Page 236 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

234  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

The Flavours of Croatia

Croatia can be broadly divided into four main culinary regions: Istrian cuisine
is proud of its Italian heritage and features elegant pasta, gnocchi and truffle
dishes; Dalmatian cuisine is seafood-based and has Venetian echoes;
the fertile farmlands of Slavonia have a more Hungarian influence of
peppers and spice; while central Croatia retains Austrian predilections
– schnitzel, desserts and cakes. However, there are some consistent
characteristics – bread is key and is always freshly made either at
home or in the local bakery (pekara); fish is important all over the
country given the length of the coastline and the many lakes
and rivers; and grilling is the preferred cooking method. Wild aparagus
Dalmatia
and shellfish). Many restaurant
kitchens roast food in a peka – The Adriatic supplies Croatia
a lidded pot buried in hot with much of its fish. Gilthead
ashes – to retain all the flavour bream, red mullet, sole and
and juices. Look out for srnetina, John Dory are common, as
venison stew with gnocchi, or are clams, mussels, oysters,
roasted, meadow-fed lamb. octopus, squid, prawns and
Other delights are the soft even crab and lobster. The
Istrian smoked ham (pršut) channels created by hundreds
and don’t miss the best oysters of islands are perfect for
and mussels in Croatia, farmed cultivating excellent quality
in the clean waters of the shellfish. Produce is prepared
Sardines and other seafood on sale at Limski Channel. with olive oil, garlic and herbs,
Split’s busy fish market
Istria
With a noticeably Italianate
cuisine, food is taken more
seriously in Istria than
anywhere else outside of
Zagreb. Here the truffle, tartufi,
is venerated. Although freshest
in autumn, truffles are used
dried all-year-round in risottos
and pasta dishes such as
mare monti (a “surf and turf”
combination of mushrooms A selection of tasty dishes at a restaurant in Istria

Croatian Dishes and Specialities
Many of Croatia’s religious and folk
holiday festivals are traditionally
associated with a particular dish.
Bakalar (salt cod), for example,
is eaten on Christmas Eve and
Good Friday, kulen (spiced
salami) is a Harvest Thanksgiving
Pršut – smoked ham
dish and guska (goose) served with
chestnuts is a St Martin’s Day treat.The Turkish occupation, over
200 years ago, has left behind a legacy of grilled meats and
kebabs, sarma (cabbage leaf stuffed with rice and mince), burek
(filo pastry tube filled with meat or curd cheese), and baklava
(pastries filled with nuts and drenched in sweet syrup). Coastal Maneštra A filling soup made
specialities include brudet (fish stew with polenta), crni rižot of smoked meat, beans, pasta
(cuttlefish ink risotto) and lignje (squid), served lightly fried in and vegetables – an Istrian
breadcrumbs or na žaru (grilled whole). version of minestrone.

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