It is time for a long overdue post about Bosnian coffee ("Bosanska Kafa"). I will preface this post by saying that I always hated coffee. I couldn’t tolerate the bitterness. I love some bitter foods, like cranberries and horseradish, but for some reason I never liked coffee.
“Living in Bosnia and not drinking coffee would be like going to a bar and not drinking alcohol.” (My roommate, Sara, helped me come up with this.) Some people might not drink it, and it might be healthier to forgo it, but it’s pretty weird to refuse coffee here. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve met anyone in Bosnia who doesn’t drink coffee. In orchestra, we take a coffee break every hour!
I laughed when I read the last two sentences of the Wikipedia article about Bosnia. “Coffee drinking is a favorite Bosnian pastime and part of the culture. Bosnians are believed to be the heaviest coffee drinkers in the world.”
Coffee in Bosnia is linked to socializing. When you want to meet with someone to talk, the polite and friendly thing to do is to sit down for a cup of coffee. Everyone takes plenty of time drinking his/her coffee. And by “plenty of time”, I mean that it can take hours to “go out for coffee”.
Lucky for me, the coffee in Bosnia is completely different than the stuff we drink in America. In my opinion, it’s much, much better. Rather than putting the grounds into a filter, and brewing drip coffee, Bosnians grind their coffee much finer and put it directly into the brewing vessel, know as dzezva. It is a lot like Turkish coffee, but not exactly the same. The coffee is thick, rich, and chocolatey, and not at all bitter. A sugar cube can either be added to the pot, or used to strain the coffee into your mouth. (There are grounds in the bottoms of the coffee cups, which I’ve been advised to avoid. “It will give you heart attack.”)
Perhaps my favorite thing about Bosnian coffee is that it is very small, but drank quite slowly. I’m a nibbler, so it suits me well.
The method is serving traditional Bosnian coffee is quite elaborate. There is a long tradition of metalworking here, which yields beautiful handmade silver and copper coffee services. A large tray is brought out, with a small dzezva for each individual, along with a teacup, a sugar cube or two in a small bowl, and a tiny spoon. Sometimes each individual is brought his or her own small tray as well.
Bosnian coffee is traditionally accompanied by a small sweet (lokum) dipped in powdered sugar. They kind of remind of the Asian candies that I’ve tried: chewy, but soft, and very sweet. The sweets are made with various flavorings, including rosewater, mint, and hazelnut. I really like them, but they are small, so I nibble very slowly and try to savor them.
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| Bosnian Coffee with a bonus: fresh squeezed blueberry juice! |
I haven’t learned how to make Bosnian coffee myself yet, but I hope to do so before I leave. I’ve seen people make it, but didn’t really pay attention. Next time, I will. J I think the trick is to set aside some of the water when adding the grinds, and then pour it back in afterwards.
I should also mention that although the traditional Bosnian coffee is ubiquitous, Italian drinks, like espresso and cappuccino are also pretty popular, especially at more casual establishments and among the younger generations. Also, a lot of my friends drink Nescafe, particularly at home. It is so easy to prepare, and I actually like it if it is made with milk and plenty of sugar, rather than with water. Nescafe definitely markets itself to teenagers and young adults here. I see so many ads for Nescafe with people dancing and partying…they remind me of beer commercials!
So…please, don’t forget to stop and smell the coffee. J
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