Croatian cuisine dates back to ancient times. The differences in the ingredients and cooking methods are most notable between mainland and coastal regions. Mainland cuisine is characterized by the earlier Slavic and the more recent contacts with neighboring cultures, such as Hungarian and Turkish. The coastal cuisine has influences of the Greek and Roman cuisine, as well as of the later Mediterranean cuisine, especially Italian. Food and recipes from other former Yugoslav countries are also popular in Croatia.
Croatian cuisine is known as a cuisine of the regions as every region of Croatia has its own distinct culinary tradition. Croatian cuisine can be divided into the following regional cuisines: Istria, Dalmatia, Dubrovnik, Lika, Gorski Kotar, Zagorje, Međimurje, Podravina, Slavonija. All regional cuisines have their particular cooking traditions characteristic for that specific area. Most dishes, however, can be found all across the country, with local variations.
Dobar tek (bon apetit)!
Croatian Food A-Z Directory
Below is a visual A-Z directory of Croatian food. New entries are added each week.
Tag your Croatian food pics with @istriagourmet and use hashtags #istriagourmet and #croatianfoodAtoZ .
Ajngemahtes
#ajngemahtes – #chicken #soup with #vegetables and #noodles | Explore Croatian #food and #drinks through #croatianfoodAtoZ posts | 📷 by @coolinarika | #croatianfood #croatiancuisine #croatia #hrvatska #istria #istra #istriagourmet #foodgawker #foodtour #food #foodie #foodphotography #foodie #foodiegram #foodgram #foodnetwork #yummy #gourmet #foodism #foodislife #foodaddict #foodlover #fooddiary
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Dec 4, 2017 at 5:11am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Ajvar
#ajvar – savory #redpepper #spread. There are many variations on how it’s made. Great on bread or with meat. 😋| 📷 by @podravka_cz | Explore Croatian #food and #drinks through #croatianfoodAtoZ posts | #croatianfood #croatiancuisine #croatia #hrvatska #istria #istra #istriagourmet #foodgawker #foodtour #food #foodie #foodphotography #foodie #foodiegram #foodgram #foodnetwork #yummy #gourmet #foodism #foodislife #foodaddict #foodlover #fooddiary #podravka
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Dec 7, 2017 at 6:53am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Anchovies (aka slana riba)
#anchovies (aka #saltyfish) – small #fish with strong #taste due to their curing process. They are used to flavor many dishes and can also be eaten raw. This is #pogaca (#bakedbread) filled with anchovies, #onions and #tomatoes. #specialty of #island #vis in #croatia. | 📷 by @croatiaweek | Share your favorite Croatian food at #croatianfoodAtoZ to be featured
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Dec 9, 2017 at 4:04am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Arambasici
#Arambasici – sour #cabbage rolls stuffed with diced #meat (not minced, unlike #sarma) with the addition of dried meat and #spices. Specialty of #Sinj in #Croatia. | 📷 by @coolinarika | #recipe at https://www.coolinarika.com/recept/arambasici/ | Share your favorite Croatian food at #croatianfoodAtoZ
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Dec 16, 2017 at 2:43am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Arancini
#arancini – #Orange peels marinated in #water, rolled in #sugar, and #dried. They’re #delicious #snacks. #organic #dalmatian oranges are best. Can also be made with #lemon peels. These are from #stellacroatica | Share your favorite Croatian food at #croatianfoodAtoZ
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Dec 21, 2017 at 4:02am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Bakalar
#bakalar – air dried cod. Although an imported #fish from #Norway, it’s deeply rooted in Croatian #cuisine, especially around #Christmas. In #Istria it’s also prepared “na bijelo” as thick #spread made with #garlic and #oliveoil. | 📷 by @eatistria | share your favorite Croatian food at #croatianfoodAtoZ
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Jan 4, 2018 at 3:53am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Baklava
