A Weekend in Pepelari: Apple Pekmez, Hiking and Rural Bosnia

A weekend in the mountains above Zenica introduced me to traditional apple pekmez making, beautiful autumn landscapes and some unexpected discoveries about Bosnia's rural heritage.

Sometimes, the best experiences in Bosnia and Herzegovina happen when you head somewhere you've never been before, with good friends and no particular expectations.

That's exactly what happened when Tamara and I travelled to Pepelari, in the mountains near Zenica, for a traditional gathering called a Pekmezijada.

We were joining friends from our hiking club for a weekend hosted by PD Mladost Zenica, and it turned out to be about much more than making apple pekmez.

Keeping an Old Bosnian Tradition Alive

Pekmez is a thick fruit preserve, traditionally made by slowly cooking fruit juice until it reduces into a rich, concentrated syrup.

At Pepelari, enormous quantities of apple juice were bubbling away in a large pot over a wood fire.

The man tending it immediately caught my attention.

With his long hair tied back and a cigarette in hand, he looked like an ageing rock musician from the 1970s.

He quietly stirred the mixture, tended the fire and seemed completely at home with what he was doing.

There was something rather wonderful about watching a traditional skill being practised without any fuss.

No rushing. Just patience and experience.

Mountain Hospitality and Yugoslav Music

That evening, around twenty of us gathered for food, drinks and conversation.

There was plenty of grilled meat, including ćevapi, and before long people were singing along to old Yugoslav pop songs and more recent Bosnian favourites.

It's something I've come to appreciate enormously about these gatherings.

Despite being British, living near Banja Luka and still having fairly basic Bosnian language skills, I'm simply accepted as part of the group.

Nobody makes a fuss.

We eat, laugh, talk and enjoy being together.

Autumn Hiking Around Pepelari

The following morning, our friend Idris led us on a six-and-a-half-kilometre walk through forests, open fields and small mountain villages.

I'd deliberately packed a lighter rucksack and, rather surprisingly, didn't need my trekking poles.

The pace was comfortable, the company excellent and the scenery breathtaking.

Autumn was arriving in the Bosnian mountains.

Ferns were turning gold and red, while wooded hillsides were beginning to change colour.

At one point, we stopped overlooking a beautiful valley.

I could happily have stayed there for hours.

Discovering Bosnia's Forgotten Rural Houses

Walking through one village, I noticed an old house with much of its exterior plaster missing.

Underneath were rough wooden branches and timber embedded in the walls.

Curious, I photographed the structure and later researched traditional rural building methods.

It appeared to be an example of older construction techniques using locally available wood and earth-based materials.

The building might have been more than a century old, although establishing its actual age would require further research.

What struck me was how easily these ordinary pieces of history can disappear.

Bosnia has heritage protection arrangements, but I wonder how much support reaches traditional village homes like this.

In Britain, historic buildings can receive listed status, protecting their architectural character.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see more of Bosnia's old rural houses restored using traditional materials and craftsmanship?

They're not grand monuments.

They're reminders of how ordinary people once lived.

Protecting the Countryside We Come to Enjoy

Another discovery was less encouraging.

Leaving one village, we passed a large banner warning that quad bikes were prohibited on private property.

I've seen beautiful Bosnian countryside damaged by off-road vehicles, with deep tracks cutting through fields and grassland.

I'm not against adventure tourism. It can provide valuable income for rural communities.

But surely it needs managing responsibly.

The countryside is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's greatest assets. We should be protecting it, not gradually destroying it.

More Than Just a Weekend Away

Before leaving, Tamara and I were unexpectedly presented with certificates from the Pekmezijada.

It was a lovely gesture from our hosts.

We returned home with photographs, memories, new discoveries and another reminder of why I enjoy exploring Bosnia so much.

After more than twenty-five years living here, I'm still learning.

And perhaps that's the greatest pleasure of all.

There's always another story waiting around the next bend in the mountain track.

Thank you, as always, for reading, commenting and reacting to these little dispatches from our corner of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It means a great deal to me.

And to Tamara too.

Until next Sunday.

Vidimo se.