Traditional Croatian foods part two: Slavonia

^{Photo credit: Maja Danica Pečanić for Croatian National Tourist Board}

Slavonian cuisine is characterized by a variety of influences, mostly from Hungary and Turkey. It is known for meat and freshwater fish dishes, cured dried meat products, primarily kulen, slanina (bacon), čvarci (pork cracklings), pickled vegetables and various types of stews of meat or fish (the best known are the čobanac stew with meat and fish-paprikash). Paprika (pepper) dominates among the vegetables: fresh, roasted, stewed, dried, ground... Desserts are made of various types of dough, jams, walnuts, poppyseeds... One thing is for sure, Slavonian cuisine is not dietary, meat lovers will especially like it. We have listed some of the dishes and basic foods that can be found in restaurants across Slavonia:

Black Slavonian pig - autochthonous Croatian breed, whose meat is used for preparation of numerous delicacies

Čobanac (meat stew) - spicy Slavonian shepherd's stew made from several types of meat cooked in a cauldron on an open fire

Čvarci (Pork cracklings) - pressed pieces of pork fat, which are obtained by melting of the bacon with skin

Čvarkuša (Crackling scone) - scones are prepared by mixing ground cracklings in the dough

Goulash stew - stew made of meat, usually pork or beef; meat is slowly stewed with onion, and potatoes or dumplings are often added in it

Hladetina - jellied pork made from cooked meat, feet, tail, tongue...

Kulen - paprika flavoured dried meat product, pork intestine stuffed with a mixture of pork meat, ground paprika, spices; it is dried with smoke

Kulenova seka - dried meat product, similar to kulen, the difference is in the thickness of the pork intestine; kulenova seka is much thinner than kulen

Paprikaš - thick stew with the addition of ground sweet and spicy paprika, it can be prepared with meat or fish

Perkelt - a dish similar to goulash but thicker, it is prepared with different kinds of meat, mostly veal and beef, or fish in some versions

Fish paprikash - a thick soup of freshwater fish, usually carp or a mixture of different types, seasoned with ground red paprika

Sataraš – stewed vegetables (onions, peppers and tomatoes); can be eaten as a side dish or as a main course

Salenjaci - traditional Slavonian sweets, crispy pastry filled with jam, prepared from the dough made of flour and pork fat

Slanina (Bacon) - dried meat product, a piece of greasy  pork meat, salted and dried on smoke and air

Slavonian podolian – autochthonous Croatian breed of cattle, whose meat is used for preparation of numerous delicacies

Carp on a forked branch - a way of roasting carp over an open fire on vertically placed branches, the branches are placed around the grill in a form of a circle

Trganci - a type of homemade pasta in Slavonia

Vanjkuši - small pillows made of dough stuffed with cheese or jam