Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
market stall
displays the paltry essentials that Sarajevans considered themselves
lucky to find during wartime. Imagine picking over these meager offerings—rusty canned
goods, military rations, plastic bags stuffed with grains—and trying to figure out how to
use them to feed your family. Notice the Monopoly-like money that was the city's ersatz
legal tender during the siege. Sarajevans learned how to stretch a “one-day ration” for up
to two weeks. (Many nations sent old military rations—Sarajevans might find themselves
eating leftover US rations from the Vietnam War.) Lawns were converted into makeshift
produce gardens. Everyone came up with “siege recipes,” replacing unavailable ingredients
with whatever they could. For example, during a time when rice was relatively plentiful,
they'd mix it with flour to make bread, or use it as filling for
bureks
(savory pastries). In-
steadofspinachfillingfora
burek,
theymightusegreensfrombuttercupflowers.Andwhen
they had a taste for coffee, they'd burn rice, grind it, and mix it with hot water; they swear
the taste was similar...even if it was missing the caffeine kick.
Srebrenica
