Incredible gastronomic experiences in Croatia

1. Dubrovnik

Cosmopolitan Dubrovnik has become a metropolis of gastronomy, with Michelin star restaurants happily rubbing shoulders against traditional Croat eateries. Interestingly, the city’s best kept gastro secret is actually a 30 minute drive away. Ston has been called a seafood Mecca, and is famed for its fish butter herb soup as well as clams, mussels, oysters and squid, all of which will be pulled out of the water the same day as the meal. Croatian wine is on the rise, having scooped a record number of awards in recent years but Pošip, a famed white wine from nearby Korčula, is the perfect pair for seafood. For artisanal red wines, the nearby Pelješac peninsula produces some of the country’s best from the indigenous Mali Plavac grape. Of course, one can’t leave Dubrovnik without trying its famous desert, Rožata, a kind of rustic creme brûlée but with rose liquor, and an ever intriguing secret ingredient.

2. Split

Like its name suggests, Split is the ideal place to explore both sides of foodie heaven: rustic street food and gourmet precision. Most of the local eateries in the city will offer their version of pašticada, beef filled with bacon and marinated in vinegar, wine, water, and onion. A trademark Split dish, this ancient Dalmatian recipe is also included in the list of Croatian Gastronomic Heritage, so getting a taste of it is as close to tasting the past as possible. Each May brings about Split's annual Gourmet Street Food Festival, one of the biggest and best food festivals in Croatia, where traditional and experimental cuisine spill out into the warm streets.

3. Šibenik

Šibenik cuisine is built upon the idea of simplicity which is why this city is haven for lovers of gourmet. Typically Dalmatian, olive oil is an integral part of any dish and several spots around the city offer their own take on the classics. Both Michelin-starred restaurants and rustic local eateries can be found in Šibenik and both are worthy of attention. Be sure to order the risotto while in town and don't miss skradin cake. Traditionally prepared by Skradin’s maidens to, ahem, ease their beloved into the wedding night, rumour has it that only a handful of the town’s housewives know the original recipe.

4. Zadar

Once called ‘white gold’ salt is a big deal in the Zadar area, specifically in the nearby town of Nin. Painstakingly hand harvested, Nin salt is considered among the best in the world, and a reminder that a good meal should be hard won. Similarly, nearby Pag island is heralded for its world-class cheese, best accompanied by local prosciutto, also painstakingly prepared by being dried in the ‘Streams of Bura’, the strong, local wind that blows off the mountain ridges. Seafood fans can’t miss out on crni rižo, a black risotto made with the fresh black ink of squid or cuttlefish, often including other fresh shellfish such a clams or mussles. The people of Zadar believe in ‘work hard, play hard’ and a round of the city’s prized sweet liquor Maraschino – made from the indigenous variety of cherry – is a great way to wind down. 

5. Zagreb

The capital has become a multicultural hub for foodies with contemporary cuisines melting in against the ancient influences of the Ottomans, Hungarians, and Romans. Italian food is a huge influence on Croatian cuisine, Zagreb itself having more Italian restaurants than any other in the country. Notably heartier, and more continental, Zagreb grub doesn’t pull any punches. A good example is Zagrebački odrezak, or ’Zagreb Steak’. Similar to Condon bleu, it is typically a veal steak pounded thin and stuffed with cheese and ham before being breaded and fried. But it is Zagreb’s moniker as The City Of A Million Hearts, that offers a deeper insight into Croatia’s connection to its cuisine. The hearts referred to are Iicitars, heart shaped gingerbread that are an integral part of Croatian culture and a symbol of Zagreb. Gifted during times of celebration, they symbolise the warmth and community spirit of the Croatian people.

6. Istria

Istria’s contribution to Croatian cuisine can be summed up in three easy words: olives, grapes, and truffles. The region’s extraordinary geographic position and its moderate climate, have created the ideal conditions to create exceptional ingredients such as its best known white wine, Malvazija. Fittingly, Istria is known as the Tuscany of Croatia and is a region shared with both Slovenia and Italy. This influence can be felt in its food. Istria’s olive oil, for example, is of such quality that it was already famous in Roman times along with its Teran red wines. Truffles are also big business in the region. Istria’s rare, white truffle is such a sought after delicacy, that truffle ‘hunts’ take place for only two months of the year. A single kilo of Istrian white truffle can sell for over 1400 Euro Istria’s cheaper, black truffles are also available all year round. 

7. Kvarner

As the region that connects the Mediterranean to the continent, Kvarner offers a complex blend of influence, flavours and aroma. Seafood is the order of the day along the dense run off Kvarner islands Krk, Rab, Cres and Lošinj, with Kvarner scampi the most coveted dish in the region. Pale red in colour and with a thin shell, its uniqueness is that it thrives only in the shallow Kvarner waters with its many freshwater sources, leaving the scampi soft and sweet. The island of Cres is famed for its self-seasoning roast Lamb. The animal grazes on grass which often contains some of the 300 species of wild growing aromatic plants, which are themselves seasoned by the salt of the coastal winds. Cooked to perfection, it’s an experience not to be missed and can be enjoyed during the Days of Cres Lamb and Olive Oil, an annual gastronomic event organised on the island of Cres, usually between April 26th and May 1st.

8. Central Croatia

The topography of central Croatia is key to its cuisine with many ingredients such as herbs, mushrooms, berries and wild fruit sourced from its extensive mountain ranges. Dishes here are often simple, hearty, meat heavy and cooked over open flames such as the classic roasted turkey served with mlici; the thin dried flatbreads poured into boiled salt water and then doused in the turkey juices. Potato dishes are popular in central Croatian meals due to the lika potato which thrives in the region’s untreated soils. A trip to this region will no doubt mean that, at some point you’ll be introduced to Bermet. One for the adventurous tastebuds, Bermet is a bitter-sweet herbal liqueur made from dried carob, dried figs, wormwood, sage, orange zest, mustard seeds and secret ingredients macerated in red wine, and produced only in and around the town of Samobor.

9. Slavonia

Though much less visited that the other regions, Slavonia, they say, is the breadbasket of Croatia. Simple, easily prepared dishes rule the roost here such as the punchy čobanac stew, which is made up of three or more meats, usually wild game, pork, or beef, and painstakingly stewed with paprika in a cauldron over a campfire. Kulen is such a valued meat product in Slavonia, if not Croatia, that it has its own grand-masters who expertly prepare the paprika flavoured pork sausage. Slavonian flavours are big and bold, as is the case with its famous plum brandy, šljivovica. Not so much a drink as a deep rooted cultural artefact, Slavonian šljivovica carries a protected geographic indication due to its centuries’ old tradition. 

Feeling inspired? 

For more information and inspiration about this incredible country, head over to the official Croatia website. 

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