Characteristic products
Although rather mountainous, Bosnia and Herzegovina offers favorable conditions for the cultivation of a large number of vegetables and cereals: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, leeks and dried beans. Not forgetting the bamija, better known in France as okra, a green vegetable shaped like a chili pepper but with a slight taste of zucchini. Wheat, corn and barley are widely cultivated. A variety of breads are produced: somun is a kind of flat bread with sometimes nigella seeds, while djevrek is a crown-shaped bread with sesame seeds, of Turkish origin. Simple pogača is a brioche bread while lepinja is a brioche flatbread often topped with grilled meat. Bosnian cuisine is very tasty, rich in spices, but never really spicy. Garlic, paprika, bay leaves, parsley and pepper are used extensively, not to mention Vegeta, a brand of powdered vegetable stock that is very fragrant.
Typical meat dishes contain mainly beef and lamb due to Islamic dietary laws, although Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs may eat pork. There are also some poultry dishes. There are some cold cuts, such as sudžuk or sujuk, a variety of spicy beef sausage of Turkish origin. Suho meso and visočka pečenica are two types of dried and smoked beef similar to Italian bresaola. River fish (carp, trout, etc.) are popular, not to mention fish and seafood from the Neum region.
The locals also eat many dairy products such as pavlaka (sour cream) and kajmak, a kind of rich creamy cheese produced by fermentation of milk fat, whose flavor and appearance are reminiscent of mascarpone. It is used to garnish both desserts and savory dishes. There are other more mature cheeses(sir) such as livanjski, tešanjski (nettle-flavored) or suhi sir (smoked). Travnički is similar to feta cheese, while vlašićki is a fresh cheese.
Various types of restaurants will be found in the country. As in the rest of the Balkans, the time range is rather wide and one can often consume from mid-morning until late at night (after 10 pm). These hours apply even more widely for fast food outlets such as pizzerias. But also noteworthy are the buregdžinica, which can be found on every corner, specializing in bureks (savory pastries), and the ćevabdžinica, in the same genre, but dedicated to ćevapi (meat croquettes). Theašćinica rather offers dishes in sauce and other soups, in canteen mode where you choose what you prefer from several pots.
There are also a lot of grilling restaurants, which offer a good overview of local dishes. Also very popular, the kafana is a place which, during the Ottoman era, was the equivalent of a café, hence its name. Today, it also serves alcohol and food at prices that are usually very affordable. It is common for traditional music to be played here. There is a small supply of foreign restaurants, especially European and Asian, in the larger cities.
Although most of the inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina consider themselves religious, in practice there is a certain flexibility in customs, especially in the multi-faith regions. Thus, except in remote villages with a strong Muslim majority, one will find establishments offering food even during Ramadan. Important religious celebrations are followed with fervor, but in everyday life even Muslim Bosnians sometimes consume alcohol, for example, without forgetting the Serbs and Croats - Christians - who together make up nearly 45% of the country's population.
Classics of Bosnian cuisine
The term "mezze" encompasses various preparations that are consumed as an aperitif while sipping alcohol. This tradition is found in the countries of the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, etc.), in Turkey, as well as in Greece. The most famous in the region isajvar, a stewed bell pepper, very garlicky, sometimes spicy. One can also enjoy cheese, cold cuts, olives, pickled vegetables(turšija) and so on. Although Greece is not far away, here the term pita does not refer to a flatbread but to a type of savory pastry, which is called in different ways depending on what is put in it: the burek, with minced meat and onions, the zeljanica, with spinach and cheese, or the krompiruša, with potatoes and onions. Sirnica is a pita with fresh cheese.
The other star of the local cuisine is the ćevapi. This minced meat croquette (beef, lamb and/or pork depending on the region) is barbecued and served with raw onion, kajmak, ajvar and flat bread. The ćevapi from Bosnia and Herzegovina are said to be the best in the Balkans. Quite similar, but in the form of a ground meat patty, pljeskavica is also served in bread, burger-style, while cufte are meatballs. The term meso ispod sača refers to a traditional way of cooking lamb, veal or goat under a metal, ceramic or terracotta lid - called a sač - which is covered with embers. Also of note are stews such as sitni ćevap (meat, onions, carrots and spices) and bosanski lonac (meat and various vegetables baked in a light broth). Originally from Hungary, gulaš (meat stew with potato, carrot, onion and lots of paprika) is widely spread in the northern Balkans.
