Croatian cuisine

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Croatian cuisine is heterogeneous and is therefore 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 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.

Contents

Croatian cuisine can, roughly summarized, be divided into some few regions which all have their specific cooking traditions, characteristic for the area and not necessarily well-known in other parts of Croatia. Meanwhile, however, most dishes can be found all across the country. This is also why the varied cuisine of Croatia is called "cuisine of the regions".

Image:Spicy red pepper.jpg
Spicy red pepper

Some expressions 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 being cooked slowly.

The meals are:

For Christmas, Croats traditionally eat bakalar (cod)
For Christmas, Croats traditionally eat bakalar (cod)

(also see: sea food)

viška pogača (foccacia from island Vis)

soparnik (Dalmatian vegetable pie)

Croatian wine, like most European wine, has a history dating back before the rise of the Roman Empire. Once famous for their rich, fruity white wines, many of the vineyards and wineries along the Adriatic coast in the former Yugoslavia were destroyed during the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s. However, Croatian wine has recently started to re-emerge in the world market as local and foreign investors attempt to restore the local wine industry.


Like the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, viticulture in the present-day Croatia existed hundreds of years before the rise of the Roman Empire. Under control of the Roman Empire, East European wine manufacturing became more modernized and extensive. [1] Even after the fall of Rome, the wine industry continued to flourish until the end of the 15th century with the arrival of the Ottoman Turks. Due to strict anti-alcohol laws, viticulture in Eastern Europe was almost entirely erased under Islamic law.

Fortunately, since the Ottoman Empire was tolerant of Christianity, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, a Catholic tradition involving wine, is what is thought to have “saved” European wine production from complete extinction; Priests and Monks were permitted to continue producing wine in order to provide for Church services. In the 1700s, much of present-day Croatia came under control of the Habsburg Empire, where wine production flourished through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Since Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the Croatian economy has struggled to recover from the war. Even though many of the vineyards and wineries were destroyed during these wars, Croatian wine has started to re-emerge in the world wine market. After the removal of Communism from Eastern Europe, local wine makers and foreign investors have taken advantage of the region’s attractive climate and grape variety to restore the Croatian wine industry to its previous success.


Dalmatia, highlighted, on a map of Croatia.
Dalmatia, highlighted, on a map of Croatia.

Croatia is divided into two large wine areas: the interior and the coastal area (which includes islands). Since much of the interior region was destroyed during the war, the coastal area remains the most prosperous region for grape cultivation. [2]


Croatia, which is situated along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea, is ideal for grape cultivation with its hot, humid summers and mild winters. Located along hillsides and slopes, wine regions along the coast receive many hours of sunlight, which is also ideal for grape production. The coastal region includes four primary wine producing areas including: Istria, Northern Dalmatia, the interior of Dalmatia, and Central/Southern Dalmatia. These regions are famous for producing fruity, dry white whines from a wide range of grape varieties, most famously the Malvazija and Graševina grapes. Along with these native grapes, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay are also grown in the coastal regions of Croatia.



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.)

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.

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.


  • "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.


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This article is part of the Cuisine series
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See also Kitchens · Meals · Wikibooks: Cookbook
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