Travelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a vegetarian

When thinking of Bosnian cuisine, many people immediately picture meat. While it’s true many meaty dishes feature on menus in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), it’s definitely possible to travel as a vegetarian and still experience the delicious food of this country! 

For full disclosure, neither of us are vegetarians, but we did spend time travelling with vegetarians in BiH.

What sort of food can vegetarians expect?

We noticed Bosnian cuisine generally featured delicious, fresh food, and vegetarian options were no exception. Common options include cheeses, breads, soups and vegetables, either roasted or served fresh as part of a salad. A ubiquitous option is burek, which was commonly available with spinach, cheese or potato fillings. Many restaurants will also serve a variety of options – pizzas and pastas (including vegetarian options) were common. For dessert, baklava is always a good option!

I think it would be more difficult travelling as a vegan, as many meals which don’t feature meat include cheese.

How accessible is vegetarian food?

Every place we ate in BiH had at least some vegetarian options available. Restaurants and cafes had multiple options available as part of their regular menus. Hotels which provided breakfast were happy to accommodate vegetarians with advance notice. Tours we took also always provided vegetarian options as long as they were told in advance.

In conclusion, vegetarians should have no issues travelling in BiH, and will still get to enjoy the delicious food the country has to offer.