The Taste of Your Trip : Turkish influence in Europe

No matter where we go, we always find a little diner with a soul and tradition. That time it was a small bistro called Zara is Duvara. The discovery of that place was in the middle of Sarajevo, just a few corners away from the main attraction – Bascarsia. The cold wind was strong that day and the minute we stepped into the diner we knew where we were going to sit. Right next to the woodstove! There was a free table and I was eager to have my back heated so I could defrost before the first dish came. We were both tempted to put our icy feet closer to the stove that was loaded by an older lady. What a cozy feeling, even though we entered a few minutes ago. In such a lovely granny chick-style equipped diner we expected local, clean, and delightful flavors. To some limit I found pleasure in rather scattered service, and frisky neighbors playing on the floor while they waited for their order to be delivered. Their recipes originate from their great-grandparents, so they must be verified for good. I totally agree with this one. Why change something good?

Sarajevo can be a gray town, but there is something very colorful in it.

The perfect dish for a start was some soup which came with their own bread that was baked in a woodstove oven. My choice was some barley and vegetable soup, while Ian went for a real Bosnian soup with young veal. Both soups were surprisingly flavorful and not at all fatty, served in traditional terracotta pots. Ian was very pleased with his selection and said that if only his soup had had a hint of acidity added it would have been even better. However, that is just his custom when it comes to meaty soups.

Zara iz Duvara is a cozy bistro

barley and vegetable soup

I chose their seasonal vegetables stuffed with ground beef and rice combined with cooked potato and gravy for the main dish. The plate was assembled with miniature rolls of stuffed ground beef in tomato sauce. We had filled sour cabbage – sarma, small onions, and the smallest and tastiest stuffed paprika I had ever eaten. The sauce was surprisingly tasty and the seasoning of dried peppers didn’t prevail, as it is usual for such sauces. Everything was well seasoned and the flavors matched perfectly. I smeared that little sauce that lasted until the end with the bread to the last drop. That dish made an impression on me due to the taste and in a miniature manner. Not only the small sarma and little, stuffed pepper looked appealing, they tasted completely different. The whole stuffing got the freshness of the vegetable around it and it really was different in comparison to larger crops of the same plant. Bigger is not always better and I must say that we were both full until the evening, even though we walked all day long.

Ian’s main dish was beef stew with rice. The stew was without a flaw. The only downside was the side dish. Even though we both love rice very much, we will eat it in Asia. Rice is better integrated into the dishes there. Here, we expected some potatoes. As a matter of fact, the puree would be perfect with that stew.

After such a scrumptious meal we were looking forward to the desserts but were honestly disappointed. That day the only dessert was pancakes. However, we were looking for something more local. But hey at the end the Turkish coffee was just fine

Here is a link to the location in a case you will be in Sarajevo https://goo.gl/maps/z6972eEiDDWApT6GA