#Baklava – #flaky #pastry, chopped #nuts, and a #sticky #sweet #syrup poured all over. Popular #dessert in #croatia, #turkey, #greece, #balkans, #europe, and many other places, including #asia. 📷 by the #NuBake factory (www.nubake.eu) in #Lukavec, the largest baklava #factory in Europe | Share your favorite Croatian food at #croatianfoodAtoZ
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Jan 9, 2018 at 3:52am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Basa cheese
#Basa #cheese – A special kind #soft, #creamy #cheese made in #Lika, #Croatia. 📷 by @jabinestoslatko at @honestcooking | Share your favorite Croatian food at #croatianfoodAtoZ
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Jan 12, 2018 at 3:59am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Bazga
#Bazga – #juice from #elderflower. #delicious, #refreshing, and #healthy. Try #syrup by #dukathrvatska or ready to drink #beverages, such as #shokata #fanta by @fantahrvatska, #bezge #pivo by @ozujskopivo, and #sok by @juice_jaffa. What’s your favorite drink with #bezga? 📷 by @dukat_hrvatska
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Jan 22, 2018 at 9:24am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Bazlamaca
#bazlamaca (also called #zlevanka) – cake made of #cornflour, typical of #zagorje and #medimurje but also found in #Slavonia. 📷 by @mari_ja_kt #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Feb 10, 2018 at 4:04am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Blitva s krumpirom
#blitva with #potatoes – Popular #sidedish of cooked #chard with potatoes, #oliveoil, and #garlic. #Delicious and #healthy. 📷 by @toncica_23 #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Mar 9, 2018 at 3:23am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Biska
#Biska – #mistletoe #brandy from #Istria #croatia. It dates back to #ancient #celts. Tiny town #Hum is nicknamed world capital of Biska. 📷 by @destilerijaaura
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Feb 23, 2018 at 7:06am PST
View on Instagram ↗ Bobici
#bobici – #almond #cookie #balls. Similar to Italian #favette. 📷 by @slatkiblog #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Mar 22, 2018 at 2:48am PDT
View on Instagram ↗ Boskarin
#Boskarin – indigenous istrian #ox. Local #delicacy in #Istria. Only selected restaurants are allowed to serve it. 📷 by @ostarija.rondo #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Apr 5, 2018 at 5:30am PDT
View on Instagram ↗ Breskvice
#Breskvice – #peach #cookies, traditional #pastry of #Istria. No gathering in Istria is complete without these #delicious #sweets. You can try them at @oso.buzet in #umag and #Novigrad. #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Apr 15, 2018 at 5:12am PDT
View on Instagram ↗ Brodet (aka brudet, brujet, brodetto, and fish stew)
#Brodet – #delightful #seafood #stew with #oliveoil, #wine, #garlic, #herbs, and plenty of #fish and #shellfish. 📷 by @kopundbk #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Apr 20, 2018 at 5:01am PDT
View on Instagram ↗ Bucino ulje
#bucinoulje – #pumpkinseedoil on #salad is #delicious. Also used with other foods. #premium #extravirgin is the best. 📷 by @bucinoulje #croatianfoodatoz
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on Apr 27, 2018 at 3:20am PDT
View on Instagram ↗ Bucnica
#Bucnica – #strudel filled with #pumpkin and #cottagecheese 😋 | 📷 by @kalawater #croatianfoodatoz #istriagourmet
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on May 7, 2018 at 3:03am PDT
View on Instagram ↗ Buncek
#BUNCEK – #smoked #porkhock (also known as #hamhock and #porkknuckle) is served with #beans, #sauerkraut, #potatoes, and #stews 😋 | 📷 by @batakgrill #croatianfoodatoz #istriagourmet
A post shared by Istria Gourmet Food Tours 🍷🍴👣 (@istriagourmet) on May 31, 2018 at 4:26am PDT
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Croatia Food Resources
Below are great additional resources about Croatian wine and food. Let us know if we missed any and we’ll add them to the list.
Croatian Cuisine:
Istrian Cuisine:
Croatian Wine:
Restaurant Recommendations:
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