History
The word cevap comes through Ottoman Turkish kebap. Wikipedia dates the present Sarajevo form to the 1950s and 1960s, when Ferhatovic and Mrkva (1963) were among the first cevabdzinice. Ferhatovic says its family opened Sarajevo's first one in 1957 and Petica in 1984, during the Winter Olympics. In August 2024 Sarajevski cevapi, made in Sarajevo Canton from fresh beef and salt, received protected geographical indication in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g beef chuck, twice-minced
- 200g beef brisket, twice-minced
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 100ml sparkling water (cold)
- 4 somun flatbreads (or pita)
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 200g kajmak cream (or thick clotted cream)
Method
- Mix the minced beef chuck and brisket in a cold bowl with baking soda, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Add sparkling water gradually, kneading by hand for 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and slightly sticky.
- Rest the mixture covered in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
- Shape into finger-length sausages about 8 cm long and 1.5 cm thick (four fingers together).
- Heat a charcoal grill to high; cook the cevapi 2 minutes a side, turning twice, until well-charred and just cooked through.
- Warm somun flatbread on the grill for 30 seconds a side.
- Open the somun, place 5 cevapi inside, top with raw onion and a spoon of kajmak. Serve immediately with kefir or beer.
Tip from the editors. If you cannot get kajmak, use thick clotted cream mixed with a pinch of salt as a substitute.
Where to eat cevapi
Cevapi in Belgrade
Walter Sarajevski Cevap Bulevar Mihajla Pupina ★ 4.4
Walter Sarajevski Cevap on Bulevar Mihajla Pupina anchors Novi Beograd's Sarajevski cevapi chain. Grilled minced beef-lamb, lepinja bread, kajmak side.
TrySarajevski cevapi grilled minced beef-lamb
Walter Sarajevski Cevap Vojislava Ilica ★ 4.3
Walter Sarajevski Cevap on Vojislava Ilica is the eastern Belgrade location for Sarajevski cevapi. Same grill standard, lepinja and kajmak service.
TrySarajevski cevapi grilled minced beef-lamb
Manufaktura ★ 4.7
Manufaktura on Kralja Petra plates traditional Serbian with regional cheeses, Mangalica meats and cherry iced tea in Belgrade. Large garden seating.
SignatureCevapcici, Mangalica platter, Homemade cherry iced tea
Tri Sesira ★ 4.6
Tri Sesira (Three Hats) opened on Skadarska in 1864 in a building whose previous workshop had three pleated hats for trademark. Skadarlija anchor.
DrinkSljivovica, Tamjanika
FoodCevapi, sarma, gibanica, mixed grill
Cevapi in Sarajevo
Cevabdzinica Zeljo ★ 4.6
Cevabdzinica Zeljo, serving Bosnian cooking, is at Kundurdziluk 19, 71000 Sarajevo.
Petica Ferhatovic ★ 4.7
Petica Ferhatovic is a cevabdzinica at Bravadziluk 21 in Bascarsija, opened in 1984 during the Winter Olympic Games by a family known since 1957.
TryCevapcici
Cevabdzinica Hodzic ★ 4.5
Cevabdzinica Hodzic has served cevapi at Bravadziluk 34 since 1991, with two air-conditioned halls for 70 guests and a summer garden for 30.
TrySarajevo cevapi
TipTen cevapi cost 14 KM, kajmak is 2.50 KM and yogurt 2 KM; the kitchen cooks every day from 07:00 to 23:00.
Cevabdzinica Mrkva ★ 4.5
Cevabdzinica Mrkva at Bravadziluk 13 opened in 1963 under the Mrkva family, one of the first cevabdzinicas in the Balkans, and has a branch in Dobrinja too.
TryCevapi with kajmak and onion
TipTen cevapcici are 13 KM on the site's menu, which keeps one menu for the Bascarsija branch and another for Dobrinja.
Cevapi in St. Louis
Balkan Treat Box ★ 4.5
Balkan Treat Box on Big Bend Blvd in Webster Groves is the Bosnian wood-fired counter from Loryn and Edo Nalic, known for somun and cevapi platters.
Why locals goA suburban Webster Groves counter rather than a downtown name, Balkan Treat Box bakes wood-fired somun and cevapi worthy of a James Beard nod.
TipThe wood-fired somun-based plates are the way in; lines build at lunch. A short drive from the city centre.
More cities are in research. Want cevapi covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.