Croatia's gastronomy guide

Now that we've told you about some pretty nice places in Croatia, we think it's time to tell you a bit about what to eat there. The famous expression that says, you are what you eat, forces us to do our best to gather everything we know about Croatian gastronomy and all the food knowledge we have, so you can get the extra you need to have a super nice vacation experience.

We've made some highlights for you so you don't miss out on this delicious part of Croatia. After the country has been under various cultural influences for many hundreds of years, it gives the food a delicious and fun twist in taste.

One obvious and unavoidable influence is, of course, Italian. This aspect of Croatian cuisine is the most pervasive in the country. Since the only thing that separates Croatia and Italy is the surface of the Adriatic Sea, the influence is not such a shocking fact. The most influential period was when the Dalmatian region of Croatia was controlled by the Republic of Venice, which lasted almost 400 years.

When visiting Croatia, it will be difficult to find a restaurant that does not have at least one dish of Italian origin on its menu. So it is quite normal that you will find dishes like pizza, various spaghetti dishes and risotto dishes. The most famous risotto dishes are octopus risotto, veal risotto, shrimp risotto with white wine and garlic. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon a restaurant that is good at cooking real traditional dishes, you will quickly realize that it is certainly the best risotto you will ever taste.

The most common spices in coastal Croatia and the islands are the normal Mediterranean spice mix. But there is certainly one that stands out, in Croatia it is olive oil and olives that dominate many dishes. When you take a tour of the islands, you quickly notice the large farms with olive trees. The resulting olive oil is some of the best you will ever find, it is a treat on its own, but when paired with the right food it explodes in flavor.

Just as olive oil has been produced seemingly forever in Croatia, so has salt, and this is why you will certainly notice that the Croatian food is very salty and aromatic in flavor. If you find yourself in the position to try the real Croatian olive oil don't skip it - it's super tasty.

And of course, we can't skip the fish and seafood. "Sea food" is a very important part of the Croatian culinary world, especially along the coast. You will find fresh seafood everywhere, from oyster bars to fish restaurants. Favorite dishes are different grilled fish varieties such as tuna steak and golden parry, squid, octopus salad, mussels and other seafood. Anchovies are something you eat for lunch with bread and a splash of olive oil of course.

The delicacy that makes you smile every time you think about it is Pag cheese. Before every meal, a dish of bread, smoked ham and cheese is usually served in Croatia. Among all the Croatian cheeses the most desired and famous is the Pag cheese, from the small island of Pag near Zadar. The definition of this delicacy is that it is a hard, sheep cheese made on Pag; but this definition cannot come close to capturing the essence of the delicacy.

The cheese is unique thanks to the island's reputation as a salt production center. Intense winds that blow there spread the island's salt dust on everything, including the vegetation. This is why the only original Pag cheese can come from sheep living on the island and it is also the reason why the cheese is so very, very good.

Meat dish that is very famous in Croatia is "Pashticada" and is like the holy grail of Dalmatian-Croatian cooking. In Dalmatia, this beef is prepared with a very special sauce. The dish can be called most often Dalmatinska pašticada, Dalmatian pot roast or just as meat stew. For its preparation it requires a long time and most often it is served with gnocchi. If you find yourself in Split, visit the restaurant FIFE which cooks Pashtcada wonderfully delicious for very cheap price.

As for the wine, don't miss tasting native Croatian wine varieties! Inland the most famous wine varieties are Chardonnay, white and gray Pinot, Shkrlet and Grashevina. In Istria you will find Merlot, Mushkat and Vrbnicka Zlahtina. In Dalmatia one finds wonderful wine varieties such as Babic and Plavina in Primosten, Merlot in Drnis, Debit/Poship and Grk on Korcula, white Vugava and red Plavac on Vis, Stina on Brac and last but our favorite Plavac and Bogdanusa on the island of Hvar. The famous dessert wine variety is called Proshek.

One thing that cannot be left unmentioned is the coffee culture the Croatian people have. Quickly you will notice that most coffee bars are crowded with people, and it will be very easy to fall into the pace called "FJAKA". Fjaka is when you sit in the sun and drink your coffee and eat delicious Croatian desserts like fritule, rozata and other cakes, going by the motto 'every little thing's gonna be alright'. The coffee served in most coffees is Espresso coffee with or without milk.

For an unusual experience, try "Dinner in the Sky" in Split!