Despite their clear Turkish provenance,
Bosnian ćevapi are a source of great national pride and the country’s favorite dish. These tiny, hand-rolled minced meat sausages are commonly made with ground beef or a mix of beef mince with other meats such as pork, veal or lamb. Seasoned with a mix of different spices; usually garlic, salt, black pepper, and sometimes paprika or hot red pepper flakes.
After they have mellowed for a couple of hours, ćevapi are barbecued over charcoal. Traditionally, one portion of the dish consists of ten pieces of ćevapi tucked in a soft, moist, slightly grilled flatbread called lepinja or somun, and a variety of accompaniments such as kajmak, a type of clotted cream spread, roasted red pepper and eggplant relish called ajvar (especially popular in Croatia and Serbia), and raw onions.
Ćevapi are traditionally served in ćevabdžinica, a specific Bosnian locale of special ambient, where except ćevapi you can find similar grilled dishes like burgers, sausages etc. With ćevapi you can perhaps try yogurt, sour milk, and kefir.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina ćevapi are served in different portions of five, ten, fifteen or more pieces and there are regional differences in preparing and shape of ćevapi (separately or in bundles of four or five pieces). So, the most popular ćevapi in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Banja Luka, Travnik and Sarajevo ćevapi.
