Baklava is an essential part of the Bosnian dessert scene. You’ll see baklava shops everywhere and one of our guides was telling us how it’s in their blood! The best place to try authentic Bosnian baklava in Sarajevo is from @baklavaducan – their recipes are over 200 years old and unchanged. Can it get more authentic? We were kindly informed that the two we tried are the most authentic Bosnian types. The first is Sarajevo Baklava, but the one their most famous for is the Dzandar Baklava. This post is going to explore the baklava craze and scene in Bosnia and how it has become such an integral part of the cuisine and culture!
Baklava is Bosnian?
Calm down if you are Turk or Arab, baklava is not Bosnian in its origin. Of course it isn’t Bosnian. However, it has become such an integral part of the cuisine that it is considered as one of their key desserts and a core part of the food scene. As mentioned above, our guide told us it is in their blood meaning it is considered the Bosnian dessert of all desserts. It is something Bosnians see as being an integral part of their lives and cultures. Whether it is a post meal dessert or just a sweet treat to go with tea or coffee, baklava is up there as one of the first choices. And this place that we tried has recipes dating back centuries and that is evident of its part in the cuisine. So, the question is where did it come from and how did it enter the cuisine in such a prominent manner? To understand this, you need to understand the history of the country. You need to go back to the ottomans and when they entered the country. And the influence they have had on the country, culture, religion and above all, the food.
Dzandar Baklava
The Sarajevo baklava is slightly different to the Turkish style in the sense that there are more layers, uses no pistachio and uses local ingredients. If you find the original too sweet, you may like this as it is slightly less sweet. Nonetheless, it is still a sweet dessert, which I love but my wife doesn’t. This place we visited, which is very famous in the capital for its baklava, is famous for the Dzandar Baklava. It comes in 3 nut filling options and there’s sweet kaymak inside too (I love this addition)! It takes 3 days to prepare!! If you’re in Sarajevo, this is an absolute must. And if you’re trying it there, take a seat and you can also get tea or coffee with it (they’ll get it from the shop next door). Do not miss this.
The Bosnian dessert scene
Baklava isn’t the only must try dessert in the cuisine; in fact they’ve got a very rich dessert scene. You’ve got Hurmacise (a sweet treat you need to try. It’s more of a biscuit than a cake this one. And you’ll find this in many of the dessert shops.), trilece (caramel milk cake, which originates in Albania), tufahija (read more), krempita (layered cream cake) and Turkish delight too. In Sarajevo you’ll find mainly two types of dessert spots: 1. A charming snug dessert cafe where you can get hot drinks, ice cream and a wide array of desserts (tufahija, hurmacise, krempita, trilece). These spots are very nice to just chill in after a day of exploring and shopping. And there’s so many scattered around in the old town. 2. The second type of dessert spot is a baklava spot. In these you’ll essentially find a variety of baklava that you can get to eat in or take away. There are other sweet shops that specialise in Turkish delight and Tulumbe for example, but these aren’t really sit down spots.
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
