Ohrid in September: trout that is rare
The Ohrid trout on the menu at the price of a regular river is almost certainly not the Ohrid trout. That is the first question for the waiter.
Ohrid trout that is on the menu at the price of ordinary river trout is almost certainly not Ohrid trout. The catch of endemic species is under legal restrictions, so what is most often served comes from farming. It's not a scam per se — it's a scam when it's billed as endemic.
A house with nothing to hide can be recognized by three things: fish are chargedper kilogram, not per portion, is measured in front of you, and when asked about the origin, you get the name of a pond or part of a lake instead of shrugging. As a rule, such houses are lower than the promenade, in the bays under the fortress and towards Kane, where you can reach by stairs and not by a window.
In addition, September is the only month when Ohrid works properly. After the summer, the water is on20 to 22°C, the air is around 24, and the promenade can be crossed again without elbows at seven in the evening.
Two days and one morning
He is from Belgradeabout 650 kmvia Niš and Skopje, seven to eight hours with breaks. The lake is on693 meters above sea level, which is not visible on the coast but in the night temperature: in mid-September it can drop to 12 degrees.
First afternoongoes to the old town from top to bottom: Samuel's fortress, then the ancient theater, then Plaošnik. The church of St. John Kane, the one on the rock above the water, is best around 6:30 p.m., when the sun falls on the right side and the rock turns red. The walkway below it leads straight to the water.
Day 2going south:29 km to Saint Naum, the monastery from 905, and to the source of the Black Dream below it. Boats from the source go about fifteen minutes; the water is so clear that the sandy bottom can be seen three meters away. Back goes back overGalicice— a pass at about 1,600 m from which both lakes, Ohrid and Prespa, can be seen at once. The asphalt is narrow, without curbs and in some places without a protective fence. It's not for speed, it's for the morning.
Third morningis Struga, 14 km north, the only place where the water from the lake flows out — Crni Drim starts under two bridges in the very center. Fishermen return before eight, and what they come for isdried tunic, a small silver fish that is dried in rows and eaten with brandy, not wine. Mountain honey and cheese from the surrounding villages are also bought there; the market is at its busiest before ten.
As a rule, such houses are lower than the promenade, in the bays under the fortress and towards Kane, where you can reach by stairs and not by a window.
Fish, eel and glass that nobody explains
Ohrid trout is fattier and tougher than river trout and requires a minimum of processing — salt, oil, grill, and nothing more, according to the same logic that we explained inadriatic fish on construction sites. The approximate price of a fair portion is 15 to 25 euros; anything well below that is caged rainbow trout, which is perfectly fine if that's what it's called.
An eel is worth understanding before it is ordered. It used to arrive in the lake naturally via Drim, and the dams on the Albanian part of the stream interrupted that migration. What is served today is not a wild eel from the lake.
The same scarecrow is also madeohrid pearl: scale emulsion is applied in dozens of layers on a glass ball and dried for weeks. The workshops are clustered in the old town, on the street that goes up from the promenade to the fortress, and differ from the stalls in that they are made on the spot. For reference, the necklace goes from40 to 200 eurosdepending on the number of grains. A master who explains the process to you is selling the real thing; the seller who skips it sells plastic at the same price.
Wine that doesn't grow there
Tikveš, the largest wine-growing region in the country, liesabout 200 km eastfrom Ohrid — so not on the way and not in the same weekend. But the wine from there is on every map in town:sparrowfor strength and tannin,dwellingas a lighter endemic variety that is served chilled at 14 °C, itemeljnikaas a white aromatic.
Vranec is the same strain that we wrote about in the text about the differencevranca and kratosija, only under the Macedonian name and with slightly more alcohol due to the warmer position. Grilled trout is better passed by the dwelling; leave the sapling for the evening, next to the meat.
Who spent the summer onLake Skadar, will find the same pattern: old lake, endemic fish, wine from the hinterland. The difference is in depth and age. Ohrid goes to288 meters, and drilling the sediment at the bottom dated it toabout 1.4 million years ago— is the oldest lake in Europe, and that's why over two hundred species live in it that are found nowhere else.
Questions & answers
short and to the point- When is the best time to go to Lake Ohrid?
- September. The water is at 20-22° C, the air is about 24° C, and the old town is passable. Nights are already falling at 12 degrees, so one layer more.
- How far is it from Belgrade to Ohrid?
- About 650 km via Nis and Skopje, seven to eight hours of driving with breaks. The last 170 km from Skopje go through hilly terrain.
- Is Ohrid trout in restaurants real?
- Most often it is not, as the catch of the endemic species is under restriction. A house is wanted that measures fish on a scale and charges per kilogram; a fair portion goes 15-25 euros.
