Is the Cevapi the peak of kebab dishes? We’re kicking off the Bosnian series with quite possibly the most famous and popular Bosnian dish there is: Cevapi. This is basically small Bosnian kebabs with fresh bread, white onions and kaymak. If there’s one dish you can’t leave the country without trying it is this one. The national dish of Bosnia and rightfully so a favourite amongst locals and tourists who try it. It is so beloved that everyone has his or her own favourite restaurant that does Cevapi and the rivalry as heated as a football rivalry would be. In fact, if you ask 10 locals which spot is their favourite, you’ll probably get 11 different answers. This post will highlight our experience of the national dish of Bosnia.
How does it taste?
Small Bosnian kebabs with fresh bread, white onions and kaymak. When these 4 elements are combined together, the end result is nothing short of sensational. You won’t be looking at kebabs the same way again! You’ll always be asking for that bread, white onions and kaymak to accompany the kebabs. The bread is soft and accommodates the meat so perfectly without overtaking the scene. The onions provide a nice freshness and a crunch. And the kaymak is not like the sweet Turkish clotted cream, it’s more like sour cream cheese. It brings everything together and elevates the dish like butter does to toast. Harmonious!
Are they kebabs?
I described Cevapi as small Bosnian kebabs (above and on social media) and I got a LOT of criticism from Bosnians. They were very passionate about this and it seemed to trigger a lot of people. The criticism was that apparently I should not be calling them kebabs and they are nothing like kebabs. Now, let me clarify: 1. My content is in the English language and my target audience is English speaking so therefore my content will reflect that. Some were telling me to call Cevapi Cevapi, my English speaking audience who have never been exposed to Bosnian food will have no idea what that is, so I need to use the English language to explain it to the best of my ability. And 2. According to the Oxford and Cambridge English dictionaries kebab can refer to a variety of different types of meats, cuts of meats and cooking methods of meats including grilled!! I say this because it seems Bosnians think kebab equal one type of meat (I assume doner), but kebab is a term that covers a wide range and it is such a universal term that you’ll find numerous countries and cultures around the world have their own versions of what a specific kebab is. And it is not restricted to doner. So, before you tell me to do my research, please do YOUR research. Thank you.
The accompaniments
What sets Cevapi apart from its kebab counterparts for me are the accompaniments. The white onions and the kaymak give this overall dish such a unique and distinctive taste and flavour profile. And you know what? I love it! This might just be one of my favourite kebab dishes! The white onions add a fresh crunch and a subtle onion flavour and the kaymak brings everything together with its creamy texture. It does well to cut through the meat and onions flavour and kind of provides a timely balance to the overall dish. Some on social media have recommended I add ajvar (red pepper relish), I didn’t see this as an option to be fair and even though it does sound good and I’ll definitely be giving it a try, I don’t know how authentic it is.
Zeljo
As mentioned, if you ask 10 Bosnians which spot is their favourite, you’ll probably get 11 different answers. We tried this dish at @cevabdzinica_zeljo.3 – quite possibly the most famous and popular Cevapi spot in the Sarajevo. They have over 8k google reviews and have like 3 branches all located within seconds of one another in the old town of Sarajevo. They’re named after the local football team and were always packed when we walked by. Morning to evening!
Travnik
Zeljo is the most famous and probably the most popular Cevapi spot in Sarajevo, but if you really want to try the best Cevapi, you have to visit Travnik. Travnik is a town in Bosnia that is known for doing the best Cevapi in the country. This is what we were told anyway and unfortunately, we weren’t able to put this claim to the test this time round. So, hopefully next time!
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
