Sawt Falasteen - Kosovo inn serves up peace and love, one bite at a time

For over a decade, one restaurant has brought together members of Kosovo's deeply divided communities under its red-tiled roof, even as political unrest and ethnic tensions festered outside.

"No one wants to cause trouble in my restaurant," Miodrag Nikolic, the owner of the Ethno House inn, told AFP. "Believe it or not, in 12 years, not a single glass has been broken."

"I don't think any other restaurant in the world can claim that."

Located in a Serb minority enclave on the outskirts of the Kosovo capital Pristina, the establishment is just a stone's throw from the 14th-century Gracanica monastery, a shrine dear to Serbs across the world.

Nikolic left his home in Pristina for Gracanica when Belgrade was forced to retreat from the breakaway province after NATO intervened in a bloody war in the late 1990s with ethnic Albanian guerrillas.

Those Serbs who stayed in Kosovo mostly flocked to remaining enclaves near Orthodox churches and monasteries like Gracanica or to the Serb-majority areas of the north.

But hostility between the former warring parties has continued to smoulder, leading to occasional outbursts of violence.

Serbia has never recognised Kosovo's independence, and talks between Pristina and Belgrade have all but collapsed.

- 'No problems here' -

But even as ethnic divisions hardened, Nikolic built the Ethno House and an adjoining hotel -- despite friends and family thinking he was mad.

For years, he criss-crossed the Kosovo countryside, amassing the antique decor that now gives the place the feel of an old country estate.

Handwoven rugs hang from its exposed red brick walls alongside strings of dried peppers, ancient carbines and rusting agricultural implements from yesteryear.

But the ultimate draw remains the food.

"I heard from friends that they have good food, especially from the grill," said Zeqir Shkodra, a 56-year-old ethnic Albanian businessman from Pristina, on his first visit to the Ethno House.

The staff -- mostly ethnic Serbs -- cater to a largely Albanian clientele, with many picking up enough of the language to take orders and banter.

"The language stays with them for life, even outside the restaurant -- when they meet Albanians in shops or in traffic," Nikolic said.

- 'Made with love' -

It may have its divisions, but Kosovo's diversity has also given its cuisine a rich tapestry of flavours that is a product of the Balkans' complicated past. The Ethno House's menu is a reflection of that history -- taking in the extensive span of the old Ottoman empire and Central European fare.

"Everything is made with the heart," Nikolic said of his gargantuan dishes. "I don't skimp -- if it's one scoop of cream, I'll make it two."

Local sausages, grilled meats, pepper chutneys and cheese are served along with brandies and mead that are frequently paired with multiple servings of flatbreads straight from the oven.

"This restaurant has a soul," said Goran Marinkovic, an ethnic Serb customer.

"It takes us back in time," a time before smoking bans that now hold sway across Europe.

"Here you feel the best, relaxed and good. Reconciliation can come through the stomach," he added.

Igor Trajkovic, a waiter who learned Albanian at the Ethno House, agrees.

"People come here to enjoy good food and service and a beautiful environment. That unites us," he told AFP.

"Here everyone forgets what is outside. They simply enjoy."

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST