Bosnian sarma is sour-cabbage leaves stuffed with minced beef, pork and rice, slow-braised with smoked meat; in Bosnia And Herzegovina we have verified places to eat it in Sarajevo. Start with where to eat Sarma in Sarajevo.
Sarma · Sarajevo
Bosnian sarma is sour-cabbage leaves stuffed with minced beef, pork and rice, slow-braised with smoked meat. The Sarajevo version anchors winter cooking and family meals from December through February.
Sarma comes through the Ottoman dolma tradition (literally 'stuffed' in Turkish) and crystallised into the Bosnian winter form with sour-cabbage. Dveri and Inat Kuca both work the canonical Sarajevo recipe; sour cabbage heads come from highland farms through Markale market, with the salting and fermenting carried out in early November to anchor the December-to-February season. The smoked-meat layer (suho meso) is the Bosnian addition that sets the dish apart from Croatian and Serbian versions.
Where to eat in Sarajevo:
- Dveri
- Inat Kuca
- Nanina Kuhinja
- Sedef
Where to eat Sarma in Sarajevo: the editor picks