Despite their clear Turkish provenance, Bosnian ćevapi are a source of great national pride and the country's favorite dish. These tiny, hand-rolled minced meat sausages are commonly made with ground beef - or a mix of beef mince with other meats such as veal or lamb - seasoned with a mix of different spices; usually garlic, salt, black pepper, and sometimes paprika or hot red pepper flakes.

After they have mellowed for a couple of hours, ćevapi are barbecued over charcoal. Traditionally, one portion of the dish consists of ten pieces of ćevapi tucked in a soft, moist, slightly grilled flatbread called lepinja or somun, and a variety of accompaniments such as kajmak, a type of clotted cream spread, roasted red pepper and eggplant relish called ajvar (especially popular in Croatia and Serbia), and raw onions.

This unique variety of ćevapi hails from the city of Sarajevo, hence the name sarajevski ćevapi. There are variable accounts regarding the usage of meat for these tasty meat rolls – purists make them exclusively with ground beef, salt, and pepper, while others use a combination of ground beef and mutton.

In recent years, sarajevski ćevapi are typically made only with ground beef and salt in order for the meat flavor to be as clear as possible. Once prepared, ćevapi should be refrigerated for 48 hours. They are then grilled, and traditionally served in a round-shaped, (sometimes) beef stock-dipped bread called somun, accompanied by raw onions on the side.