Serbian Chef Knife, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Rosewood Handle

A Serbian chef knife is the wide bellied butcher shape, deep near the handle with the spine sloping away toward the tip, so the blade reads as a broad wedge. Most people use it as a general kitchen knife rather than as a butcher tool. This one is a 7 inch blade in hand forged 1095 carbon steel, 12 inches overall, with oiled rosewood scales over a full tang and a tooled leather sheath.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon, left dark gray from the forge with hammer marks across the wide flat and the bevel taken wide and mirror bright. The blade stands about 3 inches at its widest by the handle, and the spine slopes away toward the tip. That is why the weight sits at the heel. The 7 inch edge is long and close to straight. The trade with 1095 is plain. It takes a keen edge and comes back on a stone quickly, and it rusts if left wet.

The handle

The scales are rosewood, oiled rather than lacquered, so you feel the grain instead of a film over it. Rosewood is dense and oily by nature, which is why it has been a knife handle wood for so long, and it warms up quickly. Three brass pins run through into the steel. The tang is full, so the steel runs the whole length of the handle and shows all round the wood. Color and figure shift from knife to knife.

What it is for

This is a general kitchen knife. It works through onions and squash, it slices and portions meat, and the wide flat is handy for scooping a chopped pile off the board. The height keeps your knuckles clear on a straight down cut, and the length takes a slice in one pass. It is a rocking and pushing knife rather than a fine one, so for peeling use a paring blade.

The leather

The sheath is cut to the outline of this blade, so the wide heel goes in without slop and the knife stays put. The leather is vegetable tanned. A wide belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the handle, and a welt is sewn into the seam so the stitching sits back from the edge. The stitching is done by hand in cream thread. The face is hand tooled with a carved fern frond inside a carved border, cut and shaded by hand.

Who it suits

This is the knife people buy when they want one blade for most of what happens on the board, and it makes a good gift.

• Home cooks who want one knife for most work
• Anyone moving from a stamped knife to a forged one
• Cooks who like a tall blade and knuckle room
• Buyers looking for a gift for someone who cooks

What comes in the box

• The Serbian chef knife
• The tooled leather sheath
• A care card
• Engraving quote

Every piece is different

Each blade is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. The hammer marks, the rosewood grain and the carving vary from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.

Looking after it

Hand wash it in warm water and dry it straight away. Never leave it in the sink and never put it in a dishwasher. Carbon steel darkens with use, and that gray patina is normal and protects the surface. Oil it lightly before it goes away, oil the wood now and then, and sharpen on a stone following the bevel. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade or the handle, so a name or date fits. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a Serbian chef knife? It is the wide bellied butcher shape, deep near the handle with the spine sloping away toward the tip. Most people use it as a general kitchen knife.

Why is the blade so tall? It keeps your knuckles off the board and gives a wide flat.

What does full tang mean? The steel runs the full length of the handle, edge to butt.

Will 1095 steel rust? It can if left wet. Dry it after washing and oil it.

Can it go in the dishwasher? No. Hand wash and dry it right away.

How sharp is it? It is sharpened by hand and arrives ready to use.

For the same shape in Damascus try the Damascus Serbian chef knife in burl wood, and for chopping there is the hand forged meat cleaver in rosewood. More is in kitchen knives, chef knives and rosewood handle knives.