If you’ve ever heard of Croatian cuisine it was probably this quote…
"I didn't have any idea what Croatian cuisine was. Zero.
I had no picture in my mind. (...)
This was world class food, this is world class wine, this is world class cheese."
The famous late American chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain was full of praise about Croatia’s
gastronomy and yet he only got to see small parts of the country!
Today we would like to show you that there’s so much more to our nation’s food.
Hi, I’m Josipa – and I’m Andrea, we are both born in Croatia and we are destination
experts for JayWay Travel.
In this video about the Foods of Croatia, we’ll briefly guide you through the wide
and varied cuisine of our country.
This beautiful country has two opposing poles - the green interior of Continental Croatia,
and the majestic blue regions of Coastal Croatia.
The tales of this land date back for hundreds of years.
Our cuisine is shaped by the ingredients that grow here as much as the civilisations that
have come and gone..
Coastal Croatia, for many reasons, is usually the first pick for most visitors.
This is a land of fish and seafood, of course, but also a land with plentiful meat delicacies.
The gastronomic alphabet of Coastal Croatia starts in the family konoba.
This is something like a cellar.
Every winter amazingly tasty prosciuttos, pancetta, and all sorts of gourmet sausages
are cured and smoked in family konobas.
These are usually served with a variety of fresh goat and cow’s milk cheeses.
“When I think of homemade prosciutto I think of my childhood days.
My sweetest memories are those with my grandfather and our excitement when we would take the
smoked prosciutto from the attic of our konoba.
He would carefully pick the prosciutto, remove the mold and ash, and then he would cut the
first slice that we would share and proudly enjoy.
After we ate as much as we could we would take the prosciutto to our home and share
it with the rest of the family.
As the eldest child I always had the privilege to get the very first slices of prosciutto.
Meat and cheese appetizers compete for space on the table with the most delicious seafood
you can think of.
Octopus salad, marinated and salted anchovies, fish pate, tuna tartar, fish carpaccio, and
marinated shrimps all create beautiful harmony served alongside veggie delicacies.
Marinated aubergines, fried zucchini flowers, pickled onions, famous fritaja with wild asparagus
are popular in the Istrian peninsula.
Green and black olives, together with different sorts of seasonal salads are regularly served
as appetizers in all parts of Coastal Croatia.
And of course they all must be “blessed” with extra virgin olive oil, which is imperative
in this part of the country.
Main dishes come next and the most preferred way of cooking in Coastal Croatia is Leso
style.
Chicken, beef, or lamb with root vegetables cooked Leso style is served on a weekly basis
in each traditional home.
Lunch on Sundays in our home means we are eating leso soup.
Even today my mother wakes up early in the morning when she starts cooking Leso soup
while enjoying her coffee ritual at the same time.
The soup must be ready before the Sunday mass which we all attend.
After Mass, the whole family is gathered at the table.
Leso beef soup must be heated and served hot, usually causing the pleasant slurps of my
father.
Unlike Leso which is present in all seasons, probably the most famous dish on the winter
Croatian menu is Sarma.
Minced meat cooked in sour cabbage leaves finds its roots in Ottoman heritage.
In summer, sour cabbage is replaced with seasonal bell peppers.
For me, Sarma is related to cozy winters in my family home.
This is actually one of the rare traditional foods that I liked even from a young age.
The best thing about Sarma is not only the rich taste but also the fact that Sarma is
usually cooked for several days.
There is a belief, the more time it spends in the fridge the better is the taste each
time after heating Sarma.
And of course, during the meal we always debate whether the Sarma is good enough, is the cabbage
sour enough, and so on and so forth...
The list of meaty mains continues with a variety of meat stews.
In particular, highly valued are those cooked with venison.
And now on to Pasticada - the queen of all meat dishes.
This delicate and yet rustic meal requires long hours of slow cooking and a lot of devotion.
That’s why Pasticada is usually only served during family gatherings and celebrations.
You’ve probably heard of the popular “under the bell” cooking technique we call peka.
This is another gastronomic gem of coastal Croatia.
Veal and lamb are more common but octopus under the bell is a melt-in-the-mouth surprise.
As is fitting, we’ve saved the best of Coastal Croatia until now.
The Adriatic is one of the cleanest small seas in the world and it has been extremely
generous to its people.
A rich year-round supply of fish is the main reason why fish stew can be found along the
length of the Croatian coast.
Popara, Gregada, and Brodet are just different names for a slightly different stew rich in
varieties of fish.
For me talking about brodet is talking about the beautiful aroma from my mother's kitchen.
A red spicy stew cooked with fresh eels and frogs is the most authentic meal in the Neretva
area where I come from.
This is definitely the most unusual version of Croatia’s fish stew and it may not sound
that appealing, but trust me this is the first class stew that we traditionally eat with
polenta.
And when we eat frogs and eels we just use our hands, no cutlery.
Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to lick our fingers.
Grilled fish, or as we say “riba na gradele”, is the second favorite method of cooking.
