National Dish Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ćevapi (Recipe)
In this article
Ćevapi are small skinless sausages of minced meat, grilled hard and served inside a flatbread with raw onion. There are ten of them to a portion, or five if you are not hungry, and the bread is warmed in the fat that drips off them.
About Ćevapi
Ćevapi are the national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the subject of a regional argument that will not be settled. Sarajevo makes them small and serves them in somun, a puffy flatbread. Banja Luka grills them in joined-up groups of four. Every town claims the definitive version.
The meat is minced twice, mixed with a little bicarbonate of soda and left overnight. That rest is what gives ćevapi their characteristic springy texture.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 250 g minced beef
- 250 g minced lamb
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh flatbread
- Onions, to serve
- Ajvar sauce
Shopping for the ingredients
Ask the butcher to mince the meat twice, and do not buy anything too lean; around 20% fat is right. Bosnian cooks often use beef alone rather than a mix. Somun or a thick pitta is the bread. If you can find kajmak, the clotted dairy spread, buy it: it is the traditional third element alongside the onion.
Preparing the dish
Mix the meat with a quarter teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and a splash of sparkling water, then leave it covered in the fridge overnight. This is the step home cooks skip and it is the one that matters. Shape the rolls with wet hands.
Step-by-step instructions
- Take the meat mixture out of the fridge and shape it into small rolls, about 5 cm long.
- Preheat a grill or griddle pan and lightly oil it.
- Lay the ćevapi evenly on the grill and cook for about 3–4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, lightly toast the flatbread on the grill or in the oven.
- Serve the grilled ćevapi in the flatbread with onions and ajvar sauce.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The meat contains no gluten and no dairy. The bread does, so use a gluten-free flatbread. Kajmak is dairy; leave it off for a lactose-free plate and the dish loses nothing essential.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Ćevapi are meat and there is no way around that. What travels is the serving: ajvar, raw onion and warm flatbread make a good plate around grilled halloumi or a bean patty. Ajvar itself is vegan and worth making regardless.
More tips and tricks
Rest the mixture overnight. Grill over real heat rather than in a lukewarm pan, since ćevapi want a hard sear. And open the bread and hold it over the grill for a moment so the inside takes up the fat, which is how it is done properly.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
All beef is the Sarajevo standard. Some cooks add a spoonful of sparkling mineral water for lightness. Chopped onion in the mix is contested: purists leave it out entirely and serve it raw alongside instead.
Ingredient substitutions
Lamb alone makes a stronger version. A cast-iron griddle stands in for a charcoal grill acceptably. Pitta bread replaces somun.
Drink pairing ideas
Bosanska kahva, the Bosnian coffee, follows the meal rather than accompanying it. Yoghurt drink is what most people have alongside. A cold Sarajevsko beer works.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve them inside the split flatbread with a mound of raw chopped onion, ajvar in a bowl and kajmak if you have it. No cutlery. They are eaten in the hand, and portions are counted in numbers of ćevapi rather than grams.
A bit of history
Ćevapi came with the Ottomans, as a Balkan version of the kebab, and spread across the whole region. Bosnia claims them most strongly and Sarajevo’s ćevabdžinice, shops that sell nothing else, have been running for generations. They belong to Bosnian cuisine alongside burek and sarma.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Ćevapi
Ćevapi are small minced meat rolls grilled hard and served in flatbread with raw onion and ajvar. Rest the mixture overnight, grill it hot, and eat with your hands.
