ИСХРАНА СТАНОВНИКА ЈУГОСЛАВИЈЕ У ПЕРИОДУ ОБНОВЕ ЗЕМЉЕ (1945−1947)
NATIONAL DIET IN YUGOSLAVIA DURING THE PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION (1945–1947)

Summary/Abstract: The destruction of Yugoslav economy and huge human losses in the World War II had far-reaching consequences for the entire Yugoslav society. Through the first days of peace, the new Yugoslav authorities were faced with one of the major existential questions, the issue of nutrition, which was like a “sword of Damocles” hanging over the heads of the Yugoslav state and party authorities. Difficult situation in the country and in the world caused that the state itself take the control over the mechanisms of food supply for the population, according to the principles of austerity and rationing. To this end was formed the Extraordinary Administration for Supply, which was responsible for the implementation of the food distribution according to clearly defined categories of consumers. Consumers, who numbered around 8.5 million, were divided into several categories, and the main criterion by which consumers were divided was the heaviness of the work that the citizens of Yugoslavia performed daily. Residents who received their supplies this way, and that was the absolute majority of the population, exercised their right to food by using the consumer cards or the so-called tačkice (coupons). During the period of reconstruction (1945-1947), the state completely controlled the supply and administratively controled its flow. The situation in this period was not the same across the country, but it differed from region to region. Although the state precisely determined minimum daily intake of food that differed between classes, during this period the citizens had not been able to fully realize it. According to estimates based on data collected by the commissions in the field, it can be concluded that during 1945 consumers took an average of only 40% of the determined quotas, while in 1946, the average ranged around 50%. In other words, residents, taken as a whole, daily consumed about 1,000 calories on average. The main characteristic of diet in this period is that it was rather monotonous. Type of food such as bread and polenta, or in special moments a treat such as a slice of bread greased with animal fat and seasoned with cayenne pepper, essentially marked the daily menu of the majority of Yugoslav population.

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