The word "paprika" also refers to peppers, which can be stuffed with minced meat(paprika punjena), but there are other vegetables stuffed with a mixture of rice and minced meat such as sogan dolma (onions), japrak (grape leaves), or sarma (pickled cabbage leaves). The đuveč is a vegetable stew with rice. Quite similar, sataraš is a dish made with peppers, eggplant, onions, and pickled tomatoes. The robust raštika is a kale compote with meat and rice. Perfect for cold winters, grah is a white bean stew with pieces of meat and sausage. Slightly similar to the Swiss rösti, kljukuša is a thick cake of grated potatoes mixed with flour and water, but baked in the oven. This traditional dish from the Bosanska Krajina region is often topped with garlic sour cream before serving.
There are also vegetable soups such as buranija, made with green beans and sometimes with meat. Tarhana is a soup of Turkish origin made with semolina, tomato and spices. The begova čorba a very popular soup based on meat and vegetables, in a light broth. Grašak is a delicate soup with peas, vegetables and cubes of meat. Very nutritious, kačamak is a creamy cornmeal paste, similar to Italian polenta, usually topped with fresh cheese. Recipes of rice or cracked wheat cooked by absorption(pilav) with meat and spices are popular. Klepe is a minced meat ravioli usually topped with sour cream. Finally, musaka is also prepared with potatoes and sometimes cabbage, topped with minced meat.
Desserts and drinks
For dessert, there are several types of doughnuts, such as uštipci (small sugar doughnuts), krofne (filled doughnuts) but above all the unavoidable tulumba, equivalent to a churro soaked in a thick syrup. Quite similar, the hurmašica is a small elongated cake also soaked in syrup, common for Eid el-fitr. Of Ottoman origin, the unmistakable baklava is made of layers of paper-thin filo pastry and various nuts, all baked and richly impregnated with syrup. Close enough, the jabukovača is filled with apples. Palačinke are simply pancakes.
We will find multi-layered cakes like šnite, filled with, for example, walnut cream and topped with chocolate(bosanska šnita) or cocoa flavored with vanilla cream and chocolate(boem šnita). The very popular šampita consists of a thin filo pastry crust filled with a thick layer of meringue. The krempita is more like a mille-feuille, with a vanilla cream. Ruske kape ("Russian hats") are small cakes filled with custard, covered with chocolate and rolled in shredded coconut. Sutlijaš is simply rice pudding, while tufahija is a whole baked apple filled with a nut filling and decorated with whipped cream. Also of note are halva (nougat) and rahatlokum, the local name for loukoums, sweets of Turkish origin, slightly rubbery, flavored with rose water, lemon, aniseed and filled with nuts, dried fruit and so on.
Turkish influence obliges, coffee is THE beverage of social life, especially in the kafane. It is consumed in different ways. Traditionally, Turkish coffee - unfiltered with the grounds at the bottom of the cup - is predominant, especially in the homes, even if in the cities, young Bosnians also appreciate macchiatos and other espressos. But there are other hot drinks such as salep, made with wild orchid root powder, which gives a milky and frothy drink. Very popular, boza - a thick drink made from fermented barley - is drunk chilled, as isajran, made from yoghurt, ideal in summer.
Wines are produced mainly in Herzegovina, whose milder climate, influenced by its proximity to the Mediterranean, lends itself better to viticulture than the cooler, more incised valleys of the north. Of note are the regions of Mostar, Čitluk, Ljubuški, Stolac, Domanovići and Međugorje. Blatina and žilavka are the two most famous local grape varieties. On the beer side, let's mention some local brands, mostly lagers, such as Preminger, Nektar, Tuzlanski pilsner, Sarajevsko pivo and Erster. Not to mention the Medovina (mead).
There are also stronger spirits such as rakija. It is the strong alcohol par excellence in the Balkans. This fruit brandy is present almost everywhere, based on grapes, apple, pear, quince, etc.. Like coffee, it is a symbol of hospitality. Refusing a glass of rakija can sometimes be a bit offensive for the host who invites you. But you should be careful because it is a strong alcohol, at least 40 degrees, or even much more for the home-made one. The locals are used to drinking it but not necessarily the tourists. In this case it is better to politely decline and accept a tea or coffee instead. The šljivovica is a plum brandy particularly famous in the region. Also worth mentioning is kruškovac (pear liqueur) at 25 degrees and pelinkovac (herbal liqueur made from wormwood) at 30 degrees.
