Croatia : Food & Drink

Croatia - dishes, drinks, wine. Croatian cuisine and specialities

What does Croatian cuisine offer to its guests? What will we have for dinner in Croatia, what are the famous snacks and sweets made of, and what are Croatian wines famous for ?

Croatian cuisine - dishes and drinks you must try

Croatia is a country ideal for holidays - everyone will find there what they like the most. For the same reason, it is also an excellent destination for all gourmets. Drawing on different cuisines, he takes the best from them and spices them up his own way. This is how delicious, healthy and diverse Croatian cuisine is created, where meat, fish and seafood lead the way.

What is especially worth trying?

Croatian cuisine from the kitchen - characteristic features depending on the region

Croatia is a diverse country and each of its regions can boast of its own characteristic dishes. On the Dalmatian coast and islands reigns healthy and tasty, light Mediterranean cuisine, based on fish and seafood, olive oil and aromatic herbs. Similar to Dalmatian, but unique is the Istrian cuisine, where cold appetizers are particularly popular, such as cheese and cold cuts, famous olive oil and truffles. In the vicinity of Zagreb are definitely clearer influences from Central European countries, and the cuisine is heavier, based on meat, potatoes and cabbage. Slavonia is a place where pork and peppers reign, as well as white bread, potatoes, hot stews and various sausages.

Croatia - what to eat for dinner?

One of the important elements of Croatian cuisine are soups. However, they are so thick that they are often referred to as stews. Croats especially liked bean stews (reminiscent of our beans in Breton). Among typical soups, the most famous is the maneštára - under this motto we most frequently meet a classic, filling, long-boiled vegetable soup. It includes potatoes, beans, corn, bacon, tomatoes and cabbage. It is often prepared with the use of barley groats (originally cooked on barley). The second classic is a bearded (or dirtet) - fish soup from Dalmatia and Istria, and its basic ingredients, in addition to fish (preferably of different species), include tomatoes and onions. In Croatia, fish soup is a very popular dish, and in each region it can be prepared in a slightly different way.

It is impossible to go to Croatia and not to try the seafood for which this country is famous. A typical dish is crni rižot, or black risotto - black, because this is the color of the inkaust squid, which is one of the basic ingredients. In the village of Ston necessarily should order the local famous oysters (Stonske kamenice). In fact, however, when visiting the coast, we are sure that the ordered mussels, octopuses, shrimps and lobsters will be fresh and delicious. A classic dinner here is also a grilled fish, such as mackerel, dora.

The best Croatian specialties

What about meat main courses? You won't be disappointed here either. Croats are famous for their meat, especially for their excellent lamb and veal. Probably the most popular dish is pašticada, also from Dalmatia. Traditional recipes dictate that this day should be prepared even for a few days. It is beef or veal, marinated, fried and stewed for a long time in a special sauce. They are usually served with njoki noodles (similar to our potato dumplings or Italian gnocchi). Another typical dish is Gregada - fish stew on white wine with parsley, onion and garlic. In Slavonia it is worth to order cobanac, means spicy, long-boiled stew from mixed meats. And what is this dish with the name "pod pekom" in its name? It's not a dish that peeks, but a way of preparing it that is characteristic of Croatian cuisine. It is a huge lid in the shape of a bell, which covers the dish and then covers it with glowing ashes, so that the ingredients inside are both baked and baked with soul.

Croatian liquor is also a strong argument

Walks through the Croatian vineyards are a popular tourist attraction both on the coast and in the interior, giving wine lovers the opportunity to taste it on the spot. Croatian vineyards are also worth seeing for their breathtaking views.

Wines with an excellent reputation are a great pride of Croatia. Wine is drunk in Croatia without a special occasion - usually for dinner (usually diluted with water).

Croatia is a very diverse country, also in terms of climate. Hence, the vineyards located in different parts of the country are specialised in the production of quite different, but always delicious wines. No wonder - the tradition of growing grapes has been going on in this country for thousands of years. In Dalmatia you can visit the vineyards on the Pelješac peninsula, situated on the turquoise sea, and in the vicinity of Zagreb you can visit the vineyards, which cultivate varieties adapted to the colder climate. 

Snacks and desserts - what does Croatian cuisine offer?

What's worth a snack when you get hungry while exploring the corners of Croatia? When it comes to lighter specialties, a classic dish is soprano - a spicy cake filled with beetroot, which is a Croatian intangible cultural heritage, which has even been dedicated to a festival. Cheese (the most popular is made on the island of Pag from sheep's milk, paški sir) and cold cuts such as Slavonic kulen (traditional Slavonic sausage) or pršut (special, dried ham from Dalmatia) are also popular as snacks. Sophisticated and untypical appetizers, which are worth trying, are e.g. wild asparagus, chestnuts, or frogs.

Sweet lovers will not leave Croatia disappointed. Among the local specialties we can find such delicacies as štruli, or boiled or baked cake wrapped with cottage cheese. Classical baking is also the Istrian kroztul, a kind of well-known favourites, and fritules, means tiny, light doughnuts. Apart from cakes and baked goods, Croatians are also famous for their love of sweet, delicate pancakes, which in Croatian are called palaces.

Among the other delicacies worth tasting is the rožata. This is a Dalmatian dessert made from eggs, sugar, milk and liqueur. It is a bit like our cogel-mogel, but its taste is more complex. And what is worth bringing from Croatia as a sweet gift for family and friends? Interesting are paprenjaci, or traditional cookies with pepper, nuts and honey. Thanks to the combination of different flavors they create a sophisticated, original whole. A very popular sweet snack, which is worth sharing with friends as part of their memories of stay in Croatia are arancini, or candied orange peel.