Bosnian cuisine is a mixture of the local regions such as the Balkan countries, Greece, Italy and Turkey, with many recipes coming from the Ottoman era. It uses some
spices, but usually in moderate quantities. Most dishes are light, as they are cooked in lots of water; the sauces are often natural, consisting of little more than the natural juices of the vegetables in the dish. Typical ingredients include
tomatoes,
potatoes,
onions,
garlic,
bell peppers,
cucumbers,
carrots,
cabbage,
mushrooms,
spinach,
zucchini, dried and fresh
beans,
plums,
milk,
paprika and cream called
pavlaka and
kajmak. Typical meat dishes include primarily beef and
lamb due to
Bosnian Muslims, although the
Bosnian Croats and
Bosnian Serbs can consume pork. Some local specialties are
ćevapi, burek (
börek), 'zelanica' spinach pie
spanakopita, 'sirnica'
cheese pie, 'paprike'
stuffed peppers,
sarma, 'pilav'
tagliatelle, grah [butter bean soup], cured meats and cheeses (
charcuterie) gulaš (
goulash),
ajvar and a whole range of sweets inspired by the Middle East like
baklava. Food is prioritised for being organic and of good quality. Bosnians enjoy many natural fruit juices but often use cordials from various fruits and herbs. The best local wines come from
Herzegovina where the climate is suitable for growing grapes. Plum or apple brandy
rakija, is produced in
Bosnia.
Meat dishes
Ćevapi – Bosnian kebabs: small grilled minced meat links made of lamb and beef mix; served with onions, kajmak, ajvar and Bosnian pita bread (somun)
Meat under
sač (meso ispod sača) – a traditional way of cooking lamb, veal, or goat under a metal, ceramic, or earthenware lid on which hot coals and ashes are heaped
Burek – a meat-filled flaky pastry, traditionally rolled in a spiral and cut into sections for serving. The same dish filled with cottage cheese is called sirnica, one with
spinach and cheese zeljanica, one with squash/
zucchini called tikvenjača, and one with
potatoeskrompiruša. All these varieties are generically referred to as pita (
Bosnian for "pie").
^"Ramazanski somun". moje-zdravlje.ba. 3 September 2015. Archived from
the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
Further reading
Tim Clancy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, The Bradt Travel Guide, 2004, pp. 93–97,
ISBN1-84162-094-7
Darra Goldstein; Kathrin Merkle (eds.). Culinary cultures of Europe: identity, diversity and dialogue.
Council of Europe. pp. 87–94.
ISBN92-871-5744-8.