Bread and salt (hleb i so) is a traditional welcoming of guests,[7] being customary to offer it before anything else,[8] with bread having an important place in Serbian tradition, used in rituals.[9][10] The traditional bread, pogača, is a symbol of family unity and goodness, and salt prosperity and security for the guest. It is part of the state protocol, in use since the Principality of Serbia, often used when welcoming foreign representatives.[11]