shops in Belgrade, it used to supply the Serbian Royal Court with pastry while the
Nobelist
The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...
author
Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in ...
wrote about it. The "Pelivan" was founded in 1851 and is the oldest still operational pastry shop in the city, working under the same name and owned by the same family since foundation.
With the ''
kafana
Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro (or tavern), common in former Yugoslav countries and Albania, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks (''meze'') and other food. Many kafanas feature live music ...
'' ''
Znak pitanja'', it is among the oldest surviving
foodservice
The foodservice (US English) or catering (British English) industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home. It includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many ...
venues in the city.
The shop became a synonym for the Belgrade supreme pastry and, especially, ice cream, which is often described as the best in Belgrade - "why do you say Pelivan if you mean ice cream". It has been named as one of the rare remaining "historical threads" which connect modern city with the period of the
Defenders of the Constitution
The Defenders of the Constitution ( sr, Уставобранитељи, ''Ustavobranitelji'') was a political regime that achieved power in Serbia in 1842 by overthrowing young Prince Mihailo Obrenović.
History
Led by Toma Vučić Perišić ...
(1842-1858) and a "tradition which survived two royal dynasties, Communism and several states".
Location
The shop is located at 20 Bulevar kralja Aleksandra
Bulevar kralja Aleksandra ( sr-Cyrl, Булевар краља Александра, "King Alexander Boulevard") is the longest street entirely within the urban limits of Serbian capital Belgrade, with length of 7.5 kilometers. Known for decades a ...
. It is situated near the crossroads of the Bulevar, Takovska and Kneza Miloša streets, right across the building of the General Post Office
The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...
and the Constitutional Court of Serbia
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia ( sr, Уставни суд Републике Србије; Ustavni sud Republike Srbije) is the court authorized to perform judicial review in Serbia. It rules on whether the laws, decrees or o ...
. The shop itself is bounded by the new, vacated building on the right, and the embassy of the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
on the left. The empty building was a location of once famed Belgrade ''kafana
Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro (or tavern), common in former Yugoslav countries and Albania, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks (''meze'') and other food. Many kafanas feature live music ...
'' "Three tobacco leaves". Opened in the 1880s, it was also noted for the first telephone exchange in Belgrade, which was installed in the venue. Across the street, in the northeast direction are the St. Mark's Church and the Tašmajdan Park. The Pioneers Park and the are also in the vicinity.
History
Origin
Mustafa Pelivan, who founded the shop, was a Gorani, who originated from the village of Zli Potok
Dragash or Sharr ( sq-definite, Dragashi or ''Sharri'') or Dragaš ( sr-cyr, Драгаш), is a town and municipality located in the Prizren District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Dragash has 1,098 inhabitants, while the ...
, near the small town of Dragaš
Dragash or Sharr ( sq-definite, Dragashi or ''Sharri'') or Dragaš ( sr-cyr, Драгаш), is a town and municipality located in the Prizren District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Dragash has 1,098 inhabitants, while the ...
in the region of Gora, south of Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
. He arrived in Belgrade as a wrestler, or ''pelivan'', as they were called at the time, which he took as his family name. Pelivan acquired the initial capital winning at the wrestling competitions. He was declared the "best wrestler in Serbia" and won a significant prize after defeating "some Turk", which he invested in the pastry shop. At the time, wrestling meant that the participants would "put on the leather (under)pants, oil themselves and wrestle". Gorani people, Islamized Slavic population, in general are known as excellent pastry and sweets chefs. When opened on 24 May 1851, his shop was one of only few in Belgrade.[ Pelivan used to mix ice cream in the bucket filled with ice.][
]
Old shop 1851-1941
The original shop was located close to the Stambol Gate
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
. At the time the neighborhood was known as Zerek, or upper section of the Dorćol
Dorćol ( sr-cyr, Дорћол; ) is an affluent urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad.
Located along the right bank of the Danube, Dorćol is oldest surviving neighborhood ...
neighborhood.[ It was situated where the modern ''Staklenac'' shopping center is today, on the "Plateau of Zoran Đinđić" section of the Republic Square in downtown Belgrade. In 1868, 17 years later, a monumental building of the ]National Theatre in Belgrade
The National Theatre ( sr-cyr, Народно позориште, Narodno pozorište) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia.
