Best Balkan meals!

I have made many mentions of the 'delicious' food that is present here in the Balkans, that it is somewhat surprising that it has taken 67 blog entries before I decided to write on the topic!

So, for all you food-lovers that are out there, this one is for you.

Here are five 'must-have's' when it comes to dining in any of the countries that make up this Balkan region; with, of course, a particular focus on Bosnia! By the way, just for you to know before some of you start going crazy; I realise that many of these foods are not of Balkan origin, but they make them so well here that, if you were to visit this part of the world, it would be a shame to not have a taste!

Whichever language you speak; enjoy and prijatno!

• Burek

Although bureks have an origin in Turkey, this is one dish that you can simply not avoid. I took every Aussie friend that I met up with in Sarajevo to the 'burekdzinica' (burek restaurant, hint hint) and, believe me, it wasn't the only time during their stay that they made a visit to there! In fact, the burek is so popular, that iconic Bosnian singer Dino Merlin wrote a song about it!
Click here to listen to the song.
In short, the burek is a meat-filled pastry that is traditionally rolled in a spiral and cut into sections for serving.
In 2012, Lonely Planet included the Bosnian burek in their "The World's Best Street Food" book; so, you know it's damn good!

Want to try making it yourself? Click here.

• Cevapi

This is one that really goes without saying, and most of you have probably heard of this before. Cevapi! In Croatia and Serbia it is sold with pork meat, however in Bosnia, it comprises of small grilled meat sausages made of lamb and beef mix; served with onions, sour cream, ajvar and traditional Bosnian pita bread.
If you come to Bosnia, it is said that you can find the best cevapi in Middle Bosnia, particularly in the city of Travnik. Otherwise, if you can't make it out of Australia, there are several cevapi restaurants dotted around the place. They are worth checking out if you have the time!

Can't make it to any of the restaurants? No dramas. Click here to learn how to make it yourself!

• Bosanski lonac

Bosanski lonac, or 'Bosnian pot', is a lesser-known local dish, yet one that arguably still gets the taste-buds working in a similar fashion. It is a real Bosnian culinary speciality, and, although it can come in various forms, its ingredients are usually the same: meat and various vegetables.
Check the photo; looks good, huh?

Bosanski Lonac recipe (GoogleTranslate required here!)

• Ustipci

Ustipci is a type of food common not only to Bosnia, but also a number of other Balkan nations. They are very similar to croissants, but with a more soft, bread-like feel to them. 

The great thing about ustipci is that it can either serve as a proper, sit-down meal, or simply as a dessert. People have various options to eat with the ustipci; jam, cheese, cream and even meat are popular choices amongst locals.
Luckily, this meal is much easier to make than it is to pronounce the name of it.

Ustipci recipe.

• Hurmasice

There is little doubting that the above dishes need to be accompanied with something sweet afterwards (well, if your stomach has some room left!); so why not complement it with a delicious speciality locally known as 'hurmasice'?

I can tell you from many first-hand experiences that these babies literally melt in your mouth - they are simply divine, and are one thing you just cannot pass up.
They are a very popular home-made treat, which means it doesn't matter where you are in the world; you can make one yourself, too!
In fact, here's an easy-to-follow recipe: Bosnian Hurmasice.
Go on!

There you are, people.
Don't blame me if a few of you put on a couple of kilos in the near future! :-)