Your visit to Sarajevo would not be complete without trying some of the famous traditional dishes. The old part of the city – Baščaršija is known as a part of the city where you can try different specialties of traditional cuisine. Although some of the most famous Bosnian dishes are meat, don’t worry, if you are a vegetarian, you will also have a choice of what you want to eat.
Bosnian food is specific. Many cuisines from other countries influenced Bosnian cuisine. Food customs that have their origins in Islam, Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish religion also give a specific touch to Bosnian cuisine. Thus, contemporary original Bosnian food is part of the cultural and historical heritage and is a mixture of authentic Bosnian dishes, traditional Turkish, Arabic, Austro-Hungarian, and other food customs. The specificity of Bosnian dishes is precisely in that oriental and western, and also religious inheritance. This is why Bosnian cuisine today is very different from the cousins that influenced it.
We hope you are not hungry while reading this post. Here we go.
Ćevapi
And how else to start than with ćevapi? Ćevapi is one of the things Sarajevo is famous for. You can eat ćevapi in places called ĆEVABDŽINICA and other restaurants. Ćevapi are something like kebabs, but not completely. The meat is grilled and served in a Bosnian flatbread called somun along with raw onions or sour creme.
Pite / pies
In Bosnia, pies are indispensable food. Pies were introduced all over the Balkan area hundreds of years ago by the Turkish, who originally brought them from Persia. In Bosnia, we have many types of pies – with cheese, with vegetables, with meat.
Burek is a pie with meat and it is the most special pie for Bosnians. Burek is called the king of pies. This pie is usually served with yogurt. In other countries, all pies are called burek, but in Bosnia and Herzegovina burek is just a meat pie.
Pies are made by stretching the dough, filling it and rolling it up Then the long roll with the filling is coiled into a spiral on the pan and baked until it’s crispy.
You can eat all types of pitas in reataurants and bakerys, but places that are served are called AŠČINICE, and there is also places where just burek is served and thar places are called BUREGDŽINICE.
Stuffed Vegetables / Dolma
In Bosnia and Herzegovina vegetables stuffed with minced meat are very popular. Dolma, which is the general name usually used to mention all the varieties of stuffed vegetables. You can try stuffed peppers (known as punjena paprika) – papers stuffed with minced meat and rice, as well as sarma – rolls made with pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice. Sogan dolma is onions stuffed with – you guess – minced meat and rice.
Begova Čorba / Bey’s soup
This dish combines a bit of everything. It is a chicken soup with plenty of vegetables. The dish often boils for hours in a clay pot. Beg’s soup is one of the most famous and beloved dishes from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnian pot / Bosanski lonac
Bosnian pot is a complex dish (characteristic of dishes from the Mediterranean) that is most often made in an earthen pot. Meat and a lot of different vegetables are arranged according to the wishes of the chef. Another feature of the dish is that it is cooked for a long time on low heat. It is also considered a national dish in the country.
Sweets From The Bosnian Cuisine
Baklava
Not really originate in the Balkans, but you must try Bosnian baklava. It is a very sweet dessert.
Tufahija
Tufahija is another one very sweet dessert with Ottoman origins is tufahija. It includes apples, creame and walnuts.
Hurmašice
Hurmašice is a very sweet dessert topped with sugar syrup. This desert also arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Ottomans.
Bonus – Bosnian coffee
Bosnian coffee is an integral part of Bosnian cuisine. It is often served in very small cups – fildžan and with a traditional sugar cube on the side. Bosnian coffee is made in džezva. It is similar to Turkish coffee, but it is not the same.
Of course, these are not all dishes, but they are some that you can start with when you visit Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo.
Prijatno – Bon appetite!
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