Founded in the later half of the 19th century, it is located on the Republic Square, at the corner of Vasina and Fra ...
was built almost across the shop. The business was growing and two more shops were opened.[ Pelivan was succeeded by his son, Mehmed Pelivanović and then by his grandson Malić Pelivanović. The venue became quite distinguished in time. The shop supplied the Karađorđević Royal Court with ]halva
Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made f ...
and was awarded a Royal certificate of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1936. The family itself gained prominence and Malić Pelivanović was elected a deputy to the Parliament of Yugoslavia
The Parliament of Yugoslavia was the legislature of Yugoslavia. Before World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia it was known as the National Assembly (''Narodna skupština''), while in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia the name was c ...
after World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.[
]
Present shop from 1941
After Malić, his cousin Azir Pelivanović (d.24 May 1994) took over. He served ice cream in Belgrade in scoops for the first time. The old shop was destroyed during the German bombing of Belgrade on 6 April 1941. Azir immediately decided to start from scratch and on 22 August 1941 he opened a new one, on the present location. The production was fully restored by the end of 1941. After the war ended, Azir managed to acquire the newest ice cream machines from Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and concocted the famous recipe. He was fearful that the new Communist authorities might take the shop from him in the massive wave of nationalization which they conducted. They stripped him of the ownership of the land in the Slavija neighborhood and detained him for a while. The lot on Slavija had a house which Azir planned to use for another shop. Further expansion of the business was halted by the authorities but in time members of the new Communist elite, not only local from Belgrade but also from Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
and Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, became regular customers. Azir also dedicated himself to education of generations of pastry chefs which started their own businesses all over Serbia and Yugoslavia. Popular story says that after he caught his nephews paying the lottery tickets with the money from the till, he forced them to saw their pockets.[
New golden age of the "Pelivan" was from the 1950s to the early 1980s.][ By 1980, the shop was selling of ice cream and of ]boza
Boza, also bosa, is a fermented beverage originating from the Middle East and made in parts of Southeast Europe, Central and Western Asia, Caucasus and North Africa. It is a malt drink made by fermenting various grains: wheat or millet in Alban ...
daily.[ The ''kafana'' "Three tobacco leaves", next to the "Pelivan", was demolished in the late 1980s in order to make way for the new Hotel Hilton, but due to the ensuing wars, the project was scrapped. For a while there was a mounted parking until the new, modern building was built in the 2000s, which remained empty. Due to the economic collapse of the state, the shop was in dire financial situation in the late 1980s and the 1990s. As criminal bloomed, just like with numerous other venues, the shop became pray of the racketeers. Azir's daughter Seija and her husband Ahmad al Šukeir, who moved from ]Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
to Belgrade in 1980 to study medicine, headed the shop in this period.[
With the political changes in the 2000s, the period of botched transition began, which deprived many people of jobs and incomes, so the business remained unpredictable, but gradually began to improve. In the 2010s, the youngest generation took over the business, Suhaib al Šukeir (b.1982) and his brothers Bara and Musab, sons of Seija, who died, and Ahmad, who returned to ]Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
.[
]
Venue
The ice cream from "Pelivan" is often named as the best in Belgrade.[ The shop is known for giving ice cream for free on certain dates, marking anniversaries of the shop or commemorating dates from the lives of previous owners.][
Author ]Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in ...
wrote about the pastry shop in his work "Signs by the roadside". He described it as the "obligatory stop" in Belgrade. It became a favorite pastry shop of numerous actors, politicians (as the National Assembly is close), writers and tourists, including Danilo Bata Stojković, Nikola Simić and Predrag Ejdus
Predrag Ejdus ( sr-cyr, Предраг Ејдус; 24 July 1947 – 28 September 2018) was a Serbian actor of theater, film and television. His extensive body of work includes over 200 theater productions, 50 films and 30 television series.
Ejdu ...
. Stojković was visiting almost every day and was known for bringing order into the row, which at the time stretched into the Kneza Miloša Street.[ The shop, with its old commercial tagline, is mentioned in the elementary school textbook "Old crafts".][
The recipe for the famous Pelivan ice cream devised by Azir Pelivanović is still a secret. It has been passed from one generation to another, only the owners at the time are familiar with it and they personally prepare the compound from which the ice cream is made. Until the 1990s, only relatives were employed in the shop.][ It was only revealed that in the early 21st century the ice cream making generally shifted to the new technologies (Italian style) and ingredients, which makes the ice cream look and taste more like a paste, but "Pelivan" kept the original milk-and-eggs based recipe.][
]
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Serbian confectionery
Tourist attractions in Belgrade
Ice cream parlors
Vračar