Bosnia and Herzegovina

Region: The Balkans

Culinary profile: Bosnia and Herzegovina

a dinner date between east and west

Armed with just garlic, black pepper, paprika, and regional staple Vegeta – and all of that in moderate amounts, Bosnian hosts never fail to spoil their guests with mouth-watering traditional food. Food from Bosnia and Herzegovina is typical for the Balkan region and is strongly influenced by the Ottoman Turkish cuisine. Yet, a Central European culinary component with Austrian and Hungarian influences is evident as well.

It is obviously a cliche to start off with ćevapčići, but at least it is a tasty one! These popular grilled ground meat fingers are much more than just a national dish, they are a true symbol for Bosnia and Herzegovina! Ćevapi are served in so-called ćevapdžinica-s, which you’ll find just around corner in every part of the country. This grilled treat comes in four types and are named after cities. The ones from capital city Sarajevo are best-known, but the varieties from Travnik, Tuzla and Banja Luka aren’t any less tasty. The differences lie in the shape and types of meat (mutton, lamb, beef). Ćevapi are traditionally served in a flat bread (lepinja or somun) sprinkled with beef broth and with a side of raw onions and kajmak (white cream cheese spread).

If ćevapi are sold in ćevapdžinica-s, then where do Bosnians get their burek from? Indeed, from a buregdžinica. Good luck pronouncing! Burek is made of phyllo dough, here better known as jufka, and is stuffed with ground beef. Burek is a type of pita (phyllo pie), with other examples being sirnica (with white cheese), krompiruša (potatoes), and zeljanica (spinach). Oh before we forget! You are under no circumstances allowed to call these no-meat pies burek! According to Bosnians, only beef pies are burek and they are ready to fight over it. Quite funny though is that in neighboring Croatia, Serbia, and even in Turkey, burek’s place of birth, burek or börek can be prepared with basically anything.

Besides grilled meat and phyllo pies, Bosnians love jela na kašiku – Bosnian for dishes that require a spoon. The most iconic spoon dish is begova čorba, with čorba being a tick and very rich soup. Stews are also in high supply in this heart-shaped country. For instance, grah (bean stew), gulaš (meat stew) and a good old-fashioned Bosanski lonac (Bosnian pot) are served regularly. Other absolute favorites are sarma/dolma (stuffed cabage/vegetables) and stuffed bell peppers (filovane paprike).

This would not be a food blog about Bosnia and Herzegovina without a word on its main power supplier – coffee! Bosnians love coffee so much that they have three words for it – kafa, kahva, and kava. Traditional coffee is made in a džezva (a little copper can) and served in a fildžan (a small white cup without handle). This probably reminds you of Turkish coffee, but there are clearly differences in preparing. Next to every cup of strong Bosnian coffee, there should be at least one piece of rahat lokum (Turkish delight) to take care of your sugar balance. Oh, and don’t be in a rush now – ’cause your coffee break is gonna take some time here! Enjoyable local alcoholic beverages include wine from the sun-drenched hills of Herzegovina and the local hard liquor rakija, which comes in many fruity flavors.

Despite demographic diversity, there are not a lot of culinary differences among its people. Many dishes that the Muslim population enjoys for Bajram (Eid), are prepared by Catholics and Orthodox Christians for Christmas. The most significant difference here is that Bosniaks don’t consume pork and preferably eat halal certified foods.

рrijatno – пријатно!