Ćevapi

A familiar comparison

Anyone who knows the Turkish kebap or the Greek kebab will recognize the family resemblance immediately — ćevapi share the same Ottoman-era root, grilled minced meat with no casing. What varies from city to city within the former Yugoslavia is mostly size and blend: Sarajevo’s version, Banja Luka’s, and Belgrade’s each use a slightly different meat ratio and length, with locals in each city defending theirs as the standard.

History

Ćevapi are small grilled sausages hand-shaped from minced meat (beef, lamb, or a mix of both) simply seasoned with salt, pepper and sometimes a little baking soda for texture, with no casing, then grilled over live embers and served in a soft flatbread called somun, alongside raw chopped onion and kajmak, a thick clotted cream typical of the Balkans. The name and technique derive from the Turkish word “kebap,” introduced to the Balkans during the Ottoman period, which later transformed and adapted locally from region to region.

Though widely eaten across the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia), ćevapi are particularly associated with Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the city claims a recipe and sausage size slightly different from those of Banja Luka or Belgrade, each region passionately defending its version as the most authentic. Traditionally served at midday in “ćevabdžinica,” specialized restaurants offering almost nothing else, ćevapi remain one of the most widely eaten street foods daily across the Balkan region.

Ingredients — for 4 people (about 20 pieces)

• 500 g (1.1 lb) minced beef, 300 g (10.5 oz) minced lamb
• Salt, pepper, a pinch of baking soda
• Soft flatbread (somun or pita bread)
• Chopped raw onion, kajmak or thick clotted cream

Step-by-step Bosnian ćevapi recipe

1. Mix the minced beef and lamb with the salt, pepper and baking soda until smooth and slightly tacky.
2. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
3. Shape by hand into small elongated logs about 7 to 8 cm (3 inches) long, with no casing.
4. Grill the ćevapi over live embers or a very hot grill, turning regularly.
5. Warm the flatbread on the grill for a moment until soft and lightly charred.
6. Fill the bread with several ćevapi, chopped raw onion and a generous spoonful of kajmak or thick clotted cream.

Cooking method

Technique: minced meat hand-shaped with no casing, grilled directly over live embers for quick caramelization of the exterior.

Traditional equipment: a charcoal grill, a somun oven for the flatbread served warm.

Benchmarks: always let the mixture rest before shaping; this rest is what gives it the structure to hold together without a casing during grilling.

Nutrition, per serving

Calculated from the raw ingredient quantities above, divided by four servings (about 20 pieces).

Notable amounts: saturated fat is high, split between the beef-and-lamb mix and the kajmak clotted cream traditionally spread on the bread. Carbohydrate comes almost entirely from the somun flatbread rather than the meat itself.

Economic context

Ćevapi are sold cheaply and in volume by specialized ćevabdžinica across the region, built around a limited, inexpensive set of ingredients — minced meat, bread, onion and kajmak — which keeps them squarely in street-food and lunchtime territory rather than a restaurant indulgence.

Source: World Bank / FAO, Food Prices for Nutrition database (Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet) v4.0, 2024 data, CC BY 4.0, DOI 10.57966/41AN-KY81. Retrieved 29 July 2026. This figure describes the cost of a healthy diet in Bosnia and Herzegovina generally — it is not a costing of this specific recipe.

Who this dish suits

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