Food in Croatia: what to expect and 10 dishes to try

From the humble konobas (typical Croatian guesthouses) to the top restaurants offering the best of fine dining, Croatia has undergone a gastro-revolution in recent years.

Chefs are buzzing with a new energy to re-invent the country’s long and varied culinary traditions, making the most of succulent local produce, in recipes tweaked to suit modern taste and presented to delight the modern eye.

Everywhere you go you’ll find outdoor food markets selling fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious prosciutto is served with plump olives, lamb and suckling pigs are spit-roasted, ewes’ milk is turned into award-winning cheeses; broad beans and artichokes are married in delightful, fresh concoctions; and the perfect climate ripens the grapes that go into the hundreds of different wines.

Each region of Croatia has jealously preserved its own recipes, which showcase the best of what’s available there.

In Northern Croatia’s continental cuisine, meat, freshwater fish and vegetables dominate the menus, but Mediterranean flavours and ingredients take over as you approach the coast.

Imagine sitting down in a traditional wine cellar in lstria to mistletoe schnapps followed by a fish stew, perhaps some frutti di mare risotto, or pasta deliciously flavoured with the region's famous truffles.

Wash this down with an excellent lstrian wine such as Malvazija of Buje. And to finish, perhaps something sweet like the local Rab cake (Rapska torta), a traditional spiral-shaped almond cake.

As well as wine and truffles Istria is excellent if you’re in the mood to sample the bountiful seafood. Kvarner Bay to the east of the peninsula is well-known for its delicate, flavourful scampi; introduced thirty years ago from Norway, these little crustaceans adapted to the warm water by developing thinner armour and more succulent meat.

To the west Novigrad is lauded for its scallops, known as kapešante, which thrive in the combination of salty seawater and fresh river water in the marine area.

Head inland to Slavonia and you’ll find tasty cold cuts and kulen, a type of smoked sausage made with pork, paprika and garlic. This dense sausage is left to cure over winter and can keep for up to two years if stored correctly.

In the coastal region of Dalmatia your menu may offer dalmatinska pašticada, a braised beef stew that takes two days to prepare. It's made by stuffing meat with garlic, cloves, carrot, celery and bacon and marinating in wine vinegar overnight, before being seared and simmered for several hours. It's traditionally served with fresh pasta or njoke (gnocchi), and frequently enjoyed during important feasts.

In Dubrovnik restaurants will serve you riches from the Adriatic Sea: fish, calamari in various ways, mussels and shrimp, boiled in a stew or grilled.

You can even feast on Mali Ston oysters, widely regarded as one of the greatest seafood delicacies in the world. Oyster farming in the Mali Ston Bay has existed since the Roman era and they have a Protected Designation of Origin.

If meat is more to your liking, look out for lamb and veal cooked in embers under an iron bell.

Travel south to Zadar to taste a glass of famous Maraschino, a dessert liqueur made from the local Maraska cherries, and Pag cheese. Made on the island of Pag this hard, artisan cheese consistently scores highly in sheep-milk cheese contests worldwide; the much-lauded flavour is delicate due to the sheep’s exclusive diet of grass, herbs and aromatic flowers. Unsurprisingly, the lamb from here is incredible too!

There are more than 300 geographically-defined wine-producing areas in Croatia, and look out, too- or should we say beware- of the large range of spirits or 'rakija'. This brandy-like alcohol can be made from almost any fruit: Šljivovica is a plum firewater popular on the continent; grappa, popular in coastal areas, is made from grapes; Višnjevac is a delicious cherry brandy; and Kruškovac is flavoured with pears.

These potent drinks are often offered after a meal and are in many instances homemade.

Vegetarians will be delighted to taste how the locals prepare the bounty from the soil – Swiss chard with potatoes and tomato sauce, vegetables prepared with abundant olive oil, wine vinegar and wild herbs, and scrambled eggs with asparagus.

Thanks to its proximity to Italy there are plenty of familiar dishes for vegetarians in Croatia, including pasta, pizza and risotto. Or try one of Croatia's traditional vegetarian dishes such as Zagorski Štrukli, a filled dough dish that can be sweet or savoury, or Ćoravi gulaš, a popular vegetarian goulash with potatoes, onions and carrots in a tomato base. Or try soparnik, a savoury pie filled with Swiss chard and red onions - it's often popular with tourists.

