Ćevapčići at BK Sava
Posted on May 25, 2006
I am told that the best ćevapčići in all of Zagreb are served at a place called BK Sava next to a soccer field, only about a hundred meters from the banks of the Sava River. I went to Sava to see if it was true.
I was fond of ćevapčići long before I came to Croatia and, indeed, the little beef and veal sausages at Sava were excellent. With as hungry as I was, I ordered a veliki ćevapčići (large plate). They were served next to a basket of various breads with a semi-dry, crumbly kajmak that resembled soft, mild feta cheese (more on kajmak and its regional variations later), plus onion and tomato. We also had a large plate of pomfrit brought. They were perhaps the greasiest, most luscious fries I’ve ever tasted in my life. They had SOUL dripping from every forkful. Heavenly.
On the streets, you’ll find ćevapčići in little stands and kiosks served on pita bread with all of the aforementioned ingredients as sandwiches. A piquant puree of red pepper and other vegetables known as ajvar is also commonly plopped atop the little meat nuggets.
Even in spring, the tomatoes here have more flavor than the best homegrown tomatoes the Midwestern US has to offer in late summer. Incredible. I’ve been told to wait, that the Balkan tomatoes available now are nothing compared to those available later in the year, and that the fields in which they are grown are almost unbearably fragrant.
Ćevapčići are, strictly speaking, Turkish in origin. Like burek and baklava, they were introduced in Croatia by eastern Balkan peoples, whose culture is influenced heavily by Turkish culture (Bosnia fell with a whisper to Turkish Muslims centuries ago). The word ćevapčići basically means “little kebab“, and perhaps you can see the relationship between the words ćevap and kebab. The wee sausages can be made variously of beef, veal, lamb, or from a blend of any of these. Since they come from a Muslim culture, you will seldom find pork in ćevapčići, but the ones they sell pre-rolled at Konzum (a Croatian supermarket chain) do contain a bit of pork.
After a simple, delicious meal of ćevapčići, I was treated to the Bosnian version of baklava, which - unlike it’s lighter, crisper, layered Greek cousin - is a dense roll of dough filled with ground walnuts and (I think) fried. It is then soaked in a simple syrup with a light orange aroma. Bosnian baklava is quite good.
I’ve cooked ćevapčići a few times since I’ve been in Croatia. My most recent attempt came out like this:
A blurry forkful of delicious meaty business… EAT IT!
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If you are ever in NYC, you have to go to Sarajevo for cevape… The best outside HR. I’ll be in HR in July / Aug… Let me know if you’ll be in Zadar & Pula.