Anyone who has visited Sarajevo during Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims, will surely say that it is a special experience with a unique atmosphere.
There are many specific traditions associated with Ramadan in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), but one of the most significant symbols connecting Ramadan and Sarajevo is undoubtedly the traditional Sarajevo Ramadan somun – delicious bread that has been an essential part of iftar tables for centuries.
According to tradition, the somun was first made by Gazi Husrev-bey’s quartermaster, the chief person responsible for supplying the army.
He was given an order to create a type of bread that would be tasty, simple to make, and quick to cool. That is how the somun was invented, and the quartermaster who created it had the surname Somun, so the popular Sarajevo bread was named after him.
During Ramadan, Sarajevo bakeries are filled with people waiting to take home freshly baked, fragrant somuns. Somun is a type of bread made from flour and sprinkled with nigella seeds.
