Croatian Gastronomy - Nostromo

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Cultivation of certain varieties of grape on the island of Vis dates back to pre-Christian times. introduction by cooks attending to the gastronomic needs of the nobility and other wealthy households in northern Croatia. Napoleon’s cooks introduced many of their culinary secrets to their Croatian counterparts, and they are still with us today – the mustard and bermet, i.e. vermouth, of Samobor being two of the most famous examples. It has to be pointed out, however, that those French cooks did not find any absence of culinary skills, indeed quite the contrary; in most cases the local population simply added a “French touch” to some of their existing recipes. For instance, mustard is mentioned in Gazophylacium, the famous Latin-Croatian dictionary by Ivan Belostenec, completed in 1674. Italians have managed to convince a good part of the world that hundreds of their regional dishes deserve a place at the peak of world gastronomy. However, at the beginning of the last century they themselves claimed that the best Italian dishes are prepared in Dalmatia, where a great culinary tradition makes use of first-class ingredients. In the course of its travels from Persia, via Turkey to Croatian lands, a journey which took thousands of kilometres and hundreds of years to complete, the recipe for æevap or kebab was being constantly improved until it reached absolute perfection. And all that together with many other great dishes and culinary procedures. Hungarians who came to settle in Podravina, Meðimurje, Slavonia and Baranja are masters of dishes prepared in small cauldrons, delicacies which represent the essence of the identity of Hungarian cuisine. Today’s Croatia, a small Alpine, Pannonian, Danube-basin and Mediterranean country, grows all the same types of grape that are grown in the much larger France! Also, in small Croatia more varieties of the most highly valued truffles can be found than in that same France, including the white Tuber magnatum (pico), which is most sought after. For years now micologists have been trying to compile a definitive list of edible fungi that are autochthonous in Croatia, but the task is so extensive that they have yet to complete it. The Croatian Adriatic is not renowned for its great quantities of fish, crabs, shellfish and molluscs, but it is renowned for its rich variety of seafood. Indeed, it is claimed by many that some of that seafood, such as scampi and oysters from particular localities, are the best in the world. Those are subjective assessments; objective scientific findings have quite definitely shown that the concentration of elements in the Marasca black/sour cherry, grown in the surroundings of Zadar, make it superior to any other type of black/sour cherry in the world - which is more than amply 4 croatian Gastronomy local BrEEds of shEEp arE rEnownEd for thEir mEat with an ExquisitE tastE, rEsultinG from thE quality of GrazinG - aromatic, and mEdical mEditErranEan hErBs, and thE nEar vicinity of thE sEa which imparts a portion of its salt to thE land. this comBination lEnds thE mEat of thEsE animals a vEry spEcial flavour. proved by Maraschino, the famous liqueur of Zadar. The varieties of small Mediterranean breeds of sheep scattered across the Adriatic islands, throughout the coastal areas and coastal hinterland, are in themselves a source of ultimate culinary pleasures and an excellent paradigm of the peaks of Croatian gastronomy: those breeds are small, some of them even the smallest in the Mediterranean, and their milk yield is equally small due to meagre but exquisitely aromatic grazing. On the other hand, however, their meat, milk and the cheese produced from it are delectable indeed. Croatia cannot compete in quantities and yields of fruit, vegetables, fungi, fish, crabs, meat, cheese or honey with the large world producers. But then, it has no need to. The incredible variety and surprising quality of ingredients, food-stuffs, dishes and processed products offered by these climes and tradition are in themselves a world monument of culture with which one must become familiar with, nurture, preserve, respect and above all savour and enjoy. Hence, the Croatian National Tourist Board will make it an ongoing project to systematically research and present Croatian national gastronomy to the world public in the deeply held belief that, alongside natural attractions and cultural heritage, it is the country’s national gastronomy that represents an outstanding Croatian attraction. It is not enough to learn about it only in its summer version – all four season offer equally exquisite gastronomic experiences. It can be safely said that Croatia is, so to speak, “on the boil”; agricultural experts and strategists of food production are undertaking a comprehensive inventory, and preparing a national strategy for the country’s road to the European Union. All edible treasures must be listed, described and protected as much as possible so as to ensure their survival within the strictly applied European rules. This is a massive task of
