Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine

Ingredients

Bosnian cuisine uses many spices, but usually in moderate quantities. Most dishes are light, as they are boiled; the sauces are natural, consisting of little more than the natural juices of the vegetables in the dish. Typical ingredients include tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, courgette, dried and fresh beans, plums, milk, paprika and cream called pavlaka and kajmak. Typical meat dishes include primarily beef, lamb, and poultry due to Islamic dietary laws, although the Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs can consume pork. Some local specialties are ćevapi, burek, grah, sarma, pilav, gulaš (goulash), ajvar and a whole range of Eastern sweets. The best local wines come from Herzegovina where the climate is suitable for growing grapes. Plum or apple rakija, is produced in Bosnia.

Vegetable dishes

• Đuveč – vegetable stew, similar to the Romanian ghiveci and Bulgarian gjuvec
• Popara – old bread soaked in boiling milk and covered with sugar or honey
• Grašak – pea stew
• Kačamak – a traditional Bosnian dish made of cornmeal and potatoes
• Kljukuša – grated potatoes mixed with flour and water and baked in an oven; a traditional dish in the region of Bosanska Krajina
• Proha – a traditional flatbread, consisting of cornmeal and wheat flour, as well as eggs and sunflower oil
• Kalja – a traditional Bosnian dish made of whole sour cabbage and veal or lamb with a combination of vegetables
• Sataraš – a dish made with bell peppers, eggplants, onions and tomatoes
• Turšija – pickled vegetables
• Buranija - a Bosnian stew consisting of Romano beans (a variety of green beans) and chunks of veal combined with carrots and garlic
• Bamija – okra stew with veal

Appetizers

• Meze – an assortment of meats, vegetables, cheeses or other small dishes served before a meal

Cheeses (sirevi)

• Livno cheese - a dry yellow cheese from the west Bosnian town of Livno and surrounding villages
• Tešanjski – made from the nettle and milk, originates in the Tešanj district in northern central Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Travnički – a white feta-like cheese from the Travnik district in central Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Vlašić cheese – a highland cheese similar in its salty taste to Travnički, originates in the villages on Vlašić Mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bosnian Smoked Cheese – a smoked cheese derived from posni sir
• Kajmak - a creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream
• Pavlaka - a soured cream product like crème fraîche

Desserts (kolači)

• Baklava
• Halva
• Bombica
• Hurmašica – date-shaped pastry drenched in a sweet syrup (Agda)
• Gurabija – a type of round, flat shortbread cookie that is usually made with flour, sugar, and oil
• Jabukovača – pastry made of filo dough stuffed with apples
• Kadaif
• Krofna – filled doughnut
• Krempita
• Oblatna – Bosnian chilled dessert consisting of a cooked filling pressed between crispy wafer sheets
• Orašnica
• Palačinka (crêpe)
• Patišpanja – sponge cake
• Pekmez
• Rahatlokum (Turkish Delight)
• Ružica – similar to baklava, but baked in a small roll with raisins
• Ruske Kape (trans. Russian Caps, plural)
• Šampita - a whipped meringue-type dessert with fillo dough crust
• Sutlijaš (rice pudding)
• Smokvara – a traditional dessert hailing from Herzegovina made of a dark-brown dough consisting of fig pekmez
• Šljivopita – Bosnian plum pie made with dried plums, walnuts and filo
• Tufahija – traditional Bosnian whole stewed apple stuffed with a walnut filling
• Tulumba – deep-fried dough sweetened with syrup

Relishes, seasoning and bread

• Ajvar
• Vegeta
• Somun and Ramadan somun (with Ćurokot seeds).
• Pogača – Bosnian Pogača can be leavened or unleavened. It can be made from white flour, and a mix of two thirds to three quarters of wheat flour and the rest either barley, or rye
• Đevrek
• Lepinja
• Uštipci
• Kiflice

Alcoholic beverages

Wines are produced mainly in Herzegovina, in the regions of Mostar, Čitluk, Ljubuški, Stolac, Domanovići, and Međugorje.

• Medovina
• Kruškovac
• Pelinkovac
• Rakija
• Blatina
• Žilavka
• Šljivovica (plum brandy)

Kitchenware

• Sač/Peka
• Ibrik
• Džezva
• Tepsija – a type of shallow pan commonly used to bake pita or burek
• Sahan