Today I discovered that cevapcici actually comes from kebab. The similar name and recipe kind of hinted at it, but I only connected the dots now.

The Turks brought the dish to the Balkans along with Ottoman rule. Over time, it adapted to the local language and cuisine and became cevapcici. Plus a smaller version emerged — cevapcici (in Russian, we'd call them kebabchiki).

Almost every major city has its own recipe. The most popular is the Sarajevo version. And the most unusual one is from Banja Luka: cevapcici linked together. I really need to make it there someday to check it out.

PS. A few more Turkish loanwords: the white stuff on the plate is kajmak — and in Serbian it's kajmak 🙃