New to Balkan food? Start here
Balkan food brings together charcoal-grilled meats, hand-stretched pies and coffee made for taking your time. Try smoky ćevapi, a thin pljeskavica, flaky burek or a slice of pita. These four favourites are a good place to start, with warm bread and a little ajvar on the side.
Ćevapi
Say it: CHEH-vah-peeSmall hand-rolled fingers of minced, seasoned meat, grilled over charcoal and served several to a portion. They come tucked into warm lepinja flatbread with chopped raw onion, often with kajmak (a rich, tangy clotted dairy spread) and ajvar (roasted red pepper relish). Tear the bread, wrap a piece of each, and eat with your hands.
Pljeskavica
Say it: PLYESS-kah-vee-tsahThe same charcoal-grill tradition, shaped into one wide, thin patty. It is served in lepinja the way a burger sits in a bun, with onion and your choice of kajmak, ajvar or urnebes, a spicy whipped cheese spread. Wide and smoky at the edges, juicy in the middle.
Burek
Say it: BOO-rekA pie made from very thin dough, stretched by hand until you can almost see through it, then filled, coiled or layered in a round tray and baked until the outside shatters. In many bakeries "burek" means the meat-filled version. It is eaten at breakfast or any hour, usually with a cup of cold yogurt alongside.
Pita
Say it: PEE-tahThe family name for the other hand-stretched pies. Sirnica is filled with cheese, zeljanica with spinach, krompiruša with potato. Same dough, same coil, different filling. Order a few and share them around the table.
Beyond the four
- Palačinke (pah-lah-CHEEN-keh): thin crêpes, rolled or folded around sweet or savoury fillings. The batter goes straight into the pan instead of resting for hours the way French crêpe batter often does.
- Sarma (SAR-mah): soured cabbage leaves rolled around minced meat and rice, then slowly simmered. A cold-weather dish.
- Baklava (BAHK-lah-vah): many paper-thin layers of pastry with chopped nuts, baked and soaked in syrup.
- Tulumba (too-LOOM-bah): ridged pieces of piped dough, fried until golden and soaked in syrup while still hot.
- Coffee: brewed in a small long-handled pot called a džezva (JEZ-vah) and poured into a small handleless cup called a fildžan (FEEL-jahn), with water and something sweet on the side. It is meant to be drunk slowly.
A little help with the names
| Dish | Say it | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Ćevapi | CHEH-vah-pee | Hand-rolled minced-meat fingers, charcoal-grilled |
| Ćevapčići | cheh-VAHP-chee-chee | Another name for ćevapi |
| Pljeskavica | PLYESS-kah-vee-tsah | Wide, flat grilled patty served in lepinja |
| Ražnjići | RAZH-nyee-chee | Small grilled skewers of cubed meat |
| Lepinja | LEH-pee-nyah | Soft, puffy flatbread for the grill |
| Somun | SOH-moon | Round flatbread, often scored on top |
| Ajvar | EYE-var | Roasted red pepper relish |
| Kajmak | KYE-mahk | Rich, tangy clotted dairy spread |
| Urnebes | OOR-neh-bess | Spicy whipped cheese spread |
| Burek | BOO-rek | Hand-stretched pie, often with meat |
| Sirnica | SEER-nee-tsah | Hand-stretched pie with cheese |
| Zeljanica | ZEH-lyah-nee-tsah | Hand-stretched pie with spinach |
| Krompiruša | KROM-pee-roo-shah | Hand-stretched pie with potato |
| Palačinke | pah-lah-CHEEN-keh | Thin crêpes, sweet or savoury |
| Sarma | SAR-mah | Soured cabbage leaves rolled around meat and rice |
| Tulumba | too-LOOM-bah | Fried ridged dough soaked in syrup |
| Krempita | KREM-pee-tah | Tall custard slice on crisp pastry |