


Bosnian cuisine uses many spices, but usually in moderate quantities. Most dishes are light, as they are cooked in lots of water; the sauces are fully 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. Some local specialties are ćevapi, burek, dolma, sarma, pilav (pilaf), gulaš (goulash), ajvar and a whole range of Eastern sweets.


Burek (also Börek and other variants) is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka). It can be filled withcheese, minced meat, or vegetables. A burek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries.



Ćevapi or ćevapčići (formal diminutive) is a grilled dish of minced meat, a type of kebab, found traditionally in the countries of southeastern Europe. They are considered a national dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They are usually served of 5-10 pieces on a plate or in a flatbread (lepina or somun), often with chopped onions, sour cream, kajmak, ajvar, cottage cheese, minced red pepper and salt. Bosnian ćevapi are made from two types of minced beef meat, hand mixed and formed with a funnel, while formed ćevapi are grilled. Ćevapčići has its origins in the Balkans during the Ottoman expansion into southeastern Europe and developed through the Middle Ages into a regional specialty similar to the kofte kebab.

Bosnian coffee

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkish coffee is also called "Bosnian coffee" (Bosnian: bosanska kahva), which is made slightly different than its Turkish counterpart. It is usually made with Bosnian coffee brands. Another difference from the Turkish preparation is that when the water reaches its boiling point, a small amount is saved aside for later, usually in acoffee cup.

Then, the coffee is added to the pot (džezva), and the remaining water in the cup is added to the pot. Everything is put back on the heat source to reach its boiling point again, which only takes a couple of seconds since the coffee is already very hot. Some consumers who    say that this method of preparing gives the coffee a more distinct flavor.


Tufahija is a Bosnian dessert made of walnut-stuffed apples stewed in water with sugar, very popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Word tufahija has origin in Arabic language, word tuffàh (Arabic: تفاحة‎) means apple.Tufahije are served in large glasses with their own glazed syrup and whipped cream on top.


Unique travel experiences from Bosnia here on our Bosnia travel blog smile