Traditional Croatian foods part one: from Istria to Dalmatia
We have listed some of the traditional dishes that can be tasted in restaurants on the Adriatic coast from Istria to Dalmatia.
Gregada, photo credit: Taste the Mediterranean
Brodet, photo credit: chef Pero Savanović, Mediteran
This is only a small part of the rich Croatian gastronomic offer. It's hard to tell the origin of some of the dishes because, due to their popularity, they are prepared all along the coast and every region has its own version of the recipe.
Boškarin – the indigenous Istrian ox. Dishes made from its meat are a real delicacy.
Brudet – a traditional seaside dish of fish boiled with spices; fisherman's casserole
Buzara - a seafood dish prepared mainly with shrimps or clams simmered in olive oil and tomatoes, seasoned with garlic, parsley and white wine
Crni rižot (Black risotto) - cuttlefish risotto "coloured" with cuttlefish ink
Fritaja – traditional Istrian dish, scrambled eggs with asparagus, onions, truffles, olive oil...
Fritule (frite) - Dalmatian dessert, dumplings made of sweet dough with raisins, fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar
Fuži - a type of handmade pastry in Istria, formed in a shape of little tubes with pointed ends
Gregada - traditional Dalmatian fish stew, prepared with fish, potatoes and vegetables, cooked in large pots
Kroštule - crispy strips made from thin dough fried in hot oil and sprinkled with powdered sugar
Maneštra - traditional Istrian dish, thick soup of various vegetables, beans and dried meat
Mandulat - Dalmatian dessert made of almonds, egg whites, honey, sugar and wafers
Pašticada - traditional Dalmatian dish, slow-cooked beef, served with different kinds of homemade pasta depending on the region: gnocchi, fuži, šurlice, makaruni...
Peka - refers to the way of baking under the lid covered with live coal and to the lid itself; meat, fish, octopus, bread...almost anything can be baked under it
Pljukanci – a type of handmade pasta in Istria, rolled out in a shape of small cigars
Rožata - Dalmatian dessert of texture similar to pudding covered with caramel sauce
Soparnik - Dalmatian speciality, made of thin, smooth dough stuffed with chard, onions and olive oil
Šalša - tomato sauce; tomatoes have to simmer for as long as possible with herbs and olive oil
Šurlice - a type of handmade pasta in Kvarner, rolled out in a shape of little tubes
Viška i komiška pogača (Bread from the island of Vis, bread from Komiža) - bread stuffed with onions, salted sardines and anchovies in Vis, with an addition of tomatoes in Komiža
