Bosnian Coffee

Coffee is a national drink of Bosnians and Herzegovinians. The drink was introduced to Bosnia with the arrival of Ottomans. Traditional Bosnian coffee (kahva, kafa or kava), to the world outside of Bosnia also known as Turkish coffee, is made by boiling finely ground coffee beans with water. It is traditionally prepared in copper, coffee pots – džezva – or in other small cooking pots and served special minature coffee cups or fildžan.

The fact that Bosnians have a name for each coffee depending on the time of the day it is served, attests to the importance of this drink in Bosninan culture.

Some types of coffees served during the day are:

The first morning coffee is called razgalica. It is traditionally strong and thick and it intends to wake people up and cheer them up for the new day.

Razgovoruša (razgovarati – to talk) is the coffee that Bosnians drink later in the morning and usually with friends and work colleagues.

The afternoon coffee, called šutkuša (šutiti – to keep quite), is taken after lunch between 5 and 7 pm and it is supposed to be relaxing and calming.

Sikteruša (sikter – go away) coffee is served after a party or a gathering and it is a polite way of telling the guests that it is time to leave.