Yumis Nisesta Corn Starch, Serbian Pantry Staple 200g (7oz)

Yumis Nišesta Corn Starch is the fine-milled corn starch from Yumis, a Serbian food brand whose pantry range covers the staple baking and cooking ingredients of the Serbian domestic kitchen — the nišesta in the household-standard format for the diaspora household that bakes Serbian pastries by memory and needs the specific ingredient the recipes call for. Yumis operates in the Serbian and Balkan food market, and the nišesta (cornstarch) holds a central role in the Serbian baking tradition: the ingredient that gives the Serbian Kraff (donut) its specific tenderness, the thickener for the krempita (vanilla cream slice) custard and the rozen torte fillings, and the dusting agent that keeps the dough from sticking in the Serbian pastry kitchen. The word nišesta — derived from the German Stärkemehl through the cultural exchange that brought many German-language terms into the Serbian kitchen vocabulary via Austro-Hungarian contact — itself reflects the Central European influence on the Serbian baking tradition, and the ingredient remains central to Serbian dessert baking in ways the Western 'cornstarch' designation only partially captures. Use as the thickener for the krempita custard, dust homemade pasta and pierogi dough to prevent sticking, use in shortbread cookies and Serbian Vanilice for the specific tender crumb that cornstarch produces, or thicken soups and sauces where a cleaner, lighter finish than flour is desired.