Croatian cuisine is heterogeneous and is known as the cuisine of regions, since every region has its own distinct culinary traditions. Its modern roots date back to ancient periods and the differences in the selection of foodstuffs and forms of cooking are most notable between those on the mainland and those in coastal regions. Mainland cuisine is more characterized by the earlier Slavic and the more recent contacts with the more famous gastronomic orders of today - Hungarian, Viennese and in some part of land Turkish - while the coastal region bears the influences of the Greek, Roman and Illyrian, as well as of the later Mediterranean cuisine - Italian and French.
[edit] Cuisine of the regions
Croatian cuisine can, roughly summarized, be divided into a few regions which all have their specific cooking traditions, characteristic for the area and not necessarily well-known in other parts of Croatia. Most dishes, however, can be found all across the country. This is also why the varied cuisine of Croatia is called "cuisine of the regions".
[edit] Typical food delicacies
[edit] Meat and game
Some foods from typical Croatian menus:
- Specialities from the grill are called s roštilja or s ražnja
- pečeno means roasted
- prženo means fried
- pod pekom means that the dish has been put into a stone oven under a metal cover. The cook puts hot coals on the cover so that the meal is cooked slowly.
Croatian meals include:
[edit] Seafood
Croatian seafood dishes include:
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- Clams
- Sea spider salad
- Breaded catfish or carp
- Grilled sardines
- Buzara or Buzzara (shellfish sautéed in garlic, olive oil, parsley & white wine)
- Date shells or prstaci are part of the traditional cuisine, but in the 20th century their extraction was banned as a measure of ecological protection
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Goulash is very popular in most parts of Croatia
[edit] Side dishes
- Sataraš (minced and roasted vegetables)
- Mlinci (typical Croatian, roasted flatbread, similar to Caucasian flatbreads)
- Đuveč (cooked vegetables, similar to Ratatouille)
Croatian style Punjena Paprika/stuffed peppers
[edit] Sausages and ham
[edit] Cheese (sir)
[edit] Salty pies
- viška pogača (foccacia from island Vis)
- soparnik (Dalmatian vegetable pie)
[edit] Pastry
Crêpes, in Croatia also known as Palačinke
- Bučnica (courgette cake, mostly made of older courgettes, when they grow seeds)
[edit] Sweets and desserts
[edit] Cakes (kolači)
[edit] Drinks
Main article:
Croatian wineCroatia has two main wine regions: Continental (Kontinetalna) and Coastal (Primorska), which includes the islands. Each of the main regions is divided into sub-regions which are divided yet further into smaller vinogorje, (literally wine hills) and districts. Altogether, there are more than 300 geographically-defined wine-producing areas in Croatia. In parts of Croatia, wine, either red or white, is sometimes consumed mixed in approximately equal proportions with water.[citation needed]
[edit] Dessert wines
[edit] Beers (pivo)
Apart from the great abundance of imported international beers (Heineken, Tuborg, Gösser, Stella Artois, etc.), you will find some tasty home-brewn beers in Croatia. (Real fans need to know that the brewery in Split produces Bavarian Kaltenberg beer by licence of the original brewery in Germany.)
[edit] Liqueurs and spirits
A bottle of Maraschino liqueur.
[edit] Coffee
Croatia is a country of coffee drinkers (on average 5kg per person annually), not only because it was formerly part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, but also because it bordered the former Ottoman Empire. Traditional coffee houses similar to those in Vienna are located throughout Croatia.
[edit] Mineral water
Regarding its water resources, Croatia has a leading position in Europe. Concerning water quality, Croatian water is greatly appreciated all over the world. Due to a lack of established industries there have also been no major incidents of water pollution.
[edit] Juices and syrups
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- "Hrvatska za stolom - mirisi i okusi Hrvatske", Ivanka Biluš et al., Zagreb:Alfa, Koprivnica: Podravka, 1996, 192 p., illustrated in color, (Biblioteka Anima Croatarum, 2) ISBN 953-168-104-X
- "Hrvatska vina" (Croatian wines), Fazinić Nevenko, Milat Vinko, illustrated, 159 p., 1994, ISBN 953-173-061-X
- "Nova hrvatska kuhinja" (New Croatian cuisine), Davor Butković, Ana Ugarković, Profil international, Zagreb, 2005, 272 p., ISBN 953-12-0164-1
- Callec, Christian (2003), written at The Netherlands, Wine: A Comprehensive Look at the World's Best Wine, New York: Random House (published 2002), ISBN 0-517-22165-9 .
[edit] External links
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| Northern Africa |
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| Southern Europe |
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| European regions |
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| Western Asia |
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