Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine facts for kids

Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine (Bosnian: Bosanska kuhinja) is a delicious mix of food from both Western and Eastern cultures. It's very similar to the food you'd find in other Balkan countries, and it has influences from the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, and even Austria-Hungary.

Tasty Ingredients

Bosnian food uses many spices, but usually not too much, so the flavors are balanced. Most dishes are light because they are often cooked in water. The sauces are natural, made mostly from the juices of the vegetables themselves.

Some common ingredients you'll find are tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, courgettes, dried and fresh beans, and plums. Dairy products like milk, pavlaka (a type of cream), and kajmak (a thick, creamy dairy product) are also important.

For meat dishes, beef and lamb are most common. This is because of Islamic dietary laws followed by many people in Bosnia. However, Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs also enjoy pork.

Some famous local dishes include ćevapi, burek (a type of pastry), dolma (stuffed vegetables), sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls), pilav (pilaf), gulaš (goulash), and ajvar (a pepper relish). You'll also find many sweet treats.

The best local wines come from Herzegovina, where the weather is perfect for growing grapes. Strong fruit brandies, like plum or apple rakija, are made in Bosnia.

Main Meat Dishes

Bosnian Ćevapi served with onions in a somun bread.

• Ćevapi – These are small, grilled links of minced meat, usually a mix of lamb and beef. They are often served with onions, kajmak, ajvar, and a special Bosnian pita bread called somun.
• Pljeskavica – A tasty grilled meat patty.
• Begova Čorba (Bey's Stew) – A popular Bosnian soup made with meat and vegetables.
• Filovane paprike or punjena paprika – Bell peppers that are fried and then stuffed with minced meat.
• Sogan-dolma – Onions stuffed with minced meat.
• Ćufte – Delicious meatballs.
• Meat under sač (meso ispod sača) – A traditional way to cook lamb, veal, or goat. The meat is cooked under a special metal or ceramic lid, with hot coals piled on top.
• Pilav (pilaf) – A dish where grains like rice or cracked wheat are browned in oil and then cooked in a flavorful broth.
• Burek – A flaky pastry traditionally filled with meat, rolled into a spiral, and cut into pieces. If it's filled with cottage cheese, it's called sirnica. With spinach and cheese, it's zeljanica. With squash or zucchini, it's tikvenjača. And with potatoes, it's krompiruša. All these types are generally called pita (which means "pie" in Bosnian).
• Sarma – Meat and rice rolled up in pickled cabbage leaves.
• Raštika – Meat and rice rolled in kale leaves.
• Grah – A traditional bean stew often made with meat.
• Musaka – A baked dish with layers of potatoes (or cabbage or eggplant) and minced beef.
• Bosanski Lonac – A famous Bosnian meat stew, traditionally cooked slowly over an open fire.
• Sudžuk – A spicy beef sausage.
• Suho meso – Air-dried meat, similar to Italian bresaola.
• Dolma – Stuffed grape leaves with rice.

Vegetable Dishes

• Đuveč – A vegetable stew, similar to dishes found in Romania and Bulgaria.
• Grašak – A tasty pea stew.
• Kačamak – A traditional Bosnian dish made from cornmeal and potatoes.
• Kljukuša – Grated potatoes mixed with flour and water, then baked. This is a traditional dish from the Bosanska Krajina region.
• Sataraš – A dish made with bell peppers, eggplants, onions, and tomatoes.
• Buranija – A green beans soup. It can be cooked with meat and sometimes served with kajmak.
• Bamija

Appetizers

• Meze – This is a selection of small dishes, like meats or vegetables, served before the main meal. It's great for sharing!

Bosnian Cheeses

A block of Livno cheese.

• Livno cheese – A dry, yellow cheese from the town of Livno in western Bosnia.
• Tešanjski – This cheese is made from nettle and milk and comes from the Tešanj area.
• Travnički – A white cheese, similar to feta, from the Travnik area in central Bosnia.
• Vlašićki – A mountain cheese from Vlašić Mountain. It tastes salty, much like Travnički cheese.
• Suhi sir – A smoked cheese.
• Kajmak – A creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream.
• Pavlaka – A soured cream product, like crème fraîche.

Sweet Desserts

A delicious Tufahija dessert.

• Baklava – A rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup.
• Halva – A sweet, dense confection.
• Hurmašica – A date-shaped pastry soaked in sweet syrup.
• Jabukovača – A pastry made with filo dough and stuffed with apples.
• Kadaif – A dessert made with thin noodle-like pastry.
• Krofna – A type of filled doughnut.
• Krempita – A cream cake.
• Palačinka (crêpe) – A thin pancake.
• Pekmez – A thick fruit syrup.
• Rahatlokum (Turkish Delight) – A sweet, jelly-like candy.
• Ružica – Similar to baklava, but baked as a small roll with raisins.
• Ruske Kape (meaning Russian Caps) – A dessert shaped like a cap.
• Šampita – A whipped marshmallow-type dessert with a filo dough crust.
• Sutlijaš (rice pudding) – A creamy rice pudding.
• Tufahija – A whole stewed apple stuffed with a walnut filling.
• Tulumba – Deep-fried dough sweetened with syrup.

Relishes, Seasonings, and Breads

• Ajvar – A popular relish made from roasted red peppers.
• Vegeta – A common seasoning mix.
• Somun – A type of flatbread, often served with ćevapi. There's also a special Ramadan somun with Ćurokot seeds.
• Pogača – A type of soft bread.
• Djevrek – A circular bread, often with sesame seeds.
• Lepinja – Another type of flatbread.
• Uštipci – Fried dough fritters.

Drinks

The best wines are made in Herzegovina, especially around Mostar, Čitluk, and Međugorje.

Alcoholic Beverages

• Medovina – A drink made from honey.
• Pelinkovac – A bitter herbal liqueur.
• Rakija – A strong fruit brandy.
• Blatina – A type of red wine.
• Žilavka – A type of white wine.
• Šljivovica – A plum brandy.

Non-alcoholic Beverages

A cup of Bosnian coffee with a sweet treat.

• Boza – A fermented drink made from grains.
• Salep – A warm, milky drink.
• Ajran – A salty yogurt drink.
• Bosnian coffee – A strong, traditional coffee.
• Šerbe – A sweet, cold fruit drink.
• Elder juice – A refreshing drink made from elderflower.

Kitchenware

• Sač – A special metal or ceramic lid used for cooking meat and other dishes under hot coals.

Images for kids

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  Stuffed Collard Greens leaves

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  Sarma

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  Begova Čorba at Baščaršija.

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  Sarajevski somun

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  Sarajevo Ćevapi

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  Sarajevo Ćevapi

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  Cooked corn

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  Cooked corn

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  Boem šnita

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  Bosanska Šnita

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  Sarajevski rahatlokum (Fruit mix)

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  Somun bread (Sarajevski Ćevapi)

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  Bosnian Ćevapi (Sarajevo)

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  Stuffed eggplant (Punjeni patlidžan)

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  Stuffed peppers

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  Cheese pie or cheese burek

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  Spinach pie

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  Bosnian pies in the shape of a wheel and strips

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  Bosnian meat platters

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  Spinach pie and cheese pie

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  Tulumba (cross section)

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  Bosnian pies

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  Cream pie

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  Stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini, oven-baked

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  Suho meso (Smoked meat)