Bosnian women traditionally prepare ćetenija in cold rooms

Bosnian women traditionally prepare ćetenija, a sweet treat made of sugar and fried flour, in cold rooms during the winter months.

The preparation process requires significant physical strength and patience. Makers cook sugar with water and lemon juice until it thickens and turns golden before cooling it. They then knead the mixture until it turns white and shape it into a disc.

This disc is placed on a large board or a sofre, a traditional large wooden board, and stretched into fine threads using toasted flour. Because the process is physically demanding, the task is typically a communal effort. A recipe from the Bosanski kuhar book by Alija Lakšića describes how five to six women gather around the board to rotate and stretch the mass, switching places as they tire.

The room must remain cold so the sugar does not melt during the shaping process. Ćetenija is a relative of the Turkish pişmaniye. While the Turkish version is registered as a product with a protected origin in Izmita, the Bosnian version uses flour toasted without fat. The recipe suggests that the dessert is best served on the first day of preparation because it begins to stick together as it sits.