"Real" Serbian housewives always peal roaster peppers, and they call it шопска салата (shopska salata), meaning of course it is Serbian! :) (just like that black mud-like coffee)
But in that part of the world, everyone steals from everyone else and claims it's their cousine.
My Bulgarian friend Atanas visited us a month ago and corrected my salads. He’s lived in the epicenter of Shoplyk, Sofia, for 30 years now, and that was his point about Macedonian being roasted, but not Shopska.
The purpose of the sweet peppers beign fresh is to create small explosions of juice as the teeth crush the pepper rings. It also augments the texture being the hardest component.
Roasting peppers is in itself an experience. Open flame works best, or unfattened skillet. The pepper should receive a third degree burn, and then what remains of the skin peels easily. The musty smell is a subliminal signal to the neighbors that they, too, can take time out of their busy lives doing little things like that just right.
Serve them with Feta and black pickled olives, and that’s where your Balsamic vinegar should go, Diana.