Croatian Cuisine

Sampling Croatian cooking is one of the high points of a visit to Croatia. Although it may be an exaggeration to say the whole country is made up of gourmets, it's true that Croatians place a high priority on fresh, correctly prepared food. You may even want to try a Croatian recipe yourself from one of these fine Croatian cookbooks.! Dining in Croatia is a generally relaxed experience mainly because you can eat remarkably well for the price. Budget travellers will find themselves eating tasty local specialties for a fraction of what they'd pay at home.. Like much of Croatian culture, the cuisine is divided into coastal (Dalmatian and Istrian) and interior flavors (mostly from Zagorje which includes Zagreb and northwestern Croatia) with a sub-category of Slavonian cuisine from east Croatia. Following are items you'll find nearly everywhere in Croatia: Burek
Throughout former Yugoslavia, this heavy cheese, meat or apple pastry was the breakfast of choice for farmers and fishermen. You'll see big trays of the stuff in gracing the windows of pastry shops and fast food joints. Cevapcici ( pronounced Chev ap chee tse)
Croatia's answer to the hamburger, this meatball is made of spicy beef or pork. Raznjici (pronounced razh nyee chee)
Another quick treat, this is a sort of shish kebab. Palacinke (pronounced pala chink eh)
This crepe-like dessert is a pancake often stuffed with walnuts or chocolate and sometimes served with ice cream. Blitva
Swiss chard boiled and served with olive oil, potatoes and garlic is a simple and delicious side dish that's served throughout Croatia. Pag Cheese
Made on the island of Pag, this sharp, sheep's milk cheese is a delicacy throughout Croatia. It's often served as an appetiser, thinly sliced with olives on the side. Bakalar
Dried cod is prepared a variety of ways and is traditionally served on Christmas Eve. Pizza
Even if it wasn't invented in Croatia, the quality of the pizza on offer is excellent. The dough is usually homemade and tends to be thick and bread-like.