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“Gastro-nomade’s” love for a lifetime
If the old saying: "love goes through the stomach" is true, once you’re introduced to Croatian gastronomy, you’re in for love that lasts a lifetime.
Traveling through Croatia, country at the crossroads of great historical turmoils and different cultural influences and enjoying local food is also a journey through its history. Most restaurants of course, offer standard European cuisine, but it is well worth trying some of the popular local specialties, which of course depend on your current whereabouts and the time of the year.
Most of the festivities and traditions are inseparable from the food that is served in special occasions. From cod stew on Christmas Eve, turkey with mlinci (flat homemade pasta sheets made of flour, water and salt) for Christmas, Easter ham, Labour Day beans and sausages, kroštuli (sweet pastry knots) or carnival donuts - the choice of dishes already indicates the occasion and celebration. The essential starter of any major gathering, especially along the coast, is prosciutto (there are discussions over personal preferences - Dalmatian or Istrian, the one from Drniš or Sinj, more or less smoked…). Cheese is usually served with prosciutto and when you finally decide whether you want goat/ sheep/ cow/ fresh or ripe cheese, there are even more options when it comes to added spices and flavours - Mediterranean herbs, pepper, salt… Among over hundred types, we have to mention the award winning cheese from island Pag and škripavac cheese made in Lika (soft, full fat rubbery cheese that squeaks (“škripi”) when eaten) which are often sold along local roads. Eastern and northern counties are known for their love for strong and hot spices. Slavonia is famous for its “kulen” production, one of the, if not - the most expensive sausage in Croatia. It’s made from the best parts of pork mixed with ground paprika, garlic and salt.
The natural and cultural diversity of Croatia is visible in the main dishes that differ from region to region. Residents of coastal regions mostly enjoy fish and seafood dishes. Guided by the principle "less is more", these dishes are usually prepared very simply "na gradele” (on the grill) with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Black cuttlefish risotto is one of the favorite first courses in Dalmatian weddings. Expensive white and black truffles are the absolute stars of Istrian cuisine and are most often served with handmade pasta “fuži” or “pljukanci”. This rare and prized species of fungus can only be found with the help of trained dogs (or pigs) as they grow under the ground in symbiosis with trees.
Favorite meat dishes throughout Croatia are spit-roast lamb or delicious “peka”. The preparation of peka (“the bell”) sometimes takes several hours, but the meat and vegetables that are prepared together on an open fire covered with a clay or wrought-iron baking lid are definitely worth the wait. The range of Croatian dishes goes from peasant dishes (“soparik” - savoury pie with Swiss chard, Komiža “pogača”/ bread pie), those prepared on the open fire (“čobanac” / sheperd’s stew) to dishes prepared with pricey ingredients (oysters from Mali Ston, Adriatic shrimps). Croats enjoy food preparation as much as eating it, if both are accompanied with good friends and a few drops of Croatian wine.