Croatian food is the term used for the collection of dishes and drinks from Croatia. It is strikingly varied across Croatia, in terms of ingredients used and method of cooking, and the cuisine has a lot of difference between mainland and coastal regions. Mainland Croatian food has influences of cuisines from Hungary and Vienna, while coastal food is influenced by Roman and Greek cuisines. Croatian food also varies as per region specific food traditions. Hence Croatian cuisine is also called ‘cuisine of the regions.’
Ingredients used in Croatian Cuisine
Croatian cuisine finds use of a wide variety of meats, seafood, vegetables and spices. Here are some of the commonly used ingredients in Croatian food-
Meats: Beef, pork, lamb, bacon, duct, pheasant and turkey are popular forms of meat used in Croatian cuisine.
Seafood: Croatian food, especially on the coastal regions, is rich in seafood like squids, cuttlefish, tuna, shrimp, mussels, catfish, sardines, sea spider, clams, etc.
Vegetables and spices: Turnips, beans, cabbages, red potatoes, peas, asparagus, etc. are used as ingredients in a range of main course dishes as well as soups and stews, and spices like garlic, parsley, peppers and paprika are often used for flavouring.
Popular Croatian Recipes
Here are a few examples of the many varied recipes popular across Croatia-
Meat Dishes
Veal Steaks are grilled steaks of veal, which contain filling of ham and cheese
Krvavice are sausages made of blood of kasa.
Cevapi is grilled meat pieces served with iota bread and onions
Seafood
Buzara is a dish made of shellfish with has been cooked in olive oil along with parsley, garlic and white wine
Sausages and Ham
Kulen is a sausage made of pork. It is spicy in taste
Cesnovka is another pork sausage with garlic flavour
Stews
Grah is a stew made of beans and pickled turnip.
Desserts
Palatschinke is a pancake from Croatia.
Rozata is a custard pudding, native to Dalmatian region.
Beverages
Coffee is a very popular beverage for Croatian people. It has many traditional coffee houses.
Health and Nutrition Facts about Croatian Food
Croatian food is rich in meat and seafood, and hence has high nutritive value. Meat is rich in proteins, essential amino acids and phosphorus. Seafood present in Croatian food is an excellent source of fat, vitamins and minerals, and some varieties are particularly rich in vitamins A, E, C and D and certain antioxidants. Fish is a low fat food that is very good for the heart.