Ćevapi are also common in Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia,[3] Croatia,[4][5][6] Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Western Romania.

They are usually served in groups of five to ten pieces on a plate or in a flatbread (lepinja or somun), often with chopped onions, kajmak, ajvar (optional), and salt.

Today, this dish is popular in many areas, such as those from Travnik, Banja Luka, Leskovac, etc., but Sarajevo's ćevapi stands out, which occupies a cult place in the culture and tourism of the inhabitants of the Bosnia and Herzegovina capital [7] At the beginning of the 20th century, the pace of life became faster, which contributed to the popularization of grilled food.

It was located in a vaqf store, to the left of the entrance to today's restaurant "Aeroplan" on the bazaar, near the sweet corner.

It had a concept similar to today's fast food stores; there were no seats, but kebabs were sold from the counter, by the piece.

[11] In Belgrade, ćevapčići first came from Leskovac in the 1860s, into the kafana "Rajić" at the Great Marketplace (today Studentski Trg), from where they quickly spread across the city, and subsequently, country.

[15] In 1933, the first street food vendor appeared in Maribor, Slovenia, who came from Leskovac, and served grilled meat, including ćevapčići.

The dish is kept simple, and traditionally served with a type of flatbread similar to Turkish Bazlama, called Somun (in Sarajevo) or a more "bready" variant Lepinja (elsewhere), with chopped onions and/or kajmak and yogurt as appetizer.

[20] In 2024, production of Sarajevo-style ćevap was standardised and it received Protected designation of geographical origin by Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[22] In 2024, Association for the Preservation of the Guaranteed Tradition of the "Banjalučki ćevap" specialty, applied for protected designation of geographical origin.

The ćevapi are made with a combination of beef, veal, mutton, and lamb, with the addition of salt, pepper, and a bit of baking soda.