Compared to other ethnic groups, the Serbian community in Ottawa is small, but it is proud and growing.
According to Goran Pop-Jordanov, there are only a few thousand Serbians in Ottawa.
Few of those came before the breakup of Yugoslavia, but many more came to Canada to get away from the civil war that followed the collapse of communism in east Europe. Since then, many Serbians have been coming for the prospect of a better life.
The community held its fifth annual Ottawa Serbian Festival, with traditional singing, dancing and food at St. Stefan’s Serbian Orthodox Church on Albion Road over the weekend.
One of the unique food dishes at the festival is the sach.
It is made up of two large cast iron bowls with wood fires lit on top and underneath them.
For hundreds of years, the sach was a mainstay of Serbian cooking, said Krste Mitric.
While the goal of the festival is to promote and share Serbian culture, heritage and tradition, it is also a fundraiser for a new church at the intersection of Prince of Wales Drive and Colonnade Road.
