BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Foodies & Food Markets

Every country takes pride in their traditional dishes.

Bosnia's traditional dish, cevapi, consists of small rolls of grilled seasoned ground meat, typically a mixture of beef and lamb.

Cevapi is often served as a set of eight to ten pieces with raw onions, sour cream and usually served in a bread pocket. It is eaten anytime during the day.

Our first breakfast in Sarajevo we had a bit of a communication challenge with the restaurant server. 

We ended up having cevapi for breakfast.

 

 

 

I am not usually one for raw onions, especially for breakfast, but I have to admit, the raw onions give it a special flavour boost.

Burek is another local specialty. It's basically filo pastry stuffed with fillings such as spinach and cheese or more traditionally, ground beef.

Another popular item is cured meats.

Cheese is another popular item in the markets. 

John observed that there are no vegetables in restaurants in Bosnia. (Well, technically, that is only if you don't count onions as a vegetable.)

Which is funny because the markets have beautiful produce.We found the supermarket stores didn’t have much of a selection of produce, but we discovered that is because produce is sold in the markets.

I liked how they weighed the produce.

Dessert has got to be another specialty with shops full of sweets inspired by the Middle East.

And then there are an abundance of gelato stands. Someone's guilty pleasure....

Bosnians are very proud of their coffee. Apparently, “it is unimaginable for a typical Bosnian to spend one day without a coffee. Coffee is more than a drink, real kafa is a ritual."

They have special grinders that grind the coffee beans very finely. 

 This coffee is brewed in a džezva, a special stainless steel or copper coffee pot. This brewing method creates a strong, robust coffee with a distinctive thick foam on top.

It is served in a fildzan– a small handle-less traditional coffee cup. Bosnian coffee is typically consumed without sugar or spices, "highlighting its rich and deep flavor". I am not a coffee drinker, so I can not relate.

Bosnia has beer.

Much to our surprise, Bosnia makes wine! 

 

Blatina, is a local variety of red, which we had never heard of before. 

 

There's also rakia, a fruit brandy, which is a potent spirit, apparently as popular by night as coffee is by day.

August was a “dry alcohol-free" month for us, but September 1^st we went wine tasting. 

We did feel obligated to buy a couple of bottles of wine.

 It is important to support the local economy.