In the large cities popular with tourists, such as Split and Dubrovnik, it’s not too hard to find vegetarian or even vegan restaurants, or at least find restaurants with clearly marked menus to make ordering a meat-free meal easy, but you may find yourself having to explain that you do not want to eat meat in more rural locations.

And so to pudding. Every region has its own cakes and sweets, many of them delightful by their sheer simplicity and good use of local produce such as dried figs, raisins, almonds, honey and eggs.

Look out for rafioli, mandulat, smokvenjak and gingerbread rozata.

Just in case you still feel peckish as you’re wandering the ancient streets of Dubrovnik or the lively promenade around Split harbour, make sure to buy an ice cream of any flavour you wish, and some you didn’t even know existed, such as nougat or chocolate and apricot.

Traditional Croatian breakfasts tend to be simple, with bread and jam being one of the most popular choices. Cold cuts of meat, cheese and pickles are also often included. If you're looking for something a bit different try burek, a filo pastry pie usually stuffed with cheese. It's a popular breakfast dish found in bakeries throughout Croatia. Cereal, fruit, yoghurt and croissants are also commonly eaten for breakfast, and restaurant breakfast menus have expanded to include all kinds of dishes from around the world including English breakfasts, breakfast burritos and eggs benedict.

Whatever food you're having at breakfast, it's sure to be served with plenty of coffee to wash it down.

If you're concerned about finding food you know you'll enjoy on holiday in Croatia worry not. While you might not find traditional English food like Yorkshire pudding there's plenty of food that would be familiar to Brits abroad. Steak and chips, pizza, roast chicken, pulled pork and slow-cooked lamb are all commonly found on menus. Because Croatia is so popular with tourists now you'll also find most restaurants have menus in English so it shouldn't be too hard for you to find something to eat.

Keep an eye out for the traditional British and Irish pubs in some of Croatia's cities such as Dubrovnik and you'll even find some tipples from home.

This is a simple mussel dish that’s popular all along the Croatian coast, and the Croatian equivalent of France’s moules marinière. 'Buzara' refers to the traditional Croatian way of cooking seafood in a mixture of olive oil, wine, garlic and herbs. If you’re not into mussels you can find shrimp, clams and other seafood served the same way.

The creamy black risotto gets its colour from squid or cuttlefish ink and is often served with other seafood. It’s a popular dish that can be found on menus throughout the country, particularly in coastal areas.

These delightful little battered doughnuts are available year-round but are a particular favourite over Christmas, so if you’ve popped to Croatia for some winter sun make sure to tuck in. They’re usually filled with rum and raisins and dusted in icing sugar.

It’s common to start a meal with ham and cheese, and Istrian ham is particularly revered. In south Croatia ham is often smoked, but in the north it’s air-cured and aged for at least 12 months, or longer depending on the weather.

This popular vegetarian dish is commonly found in Dalmatia. Thin layers of Swiss chard, onions, olive oil and garlic are baked in dough until crispy and golden. It’s just as good as leftovers the next day as it is fresh from the oven.

If you’re looking for something sweet at the end of your meal then rozata is for you. The smooth and creamy rose liqueur-flavoured custard pudding is ideal for fans of crème caramel.

These lamb and beef sausages are beloved throughout the Balkans and can be served as street food or in traditional restaurants. They’re usually served with lepinje flatbread, diced onions and ajvar, a roasted red pepper and aubergine sauce.

Croatian oysters are famous around the world, especially oysters from Ston, Slano and the Limski Kanal. They’re prized for their intense flavour, and are much more flavourful than those found in the Atlantic.

On the island of Pag sheep roam free, spending their lives grazing the wildflowers and aromatic herbs such as rosemary and sage, foraging on the island’s the salty, barren landscape. Because of these traditional farming techniques, the sheep are small, and their meat and cheese are considered a prized delicacy. Babies are kept with their mothers to exclusively feed on their prized milk, and the resulting meat is pale pink, tender and has a gentle flavour.

Pljeskavica is a grilled minced meat dish originating from Serbia but popular throughout the Balkans and has even gained popularity elsewhere in Europe including Germany and Sweden. This dish of minced lamb or beef is often (but not always) served like a burger in lepinja flatbread with ajvar sauce and chopped onions. So if you’re looking for something familiar but with a twist it’s a great option to try.

Discover more about the beautiful country of Croatia. Find out more about our holidays to Croatia, including a foodie themed Split holiday with wine tasting and food tour included.