Flavors of Croatia

The cuisine

Traditional food of Croatia

Croatia does not have a single national dish. The country’s cuisine formed region by region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Danube plain, and each area preserves recipes tied to a town, an island or a county.

On the coast, from Istria down to southern Dalmatia, the table follows the Mediterranean: fish, olive oil, wine, herbs and pastas, with traces of the long Venetian presence. That is where pašticada from Split, gregada from Hvar, šporki makaruli and Dubrovnik’s rozata, Ston’s pasta pie, Krk’s šurlice and istarska supa appear, and the mulled wine served in the bukaleta. Zadar gives its name to a marasca cherry liqueur known worldwide, maraschino.

In the northern interior, the influence comes from Central Europe. Zagorje, in the hills north of Zagreb, is the home of štrukli, thin dough filled with fresh cheese. In Međimurje, at the far north, gibanica layers poppy seed, cheese, walnuts and apple. Near Zagreb, Samobor is the town of kremšnita.

In the east, in Slavonia and Baranja, paprika and the fish of the Drava and Danube rivers mark the cuisine: fiš paprikaš, cooked in a cauldron over the fire, is Osijek’s dish.

Many of these recipes have official protection, such as European Union geographical indications or intangible cultural heritage registration by Croatia. Each specialty here is linked to the place that represents it, which does not mean it is eaten only there.