Ćevapi, Pljeskavica, Begova Čorba and more: what are the best Bosnian dishes to try when in Sarajevo?

• Ćevapi – small, grilled minced meat “fingers” made of a lamb, beef (or pork) and spice mix , typically served with onions, kajmak, ajvar (see below for descriptions of those side-dishes)and Bosnian pita bread known as somun
• Pljeskavica – a patty dish. Like a large, flat hamburger.
• Begova Čorba – translated as Bey’s Stew, it is a Bosnian soup made of meat and vegetables. Vegetarian versions now available!
• Filovane paprike – fried bell peppers stuffed with minced meat and rice.
• Sogan-dolma – onions stuffed with minced meat.
• Burek – a stuffed pastry. The filling determines the name of the burek: “standard” burek is filled with minced meat, the one filled with cottage cheese is called sirnica,  the spinach and cheese variety is zeljanica, the courgette-filled one is called tikvenjača and finally, the one with potatoes is called krompiruša. The dish is traditionally rolled in a spiral and cut into sections for serving. 
• Sarma – pickled cabbage leaves filled with meat and rice.
• Dolma – grape leaves stuffed with rice.
• Musaka – similar to lasagne, a dish made with layers of potatoes and minced meat and then baked.
  

The influences
The truly “national dishes” from the ones above are considered to be ćevapi, pljeskavica and begova čorba, while the other dishes originate from other countries and regions or have a strong influence from other places. Sogan-dolma and dolma originate from the Middle East, musaka from Greece, and sarma is found in cuisine from the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Likewise with burek, which is also of Turkish origin.

Dedicated veggie dishes
Although meat dishes are widely popular, Bosnians also like some dedicated vegetable dishes such as đuveč, which is a vegetable stew, kačamak, a traditional Bosnian dish featuring cornmeal and potatoes as the main ingredients, and sataraš, a dish made with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and eggplant.

And of course, the king of all relishes is ajvar – a mouth-watering red condiment-sauce that is the ultimate accompaniment to most meat, cheeses or salads. It has several variations (mild, spicy, chunky, smooth etc) that boast differing amounts of bell peppers, chilli peppers, eggplant, tomato and/or oregano. Once you have had a burger with ajvar, you will never look at ketchup or relish in the same way again!

As for cheeses and dairy products, look out for dimljeni sir or Bosnian smoked cheese, and kajmak – a dairy product that is similar to clotted cream, which originates from Turkic Central Asia.