Serbian Cleavers

A mysterious hooded chef sitting on a rock next to a bubbling stream takes a massive knife, a cleaver shaped like a quarter circle, and chops through vegetables or a huge grilled steak. Next to him, a wood fire around some dark stones crackles and pops while birds chirp in the distance. This is the bushcraft phenomenon—the aspiration to get more rustic as technology gets more advanced—and cleavers are often the stars of its ubiquitous videos. So much so that Almazan Kitchen, a YouTube channel based in Serbia, made the uniquely-shaped cleaver so popular that they're now simply known as Serbian chef knives.

- Matthew Kang

They're the culinary equivalent of off-roading through the Utah desert or building makeshift shelters in the snow. While they prompt the tingling sensation that comes with roughing it, cleavers don't have to live only on a pile of rocks and a small cutting board. They can be practical tools in a home kitchen. And because they're often sold with a thick leather sheath, they can be packed into the camping b