Most people know little about the diet and cultures of small European countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. This country in southeastern Europe has only existed under its current name since 1991 (Columbia). Its culture contains aspects of many different countries’ cultural traditions because of its shifting borders throughout the past century. People often forget about this nation when defining the Mediterranean region and the Mediterranean diet. When Ancel Keys “discovered” the Mediterranean Diet in 1959, he focused on Italy and Spain, not Yugoslavia, where Bosnia and Herzegovina were previously located. He would later remedy this situation, focusing on the Dalmatian coast of that country and finding that its residents ate a healthy Mediterreanean diet. The culture and social practices of Bosnia and Herzegovina are conducive to the Mediterranean Diet as defined by Ancel Keys, but today the food choices of the population have moved away from Keys’ requirements to reflect the increase in processed food and meat worldwide.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a culture that is highly focused on social interactions and family emphasized through food, meal times, and after dinner conversations. Coffee is a staple of Bosniak culture and can be served up to three times when guests visits for dinner (Evason). After meals, drinking “traditional Bosnian coffee” is a ritual that “can take up to 3 hours” while the participants in the meal converse (Aida). There is a slower pace to life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where people take time to talk to each other and forge strong connections to their family and friends. This lifestyle is exemplified by their coffee culture. While the conversations at the dinner table are important, so is the food put on the table. People in Bosnia and Herzegovina spend time cooking and preparing food. They buy fresh meats and produce at local markets to create meals each day. Food preparation is especially important around holidays and festivals when cooking can be the primary focus an entire week (Šertović). The kitchen is not only a workshop, but also a social space where traditions are passed down through generations, primarily by women. The importance of food and social sphere it creates support the traditional lifestyle of the Mediterranean Diet as defined by Keys, but the other characteristics have started to shift away from what is considered authentic.

While Bosnian and Herzegovinian culture reflects the social aspects of the Mediterranean Diet, Bosniaks have increased their meat consumption which jeopardizes the traditional diet of the country. In the past, the population would “very rarely … consume meat, which was just a sign of life circumstances” (Šertović). But as the country has become more economically prosperous, people have added more meat to their diets. Behind bread, meat has become one of the most “high priority” foods in the Bosniak diet (Jonsson). While festival food used to be the only dishes that were guaranteed to contain meat, now, almost every meal has meat. Furthermore, the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is actually encouraging high meat consumption in their new initiative to improve health. In their dietary guides released in 2004, they placed meat second from the bottom on their food pyramid without specifying the difference between red meat, poultry, and fish consumption (FAO). They suggest that meat should be the second most consumed item. This increasing desire for meat endangers the plant-based identity of the Mediterranean Diet. The gold standard for healthy living is becoming harder to find in the countries it was originally based on.

McDonald’s in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alongside meat, there has been an increase in fast and processed food in Bosnia and Herzegovina which has led to increased obesity rates. While the nation has remained mostly unaffected by Western commercialization, it has not done so by choice. In 2011, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saravejo, welcomed its first McDonald’s with a long line and empty stomachs (Goldwert). The population saw it not as a danger to their culture but as an inclusion into Western Europe from whom they have historically been excluded (Goldwert). By embracing this aspect of Western culture, however, they have seen an increase in obesity rates. In a 2007 study conducted by the World Health Organization, it estimated that around 50 percent of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina was either overweight or obese with the number rising to 63 percent in 2014 (WHO). This obesity epidemic highly contradicts this country that represents one of the world’s healthiest diets. Recognizing this problem, the government has issued education on proper dieting, but has yet to correct the problem (FAO). Bosnia and Herzegovina’s move away from the Mediterranean Diet has come with increased development but has worsened the health of its citizens.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has managed to maintain a strong cultural connection while much of the world has entirely commercialized and moved towards efficiency over connection. Family and friends are still of great importance in society and the culture surrounding food continues to emphasize these social connections. While the lifestyle of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian diet has maintained its integrity, the food has suffered, causing it to be one of the most obese countries in Europe. Modernization comes with many advantages, but also negative consequences. While smaller countries may not seem to be as affected by the commercialization of Europe and the world, they suffer the negative side-effects of worsening health. Even the countries that are supposedly the models for health have deviated to a more processed food culture. How about you? When you have more available cash in your budget, do you eat more or fewer processe foods?