Today is all about dumplings, Bosnian dumplings! Klepe are like a cross between Turkish manti and Italian ravioli. But it has its own distinctive character and qualities. And boy was this delicious. I’ve been craving and thinking about this dish since the moment I finished that last bite. Beef filled dumplings (can get other fillings too e.g. pumpkin) that have been topped off with a sour cream sauce, paprika and garlic. Oh the garlic!! If you love garlic, you’ll love this addition. Do not miss this dish when you’re in the country!
A marriage between manti and ravioli
Manti is a beloved Turkish dish that many in the west don’t know about, but we absolutely love. They are very small dumplings stuffed with lamb and then topped with a caramelised tomato sauce, brown butter sauce, and garlicky yogurt sauce. So soo good! If you haven’t tried it, make sure you do the next time you’re at a Turkish. Ravioli is stuffed pasta that is lightly spiced and a comforting broth or sauce to accompany. Both sound incredible right? Well, imagine if both got married and had a kid… the kid would be Klepe! This Bosnian creation takes the best of both worlds and creates something that will excite your tastebuds like nothing else! Super memorable!
Is it authentic?
After posting my Tufahija post on TikTok, I got one particular response that got me questioning its authenticity. He claimed: I’m from Bosnia, born and bred, I am Bosnian and I have never heard of nor had Klepe before. I was taken aback a little, but thankfully in the following days I got a number of people coming back to him and responding accordingly. They said it’s definitely authentic, and they’ve been having it since they were kids, and they remember their mothers making this. So yeah, as authentic as it gets.
Where to try it
I’m not entirely sure where the best place to try it is, but we tried it from Nanina Kuhinja (instagram) and we absolutely loved it. This is a nice aesthetic restaurant conveniently located right next to Zeljo (the famous Cevapi place). They’ve got indoor seating, but the weather was good so we sat outdoor on their very unique and instagrammable outdoor seating. Their menu is huge so you can potentially try a few things here (we also tried Tufahija and bosnian coffee), but we really wanted to try the Klepe. And boy were we impressed. Definitely highly recommend the klepe from this restaurant. I have written confirmation that they are halal too.
How did it taste
I love meat filled dumplings, I love garlic and if you add a bit of paprika and creamy sauce, you have a sensational combination that my tastebuds are not only satisfied, but they are over the moon. I loved this dish, in fact, we loved this dish. This had a little bit of everything I love. This is definitely one of the dishes I am rushing to try when visiting Sarajevo again.
Is it just Turkish food??
Most of my Bosnian food series posts on Instagram and TikTok went viral and so this attracted numerous people from numerous parts of the world to comment and engage with my posts. Unfortunately, this meant that a lot of haters have come through to spread hate and, in all honesty, expose their own insecurity. To simplify Bosnian food and just call it Turkish, is naive, silly and just straight up culturally ignorant. Firstly, you need to educate yourself about the history of the ottomans and Islam in Bosnia. It will surprise you and hopefully make you realise a little more about the country, its history, its religion and even its food influences. Secondly, you need to educate yourself about how food works. Wherever you go in the world, you’ll find dishes (a few to many) that have been derived from or influenced by dishes from other parts of the world. I come from England and so I’ll use my country as an example – I implore you to look up the national dish of England. And I’ll leave it there…
Getting there
Google Maps link
