OMG! Bosnian Food!

Balkan food is FREAKING AMAZING! Ćevapi and lepinja and kajmak are so delicious. Now, I know I've written about it before since I had the best ćevapi in Serbia but I'm super stoked on the unbelievably great restaurant that is literally next to our apartment called Sofra. As you may know (or see below in the picture), we live next to the only Mosque in Zagreb hence our great luck of having the original Bosnian restaurant Sofra in our little neighborhood . Oh, you Yugoslavs you, making your amazing, addictive, comforting foods!

The mosque is behind me and directly to my right is Sofra.

 
In case you don't know, ćevapi is grilled minced meat, made usually of beef (several types of beef and/or lamb and pork, depending on which region you are in). 10 piece of ćevapi are served with lepinja (also known as somun) which is this fabulous grilled bread that soaks up the flavor of the meat so well. And of course, you can't forget the chopped onions and kajmak (a creamy dairy product similar to clotted cheese. Fun fact:  It is made from the milk of water buffalos in the East or of cows in the West) on the side of your plate. Some people eat their ćevapi with sour cream or ajvar (roasted red pepper spread - my Mom got the recipe from T-Slav's mom and has absolutely perfected the art of making ajvar. Hers is amazing!) Maybe if she still has a jar left over from her last batch she can bring it to Croatia to share with T's Mom. That would be so nice.  

Oh my gosh it is so good!

Mmm how can you not love a place that treats guests to free honey liquor after their meal?!

I can't wait to show our family and friends who are coming for our wedding all of the best things about Croatian culture. Our wedding weekend is basically gonna be a combination of touring the Balkan traditions throughout the years with a mix of Polish customs and American touches along the way. We've decided our "Welcome to Croatia" dinner the night before our wedding will be held here - yay! I can't wait for everyone to try this outstanding food, so leave your gluten allergies at home people -

It doesn't get any better than this!

Нови Сад, Novi Sad

Last summer marked my first ever trip to Serbia. Tomislav and I were about to embark on our 2 week Eastern European Road Trip which began in Zagreb and the goal was to get to Albania. We ended up visiting Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, then went back through Croatia (with a bit of Bosnia along the way!) It was an amazing trip! My first stop ever in Serbia was the second largest city, called Novi Sad.

 My first Serbian experience was at Tomislav's Aunt's house where she fed us so many delicious things!

 Behind us you can see the Petrovaradin Fortress overlooking the Danube River. Up there is where the world famous Exit Festival is held every summer!

Up at the Fortress with Tomislav's Aunt - Can you see what's wrong with that clock?



Loved seeing this reminder of the Jugo or "Yugo" car which EVERYONE used to drive back in the day ;)

 We went for a hike through the National Park Fruska Gora (which was beautiful!) but I had to take a picture of this smart summer refrigeration system the Serbs came up with for their picnic!

  The party scene in Novi Sad is FANTASTIC. Not only is it affordable to go out in Novi Sad, the people really know how to party! It's a great city to bar hop in because there are an incredible amount of cafes, bars, and clubs all within walking distance of one another. Even the most diverse group of friends will be able to find a place they like in Novi Sad!

  Tomislav's cousins Tea, David, me, and Tomislav at a British themed pub!

 Tomislav and I got really good at Cyrillic on this trip. In Serbia they write in both Cyrillic and Latin letters on their road signs so we thought we had really gotten a handle of it. Once we crossed the border into Macedonia and the Latin letters disappeared, we knew we were in for it!

 Close to the Serbian/Macedonian border - Tomislav's cousin told us about this unbelievable cevapi place. Here I am enjoying a "Niks" beer (ok, ok, it's actually Nikšićko)

It is literally the best Ćevapi (spicy, grilled minced meat sausages) with Kajmak (delicious creamy, cheesy dairy spread) I have ever had. The bread (lepinje) is so incredible, it really makes cevapi even better! I would LOVE to visit this unassuming roadside spot again. Oh yeah, and you HAVE TO eat onions with ćevapčići, it's practically a law.