Bosnian coffee
This close and delicious cousin of Turkish coffee is roasted and prepared in a slightly different way. The grind is available at many roasters, which are easy to spot because of their pleasant and powerful aromas, or in some cafés like Café de Alma in Mostar and Rahatlook in Sarajevo. The latter also offers you to learn the technique of preparing Bosnian coffee. Back from your trip, you'll also need the džezva, the small pot used to heat water with the grounds over a gas flame. Traditional hammered copper versions can be found in Mostar's Kujundžiluk Street artisans and in Sarajevo's Kazandžiluk Bazaar, among others. They usually come with four small cups(fildžan) and a bowl for sugar(šećerluk). You can find enameled steel versions compatible with electric or induction plates in appliance stores or in some supermarkets.
Wines and spirits
Throughout the Herzegovina pages of this guide, we list several addresses of wineries offering tastings in Čapljina, Međugorje, Ljubuški and Trebinje. If you don't have time, you can find a wide range of Herzegovina wines at the wine shops Vinoteka, in Mostar, and Petrakijina Wine & Life, in Sarajevo. They also offer local rakija and craft beers. The best rakija is usually the one made and sold by monks in Serbian Orthodox monasteries, especially those in Žitomislić (near Mostar) and Tvrdoš (near Trebinje). As for craft beers, they come from about fifty microbreweries in Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka as well as in Široki Brijeg, Livno and Posušje.
Gourmet products
The most famous cheeses in the country are those from Livno and Travnik. They can be found vacuum-packed in almost all supermarkets. But more artisanal and tasty versions are offered in some restaurants in the production areas, in Tropoje and in Central Bosnia. More confidential is the cheese from the Cistercian abbey of St. Mary of the Star in Banja Luka. It is available in the city's Mercator and Konzum supermarkets. As for honey(med/mед), beekeepers sell it on the roadside. But beware of the one sold in tourist stores, often cut with glucose or corn syrup, especially in Međugorje, where Catholic pilgrims get ripped off from all sides. Also regrettable is the small number of delicatessens in the country. In Sarajevo, the Balkantina store offers a wide selection of cheeses, honeys, wines, beers, rakijas, but also raw hams, dried meats and herbs to infuse. To finish on a sweet note, the loukoums of the Butik Badem of Sarajevo are for us the best.
Furniture
An address not to be missed: the Zanat cabinet making workshop, in Konjic, between Sarajevo and Mostar. There you can find beautiful traditional or design wooden furniture to buy on the spot or to admire in the adjoining museum. The very famous Zanat chairs and tables can also be ordered online or from some retailers in France. For lovers of vintage furniture from socialist Yugoslavia, there are sometimes interesting things at the flea markets in Vrapčići (6 km northeast of Mostar) and Ciglane (in Sarajevo). Otherwise, "Yugostalgia" comes in the form of mugs, T-shirts and other trinkets featuring Marshal Tito in many tourist stores.
