An Eastern European Hat Tip To The Daily Kimchi

Some time ago, Gdog of the Daily Kimchi ate live octopus after the TEFL Logue requested an exclusive based on his earlier vow to try that food. But how to return such a favor? Well, I’m not going to eat anything alive and kicking, but I can bring a bit of Eastern Europe to the Daily Kimchi with my Daily Cevap post.

In case anyone reading this blog does not know, I am a fan of Bosnian people, culture, food and things; a Bosnian aficionado, if you will, and if you can say a word like that without rolling your eyes.

First of all, feast your eyes on the best: cevapi (start with “ch” to say it), or “skinless sausages” as I saw one restaurant advertising them in the US. Cevapi are made of ground junjetina (“young cow” – between veal/calf and regular/adult cow), mixed with salt, pepper and garlic, cooked on a grill and served in what I’d call pita bread at home and somun in Bosnia. Cevapi are usually served with at least onion and ideally with kajmak. Kajmak is also known as “the most difficult cheese to translate”. In reality it is something like cream cheese or ricotta, but somehow more dairy-ish. Good news for your taste buds, not such good news for your waistline.

Next there is pita, which is cooked in a sac (the “ch” is at the end this time) – a special oven I believe originated in Turkey or the Middle East, though as these things go, China or native Americans may also claim credit. This beautiful staple food is filled with either meat (lamb), cheese (something like cottage cheese), spinach or potato. I do not have a specific pita-eating experience to describe, as this is a regular once- or twice-weekly meal when I’m in “the Heart-Shaped Country”. It’s just good. The traditionally Bosnian “style” of pita is a small curling circle, but you can find it in other styles as well, like longer rows as well as in the shape that most North Americans think of as pie.

Keep in mind this disclaimer: a visitor once described pita as a “heart attack on a place” – which is perhaps fitting given Bosnia’s nickname above! – and I think that should carry the message about how often to indulge, ie not daily. Like all good things, Bosnian food is best in moderation. And be careful getting hooked because you can’t find this stuff everywhere!