Being a European citizen has always had, and will have its advantages. However, I think that the biggest one remains the food. The old continent has always been a special place. With its centuries-long history has always been a place where many different cultures have met and exchanged habits and traditions. And insanely delicious dishes! It is not surprising that European cuisine has established itself as a world-famous and loved. 

Main article photo: Ana Pal

Everyone have heard of Italian pizza and pasta, Greek salad, musaka, German sausages, Viennese strudel, French desserts. I will stop naming in order not to miss any extremely tasty dish. But in this article we will pay attention on the Croatian cuisine - not that famous, but still extremely tasty. Croatian cuisine is an interesting mix, influenced by the Slavic, Turkish, Greek, Hungarian and Mediterranean cuisine. Perhaps that is why it is so tasty and varied. There could be discovered a range diversity of dishes for every taste. Thus, check out these five dishes. I do believe if you taste it, they would become your favorite one. So, prepare to take some notes. 

Zagrebački odrezak - Zagreb Steak 

As a lover of meat, I would start with this one. Imagine a tiny slices of veal steaks, stuffed with ham and cheese and grilled with breadcrumbs. The meat is beaten into thin sheets, the meat pieces are floured and then deep fried. Then it is rolled with cheese and ham, and aside the breadcrumbs. Not bad? You can see it made with lamb or chicken. It does not matter... Simply because it is always delicious. Croats love to cook it during the cold winter days and on special occasions. 

Zagreb Steak

Photo by: Pansion As

Bakalar na bijelo - Cod Fish in White

Now, let’s jump into deep sea waters and checkout the seafood - bakalar na bijelo. Literally translated it means cod fish in white. Basically the dried codfish has been mixed with other ingredients. Apart the fish, the basic recipe includes potatoes, garlic and olive oil, and depending on the style you prefer, this dish can be thick and smooth like a pate, or with larger chunks of fish in a soup, like a stew. This dish is especially loved for Christmas in the region of Dubrovnik, Istria and Dalmatia.

Cod Fish in White 

Photo by: Borjana Kačkalj

Jota - Istrian Stew 

This delicious stew contains beans, sauerkraut or sour turnip, potatoes, bacon, spare ribs. A wonderful meal influenced by both Central European and Mediterranean cuisine. Popular in Slovenia and Italy, as well. The beans should be soaked in water for 24 hours. Then is prepared the pest from chopped bacon, garlic, and parsley, and a bit later add the potatoes. The ribs and the sauerkraut are boiled together, and the beans separately. When everything is almost ready, these three components are mixed together. Finally, the bay leaves are added, pepper corns and pest. The result – amazing aromatic stew. 

Istrian Stew

Photo by: Dario Prodan

Tjestenina s istarskim bijelim tartufima - Pasta with White Truffles from Istria

We should not miss this meal because of the special ingredient – the white truffles. They are very famous among the gourmet cuisine today. Moreover, the famous fine white truffle called Tuber Magnatum Pico is among the most expensive one known nowadays. It grows from September till January in the lands of Istria. It is eaten fresh usually shaved over hot steaming pasta, meat or fish. So, if you are keen into the gourmet cousine, do not miss to try pasta with these white truffles.   

Pasta with White Truffles

Photo by: Restaurant Antonijo

Međimurska gibanica - Medjimurian Layer Cake

Finally, it’s time for dessert. Let me introduce you - Medjimurian layer cake. This dessert is made of puff pastry and four layers of different filings - nuts, fresh cheese, poppy seeds and apples. The Croats like to use their imagination and put many additional ingredients. This caloric bomb is particularly popular in the northern part of Croatia.  

Medjimurian Layer Cake

Photo by: glasistre.hr

If these five delicious and tempting reasons are not enough to make you book your next vacation in Croatia, then I will tell you - this is not all folks! Croatian cuisine is a treasure trove of flavours - meat, vegetables, olive oil, cheese, baked goods, vine, seafood... All that richly flavoured with heavenly blue waters of the Mediterranean sea.

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