Sheep’s Head Soup

Paça (often referred to as Paçë koke or Paçë këmbësh) is a deeply traditional, intensely flavorful Balkan soup that highlights the historic 'nose-to-tail' culinary heritage of Kosovo. Derived from the ancient Persian word 'pacha' and spread throughout the territories of the Ottoman Empire, this dish is celebrated as a restorative tonic, packed with natural collagen and rich local spices. 

The soup is prepared by slow-boiling the meat from a calf's or sheep's head or trotters for several hours until the meat effortlessly falls off the bone. The resulting broth becomes incredibly rich, thick, and gelatinous. It is heavily seasoned with minced garlic, vinegar, and a drizzle of hot pepper oil, creating a pungent, savory flavor profile that is completely unique to the dish.

Paça occupies a highly specific cultural niche: it is traditionally consumed as a breakfast dish, often eaten very early in the morning by laborers seeking sustained energy for the day, or by late-night revelers as the ultimate hangover cure. It is an authentic, no-frills specialty that you will find bubbling away in historic, dedicated soup shops or old-school local diners across the country's oldest quarters. The historic centers of Prizren and Peja host some of the most famous masters of Paça, where the recipe has remained unchanged for over a century, offering an unfiltered taste of Kosovo’s culinary past.