Memorable Food: Bosnian Bread and ‘Sarajevski’ Ćevapi

Mmm. If you have never tried Bosnian bread before, you really need to try it!

It is some of the best bread I have ever had.

While meeting a few of my new friends for drinks at a cafe in Zadar, one of them (a fellow traveling New Jerseyan!) mentioned how delicious the bread tasted when she had visited Sarajevo.

I made a mental note of it. I needed to try the bread from some local bakery once I made it all the way to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I had never heard people mention anything about their bread before, but I really didn’t know a whole lot about the country in general…

That was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Bosnia. To learn!

In Sarajevo, there turned out to be a lovely small bakery just down the road from where I was staying. No more than a 3-minute walk from my flat.

Many days after work, I’d go for stroll and visit the bakery on my way back home. One large loaf of delicious white bread was only 0.50 Bosnian Marka. After converting that to US currency, a single loaf of bread was basically 25 cents.

Life in Bosnia in general was very affordable for a visiting American. With currency conversions and cost of living adjustments factored in, the country was very inexpensive.

Bosnian bread was NEXT level delicious.

It did not disappoint!

Luckily for me, I still had a whole second bottle of freshly pressed olive oil leftover from the time I had recently spent working on an olive grove in Croatia. That freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil paired with soft, freshly baked Bosnian bread tasted like absolute bliss.

I don’t normally eat a lot of bread, but the freshness and softness was unrivaled from anything I’d ever eaten from any other bakery. Enjoying some with dinner became a real treat since I was desperately seeking comfort in a country where I started off feeling very unsettled.

Should you happen to discover that you also enjoy Bosnian bread, then you absolutely must try Sarajevski Ćevapi.

In Bosnia, there’s this very famous dish called Ćevapi.

This dish typically combines small, skinless, minced meat sausage-shaped rolls and is served with pita bread (also wonderful) called somun, some diced onions, and possibly kajmak: a dairy product that is similar to fermented cheese.

There are several towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina that are very famous for their ćevapi recipes. Some of the most well-known ćevapi options include Sarajevski, Banjalučki, and Travnički.

According to these food experts, the best ćevapi in the world is Sarajevski ćevapi. This style usually includes beef and lamb meat.

Ćevapi are possibly the most delicious authentic fast food you can find in the Balkans.

Although some people do consider it to be fast food, the process of making delicious ćevapi is not to be taken lightly. Only the most experienced chefs can prepare extraordinary ćevapi.

If you’re feeling a bit daring and would like to recreate the meal at home, there’s a really good ćevapi recipe that you can find here.

During the month I spent traveling around Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, I was fortunate enough to be able to order ćevapi from many local restaurants. I had gone to some of the really popular, famous restaurants as well as some lesser-known ones on the outskirts of the city.

I really enjoyed the ćevapi I ordered from Hodžić 2 and Ćevabdžinica Željo.

Since Bosnian breads exist in a league of their own, somun pita bread makes ćevapi ten times more enjoyable.

While traveling in Bosnia, I also got to try out some other popular dishes. The meatballs in the cream sauce from Nanina Kuhinja were also really nice.

As were the baklava and other Bosnian sweets.

Should you find yourself traveling in the Balkan region, make a point of ordering yourself some ćevapi. You can find it very easily at most places and it’s a very culturally significant meal that can be enjoyed quite inexpensively.