Bosnian food and culture https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/ Tue, 7 Apr 2026 07:09:45 GMT World Nomads Adventures An hour long flight from a small airport in Sarajevo is not enough to prepare oneself for a metropolis like Istanbul. Our hosts, with big, friendly smiles on their faces, took us from the airport to our accommodation. After giving us a moment to unpack, they greeted us again, but this time bringing fresh fruit and Turkish tea, something I'll be having plenty of in the days to come. We sat on cushions that were on the floor around a sofra, a low, round table, and conversation started flowing. We were all girls, talking and laughing, as the men didn’t sit with us. Even though a secular county, Turkey is still very conservative and religious. Turkish tea is served boiling hot, something my tongue found out as soon as we got the tea, and in small glasses because of the strong taste. During the next few days we’d created a ritual of our own: after a day of walking and exploring the city we would rigorously observe Ayshe, one of our hosts, making tea in a special teapot called çaydanlik. It was our time to rest, relax and stuff ourselves with fried eggplant, something I’d never eaten before, and baklava and kadaif, sweet pastries that are part of Bosnian cuisine as well. We learned from them to think of ourselves, to take 10 minutes off from your schedule to have some tea and turn it into a half an hour of chitchat. It is the people who turn places on maps into living, breathing cities. Istanbul, crowded and busy yet beautiful and peaceful. Istanbul, modern world with the taste of the Orient, haggling on the Grand Bazaar and walking past luxury boutiques on Istiklal Street. Istanbul reminiscent of Sarajevo, or is it the other way around. We waved Istanbul goodbye as we headed for Armutlu and Fistikli, tourist destinations on the Sea of Marmara. June’s sunny weather and sandy beaches were a perfect combination for swimming and lounging. Light summer food and the inevitable Turkish tea, I realised I came to like its distinctive bitter taste. A town and a village named after food (armut – pear, fistik – pistachio), truly the places for me. I’d tried to find a town named after chocolate, a paradise I imagined, unfortunately I wasn’t that lucky. Maybe in a different part of the world, for now I'm perfectly happy eating fresh fruit I bought from a stand, sitting on a rock next to the sea and watching people pass by; breathing the same air as me, do they see what I see? https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/story/100100/Turkey/Understanding-a-Culture-through-Food-Tea-time Travel Turkey almat https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/story/100100/Turkey/Understanding-a-Culture-through-Food-Tea-time#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/story/100100/Turkey/Understanding-a-Culture-through-Food-Tea-time Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:03:57 GMT 0 Certain things you don't have to look up to know, you learn them growing up, watching TV, and flipping through the papers while in a waiting room. Things like fast food industry in United States, rice terraces in China and that sushi is a Japanese dish. With globalization a certain dish or food is no longer constrained to a place it originated from. But as I’ve never lived (or been) in either of those countries, I should stick to a culture and food I know and love: Bosnian food. Food plays an important role in our lives, whether it’s going to visit your grandmother (who refuses to believe you’re not hungry, and insists you eat just one bite more) or celebrating a holiday with your family eating sarma (minced meat rolled in cabbage), burek (a type of meat pie) and baklava (sweet, really sweet pastry with walnuts). And if it’s not a religious holiday there may be some home-made rakija (an alcoholic beverage), most common one is slivovitsa (made of plum). In cooking as well as in architecture you can see the influence of both the East and West. The common traditional dishes are different types of stew; they are not spicy and are cooked slowly on low temperatures. It fills a home with a nice aroma and helps keep the laid-back atmosphere, giving you time to enjoy a cup of Bosnian coffee. Food and drinks, especially coffee have an important part in social gatherings, and it is expected to serve coffee and cake or pie to your guests. Bosnia is a place where you show your respect to your host by removing your shoes before entering their house and by bringing a small gift as a token of gratitude for being invited. About 40% of population is Muslim and the end of Ramadan (month of fasting) is celebrated with a large family meal. Similarly, Christians celebrate Christmas surrounded with family and on Easter eat intricately decorated eggs. Looking at customs and food in Bosnia and Herzegovina you can see just how little difference there is between Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/story/85374/Worldwide/My-Scholarship-entry-Understanding-a-Culture-through-Food Travel Worldwide almat https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/story/85374/Worldwide/My-Scholarship-entry-Understanding-a-Culture-through-Food#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/almat/story/85374/Worldwide/My-Scholarship-entry-Understanding-a-Culture-through-Food Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:23:24 GMT 0