Frozen Chevapi

Ćevapi/Ћевапи (Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [tɕɛˈvaːpi]) or Ćevapčići/Ћевапчићи  is a Balkan dish of grilled minced meat, a legacy of the Ottoman Empire found in the countries of southeastern Europe. They are considered a national dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Serbia , Croatia and Montenegro, and are also common in Bulgaria, Slovenia, Macedonia and Romania, though under different names. They may be served on a plate or in a flatbread (lepinja or somun), often with chopped onions, sour cream, kajmak, ajvar, cottage cheese, and so on.

Bosnian ćevapi are made from two types of minced beef meat, hand mixed and formed with a funnel, while formed ćevapi are grilled.

Macedonian kjebapi (ќебапи), Serbian and Croatian ćevapi/ćevapčići, Bulgarian kebabcheta (кебабчета) and Romanian mici/mititei are often made of both pork and beef. A serving usually consists of 5-10 pieces, served with white bread, minced red pepper, salt and onions.

Etymology

The word comes from the Arabic kebab, sometimes with the South Slavic diminutive ending -čići (Croatian, Bosnian: ćevapčići/ćevapi; Serbian: Ћевапчићи/Ћевапи, ćevapčići/ćevapi; Macedonian: Ќебапи, ćebapi; Bulgarian: Кебабчета, kebabcheta Slovene: čevapčiči).

In other parts of the world, such as Australia, they are known by their traditional name as well as the Anglicised and marketing friendly term “skinless sausages.”

History

Ćevapčići arrived to the Balkans during the Ottoman Turks expansion into southeastern Europe and developed into a regional specialty.

In Belgrade, ćevapčići first came from Leskovac in 1860s, in kafana “Rajić” at the Great Marketplace (today Studentski Trg), from where they have quickly spread across the city.