Balkan cuisine

Balkan cuisine encompasses a collection of national cuisines that combine characteristics of European cuisine with some of those from West Asia. It is found in the Balkans, a region without clear boundaries but which in its broadest sense includes the European countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The native cuisines of the region, with the exception of Slovenian cuisine, have a notable Turkish influence, as a result of Ottoman occupation. With the exception of Hungarian, Moldovan, and Romanian cuisine, Balkan cuisines have considerable Mediterranean influence, mostly present in Greek and Albanian cuisine. A restaurant selling Romani cuisine opened in Slovenia in 2014. Romani cuisine, the traditional food of the Romani people, includes dishes from traditional Balkan cuisine.

Balkan cuisine can be found in Vienna, Austria as a result of post-WWII migration to that city. Germany has restaurants serving Balkan cuisine, which were often called Yugoslavian restaurants until the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars. There were Balkan Grills in West Germany from the 1960s, leading to the popularisation of ćevapčići in the country, but these establishments have become rarer since the late 1980s and those that survive are often now called "Croatian" instead.