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Bosnian cuisine is a treasure trove of delicious grilled meat dishes and indulgent platters. The Cevapi is a famous Bosnian delicacy which is already quite popular in certain Southeast Asian countries. The Cevapi is a grilled meat dish which is often referred to as a kebab. However, a cevapi is more complex than a simple kebab and is also served in a more elaborate way.
Also Read: 8 Savory Kebab Delights Fit For A King
What is Cevapi?
Though the word 'Cevapi' comes from the Persian word 'kabab', the Balkan dish is not quite the same as the kebabs we have available today. Cevapi is a skinless sausage made from twice-ground meat (be it beef, pork or lamb) and is flavoured with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and parsley. The minced meat sausage is grilled over hot coals for several minutes.
Cevapi is the national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and is also common in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia. Turns out the most common way to serve cevapi is along with chopped onions, ajvar (a condiment made of bell peppers and eggplants) and kajmak (a Polish-style caramel cream, similar in texture to clotted cream).
While Bosnian ćevapi is made from two types of minced beef meat, hand-mixed and formed with a funnel, Serbian ćevapčići is made of beef, lamb or pork, or a mixture.
How Is Cevapi Different From A Kebab Or A Kofta?
Kebab quite simply refers to roasted meat; under the modern umbrella, small pieces of meat assembled and grilled on a skewer are referred to as a kebab. Cevapi can be referred to as a sort of kebab made out of grilled minced meat. Interestingly, while anything can be made into a kebab or rolled into a kofta, a Cevapi is typically made with soft parts of the beef like tenderloin or rib-eye steak.
Besides beef, it also needs a juicier cut of lamb and these two meats are mixed in the proportion of 2:1. The first cevap was brought by the Ottomans and was actually inspired by the Ottoman kofta, which is similar to a Turkish meatball. It is believed that though the Persians developed the recipe for Cevapi, the Ottomans introduced the recipe to the Balkans. Interestingly, a cevapi and a kofta are prepared differently.
The cevap is mainly made with meat and simple spices, like salt and pepper, while the kofta may have other additions like bread crumbs or vegetables. The cevapi are always grilled while the kofta can be simmered in gravy it can be served as a side.