Although we have the luxurious sea bass, Adriatic tuna, grouper, dentex, and sea bream, somehow
the small, simple Adriatic sardine wins out as our everyday fish of choice.
This foster mother of the Adriatic people nurtured generations and generations, especially
during years of scarcity.
In this region, we prefer to serve grilled fish with steamed or al dente seasonal vegetables,
drizzled with olive oil and seasonings.
This is one reason why the Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets
in the world, not just one of the tastiest!
As well as fish, seafood is equally well represented in our cuisine, and this is most commonly
served cooked with risotto or homemade pasta.
Shrimp from the Kvarner bay, Adriatic mussels, and Ston oysters all have very high nutritional
value and some are known as a powerful aphrodisiac.
Traditional desserts in Coastal Croatia are plentiful.
Most common nowadays are Dubrovacka Rozata, Paradizot, Fritule and Krostule, Istrian pandispanj
as well as a number of cakes named for the towns they are customarily made in, such as
Splitska, Stonska, Makarska, and Rapska cakes.
With such a colorful gastronomic heritage no wonder Coastal Croatia has been a constant
inspiration not only for the local people but also for many visitors who’ve fallen
in love with the specialties they’ve tried here and return often to enjoy them again.
Moving inland, we come to Continental Croatia.
The greenest part of Croatia also has rich gastronomy, with an emphasis on meat.
This is the home of Cvarak, Kulen, and Kulenova Seka as well as spicy Cobanac and its fish
version, Fish Paprikash.
The area of Slavonija and Baranja is very popular for dishes prepared with venison.
Slow-cooked venison stews, typically served with homemade polenta or gnocchi are common.
A Continental Croatian table is unimaginable without soups, sauces, ragus, and stews made
with all kinds of meat.
The rivers are rich in fish here and the most popular fish dishes are those made with catfish
and carp.
A few years ago I had a chance to visit eastern Croatia with my husband and we wanted to try
Cobanac.
It was reeeeally spicy and we had a lot of wine, but I must admit the texture of the
stew and softness of the meat was just perfect.
We also enjoyed venison in combination with forest fruits which I liked even better.
The gastronomy of Continental Croatia is different compared to what we are used to on the coast
but I would love to repeat our experience sometime again.
Moving on to Central Croatia, we find poultry and vegetable consumption more dominant.
The cuisine of Central Croatia is largely inspired by local dairy products like fresh
cow’s cheese, sour milk, homemade butter, and fresh sour creams.
Turkey with homemade "Mlinci" together with Strukli dough filled with salty or sweet fresh
cheese are the symbols of the whole region.
Compared to Slavonia and Baranja, the tradition of making soups and stews in Central Croatia
is lightened by adding lots of root vegetables and all kinds of other seasonal veg.
Soup with poultry giblets, rich stews made with beans, potatoes, or cabbage as the main
ingredients are often enriched with fresh sour cream.
Pickled vegetables are popular and the most represented are sour cabbage, pickled peppers,
beets and cucumbers.
Desserts in Central and Continental Croatia are alike.
The most popular sweets are Makovnjaca and Orahnjaca, but also Prekomurska and Medimurska
Gibanica as well as Kremsnita.
Orahnjaca is one of the most famous specialties of my home, as my mom is a real expert when
it comes to this traditional dessert.
It is usually prepared in winter so even mentioning orahnjaca instantly reminds me of Christmas
time and cozy home atmosphere.
The thing is that every person prepares Orahnjaca in their own way with their own little secrets
and my mom just recently shared her recipe with me so I can say with confidence that
my orahnjaca is the best in the world :) The somewhat remote area of Lika and Gorski
Kotar is rich in woods and green pastures.
Clean mountain air and authentic flora distinguish this area as the first eco region of Croatia.
Fresh cow and sheep cheese is the main base for traditional cheese called Skripavac.
It is a soft full-fat cheese that you can hear under your teeth while eating.
It’s name translates to squeaky.
Open fire cooking is one of the most popular cooking methods here and there is no better
‘lamb on a spit’ and ‘lamb under the bell’ than those from Lika.
Lamb is also popular as a stew.
“Licki lonac” is something you simply must try out when visiting the Plitvice area.
In terms of fish, the grilled trout is most common, but it’s equally good when baked
in the oven and stuffed with herbs.
The Licki potato already has a cult status here and is best prepared when it is cut in
half and baked with its skin.
The ingredients might seem simple, but the flavors are incredibly rich and whatever you
try in Lika and Gorski Kotar you won’t be disappointed.
As you’ve seen, Croatia’s various regions, and climates, mean our cuisine is wonderfully
diverse.
Even if you’ve visited Croatia before if you explore a new region you’ll discover
delicious new tastes.
For us Croatians, food gives us a connection to the land and the sea.
Our traditions around food make us who we are, and keeping them alive is a big part
of our identity.
We look forward to welcoming you to Croatia and introducing you to the amazing tastes
of our country!
Goodbye!