The best of the hinterland, coast and islands of Zadar County
The restaurants of Zadar County are getting more and more attention in the Gault&Millau Croatia guide: a total of 30 are included in the new edition, while Foša, Griblja, Labrax Fish&Wine Bar, Restaurant Lazaret and Villa Nai 3.3 - Restaurant Grotta, were awarded 3 toques. The guide also includes eight wine tasting venues that present their best local varieties. Zadar County covers a fifth of the Croatian coast. In this region, as on the entire Mediterranean Sea, fish, wine and olive oil make the basis of every feast. Pots and glasses hide the real richness of the diversity of natural treasures and ingredients grown on the coast, in the hinterland and on the islands.
Precious harvesting
Olive trees yield precious green gold, growing in endless rows of fertile olive groves stretching from Ravni kotari to the coast. On the Dalmatian table, olive oil is a must, just like a variety of fruits and vegetables that thrive all year round due to the mild climate.
Marasca, a native cherry variety, has been grown in this region for more than 500 years, and it is used to make the world-famous Maraschino liqueur, prepared according to the traditional recipe of a 16th-century Dominican monastery apothecary. Sweet and aromatic, it was Napoleon’s favourite and it has always been gladly received at European courts.
Grapes People have been planting vines here and making intoxicating wines for over 3,000 years. As many as 30 percent of producers from the Zadar wine region have an eco-label, which ranks this area among the world’s top winemakers. Red grape varieties are traditionally dominant here – as much as 60 percent, and white and rosé wines make up the rest, as a result of the specific microclimate of the Velebit Mountain area, bringing cold air currents to the vineyards, due to which the wines retain a note of freshness.
Treasures from the sea
Fishing boats in the bays of Zadar County are part of a centuries-old tradition, and more than three-quarters of Croatian fish production takes place in that area. The high-quality tuna grown here has also conquered the demanding Japanese market. The beauty of the simplicity of preparing fresh white fish – sea bass, John Dory, gilthead bream, sea bream – can best be tasted by briefly boiling the fish in salted water and olive oil. But all white fish, just like oily fish – sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and tuna - are equally delicious when grilled. Fried small oily fish and Adriatic squid will delight fans of fried food, and black cuttlefish risotto, mussels, and langoustine buzara (cooked with olive oil, wine, garlic, breadcrumbs and fresh herbs) are superb gastronomic experiences. We also love brudet (i.e. brodetto, fish stew), the most famous of which is the one from the town of Kali on the island of Ugljan, cooked exclusively with conger eel and potatoes on an open fire. Traditional open-air fish festivals, feasts in taverns or in top restaurants - they are all linked by fishing and life by the sea.
Pag lamb and cheese
Lamb is one of the most famous Croatian delicacies, and Pag lamb has also received the EU protected designation of origin. It has a specific flavour because the sheep live and feed on the karst, a rocky area where medicinal herbs and grass grow, sprinkled with salt carried by winter winds. Lamb can be prepared in many ways, but the most popular ones are grilled, skewered, “lešo” – boiled with vegetables, or under a peka - a dome made of terracotta or steel sheet that you heat with coals .
Cheese Top-quality cheeses from the island of Pag keep winning prestigious awards around the world, and the famous Pag cheese has received the EU protected designation of origin. In guided tours of Pag’s cheese dairies, you can learn how cheese is made, why sheep cheese is so special, and find out how the wind and sage and thyme bushes covered in sea salt give it a special aroma. You can taste it in local restaurants, and take it with you as a souvenir.
Salty and sweet
Salt, that fantastic gift of nature, is harvested by hand every year, and the area around Zadar is rich in pure sea salt. Since Roman times, the Nin saltworks have produced this simple spice, which was as valuable as gold at that time. The saltworks extend over 55 hectares of preserved natural environment. Today, the Pag salt has the EU protected designation of origin, and in guided tours of the Museum of Salt in Nin you can find out everything about the salt pools and the salt collection process as well as discover the healing properties of the flower of salt and what makes it a unique delicacy.
Fig is one of the symbols of Dalmatia and the Mediterranean, and in the Zadar region it is a delicacy that can be enjoyed all year round in many different ways. In season, freshly picked from the tree, in cakes, jams and marmalades or as a dried delicacy - the fig is the queen of fruit.
