A Bosnian Bonanza.
Bosnia + Herzegovina is so much more than its past history of war, political tension, and civil unrest. It’s a country that is still considered a developing nation ranking 73rd in human development and is comprised of three ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. It is still waiting on being accepted into the European Union (they’ve been waiting since 2016 🙄) and is a largely Muslim country. Although Bosnia still seems like a country trying to figure itself out in the world like a teenager navigating their way in the cafeteria on the first day of school, (so many groups to sit next to but who is the coolest and will accept me for who I am?!), their cuisine needs no reassurance.
Cevabdzinica Sarajevo was the answer from the Bosnian food gods. Another gem tucked away in Long Island City, Queens this place didn’t skip a beat in authenticity. We got the good ole “You don’t look like you’re from these parts” stare. Clearly, I can’t disguise myself as a Bosnian, but I will go in and sheepishly try to not butcher the names of their country’s dishes.
You guys already know me…I ordered A LOT of food in the name of gluttony writing. Let’s begin to dive into what we ate!
If I ever see any sort of combo on a menu I will order it. It is way easier to get a combo with a bunch of different things than ordering each item a la carte. We got a House Combo that came with pita bread and two different kinds of sausages. The first sausage I tried was the cevapi. It is a grilled short beef sausage that has a very smoky flavoring and is mildly seasoned. Reminded me of sausages we ate while trying Albanian.
The other sausage that was included in the combo was a bosanske sudzkice sausage. This one has a casing that snaps in your mouth kind of like kielbasa. It has less of a charred taste than the first one and is pretty moist which I think was due to the casing.
I had the gulas which is a beef stew with a side of pillowy mashed potatoes. The stew was filled with chunks of carrots and mellowed onions. The gravy was my favorite part to sop up with hunks of pita bread.
We also ordered sarma which is pork + rice rolled up in cabbage and cooked in a tomato-based broth. The roll itself was a bit vinegary/briny like grape leaves or dolmas. The meat wasn’t very seasoned. A bit on the herbaceous side, but not much more than that. I find that dolmas carry a bit more flavor that the sarma.
The Pita bread that we ate everything with was beautifully scored on top and looks like no other pita I've seen. They were exceptionally fluffy and huge.
As if I hadn’t ordered enough food we also ordered two desserts which were hurmasica and tulumbe. The hurmasica is a cake covered in an anise sweet syrup. The texture is a bit denser than your sponge cake, but it is perfect for keeping such a super-soaked cake from falling apart.
The tulumbe was by far my favorite. The Bosnian donut looks like a churro and tastes like a French cruller donut. It has a deep vanilla flavor and is also soaked in a simple syrup, but without the anise.
This unpronounceable gem of a restaurant took me by surprise. Our meal was homey, humble, and welcoming even if we originally felt out of place ordering here. If you’re up for something different than your average weekly takeout, I’d take a chance on visiting this place just for the donuts alone!
Paid Subscribers: This Friday we are visiting the country of Botswana! Also, you get a first look at where we’ll be finally having our 1st Meet + Eat! (Don’t worry Pizza Tour will still happen this Spring too! 🙃)
Cook. Eat. Repeat.
Natalie 💗✨