Macedonians are big gourmands. The Macedonian cuisine, is a representative of the cuisine of the Balkans, reflecting Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern influences and to a lesser extent Italian, Mediterranean and Hungarian ones. The relatively warm climate provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Thus, Macedonian cuisine is particularly diverse.
In the Republic of Macedonia, the most common religion is Orthodox Christianity. Muslims are the second-largest religious group with almost one-third of the population adhering to Islam. There are also many other religious groups in Macedonia, including Catholicism, Baptism, Protestantism, Hinduism and Judaism.
Macedonia has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry, and music. It has many ancient, protected religious sites.