dalmatia – split istria 6-11 KvarnEr 12-15 invaluable significance; a high percentage of Croats fear that Brussels bureaucracy would not look kindly upon the ancient habits and customs practiced by thousands of small family producers, the very ones who enable Croats to enjoy hundreds of superb dishes prepared throughout our country. Preservation and advancement of that wonderful heritage of our forefathers is, for Croats and the numerous national minorities who have lived here for a long time, a task which carries with it the very significance of survival. From the holdings of our farmers, from our meadows, forests, streams, rivers and the sea, in every season of the year there arrives to the Croatian markets a myriad of produce and products: fruit, vegetables, wild edible plants, herbs, fungi, fresh and saltwater fish, shellfish, crabs, molluscs, snails, frogs, game, fresh meat, sausages, salamis, hams and proscuittos, breads, rolls and cakes; and they never fail to surprise gourmands and connoisseurs from all over the world. Not by quantity – Croatia is, as we have said, a small country – but with their incredible variety. Amidst this wealth of choice one can select foodstuffs and dishes that stand shoulder to shoulder with the finest in the world, forming the basis of our national gastronomy which the world has yet to discover in its full glory, aroma and flavour. Bearing in mind its real potentials, very little is indeed known in the world about Croatia's gastronomy. This is why we are working on a strategy. Croatia will not amaze anybody with the quantities of food produced here. In the Croatian waters of the Adriatic there are relatively small numbers of fish and other sea creatures. But it is the story of the Adriatic which is typical of Croatia’s gastronomy: neither the sea nor the seabed is overcrowded by massive numbers, but the variety of species living here is quite something. From a culinary standpoint this wealth gains another, yet more distinct quality: the frutti di mare of the Adriatic are deemed to be among the most delectable in the world. Pilchard, sand smelt, anchovy, tuna, dentex, gilthead, John Dory, red mullet, scampi, sea spider, lobster, oyster, scallops, calamari, squid... In the right hands all of them can be transformed into a feast fondly remembered with pleasure even by those who have enjoyed feasts all over the world. Croatia neither can nor should compete with the large food producers. Here, the holdings are fragmented; fields, barns and liKa - 16-19 dalmatia – 20-23 dalmatia – 24-27 Karlovac zadar ŠiBEniK 28-31 dalmatia – 32-35 slavonia 36-39 cEntral 40-43 city of 44-53 duBrovniK croatia zaGrEB fishing boats are small. This situation, which for decades has been a serious national problem, is now proving to be a first class potential. In Croatia, chickens do indeed peck in courtyards, eating what nature provides; here, sheep do graze aromatic herbs; tuna fish feed on live pilchards in clear seas, and in forests wild strawberries happily grow in the company of mushrooms – until bears discover them and have themselves a feast... Viewed against water resources throughout the world, Croatian waters, fresh and salt, standing and running, surface or underground, are all well preserved. The soil is not contaminated with heavy metals, nor is it exhausted by over-intensive agriculture. The air is considerably cleaner than in the majority of other European countries, and people are being brought up, and are therefore accustomed to, a traditional cuisine of first-rate nutritious properties, not only in the Mediterranean part of the country but in its vales in the north and in the mountain area extending between the coastal region and the Pannonian plain. To savour a pogaèa (round, unleavened bread) made from ancient varieties of grain from Meðimurje, salted by salt harvested on the Dalmatian islands is in itself a gastronomic experience fit to start a culinary feast in Croatia. An experienced connoisseur can follow the intricate paths of Croatian cuisine, and they will lead him from the rural origins, via folk tradition, to the intelligent concepts of brilliant young cooks in their fine restaurants. What a challenge for a palate worthy of its name! With this publication we aim to outline the gastronomic routes through Croatia which are of particular interest, or rather those which lead to singular culinary pleasures. The tourist map of Croatia divides the country into tourist regions. Each is a source of high quality cuisine, regardless of whether the offered dish is a polenta made from white maize, which takes hours of gentle cooking and stirring in a cauldron over an open fire in the old- fashioned hearth of a household that earns its living through agro-tourism, or a pheasant paté flavoured with fresh Istrian truffles made for the exclusive festival of high gastronomy called The Golden Truffle. First rate foodstuffs and ways of preparing them can be found throughout the land, and the charm of getting to know them, from one cluster to another, lies in the rich and colourful varieties found regionally and locally. croatian Gastronomy 5
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Page 6 and 7: 01 stria
Page 8 and 9: 01 istria Oysters from the Lim chan
Page 10 and 11: 01 istria Until very recently the w
Page 12 and 13: 02 varner
Page 14 and 15: 02 lamBs rEarEd on thE islands of t
Page 16 and 17: lika — karlovac 03
Page 18 and 19: 03 GacKa rivEr lika—karlovac trou
Page 20 and 21: almatia zadar 04
Page 22 and 23: 04 swiss chard, toGEthEr with miŠa
Page 24 and 25: almatia 05 šibenik
Page 26 and 27: 05 GrillEd fish will rElEasE its fu
Page 28 and 29: almatia 06 split
Page 30 and 31: 06 dalmatias plit Vis is the island
Page 32 and 33: almatia 07 dubrovnik
Page 34 and 35: 07 rožata, othErwisE Known as crEm
Page 36 and 37: lavonia 08
Page 38 and 39: 08 In Croatia the penny bun has alw
Page 40 and 41: central croatia 09
Page 42 and 43: central 09 croatia The mixture is s
Page 44 and 45: zagreb city of 10
Page 46 and 47: 10 on dolac, cEntral marKEt placE o
Page 48 and 49: 10 VrGanj, or the pEnny Bun, is thE
Page 50 and 51: 10 younG culinary stars of croatia
Page 52 and 53: 10 fancycomBination of potato and c
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Croatian Gastronomy - Nostromo

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