Croatian Cuisine: an overview

Croatia is a small country--only 21,831 square miles. If it were a U.S. state, it would be ranked 42nd in size, between West Virginia and Maryland. However, the country is far more diverse than its size would suggest.

The country is shaped like a giant letter "C".

The northeast part of the country, around the cities of Osijek and Slavonski Brod, is known as Slavonia. This region is largely agricultural and is fairly similar in landscape to the Midwest. The cuisine there is heavily influenced by the neighboring countries: Hungary, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the region with the spiciest food. Paprika, cream, meat, and river fish are common ingredients in the cooking.

The central region, around Zagreb, is more heavily influenced by Germanic and Italian cooking styles. Pasta dishes, cream, meats, and cheeses are all common parts of cooking.

The coastal region, known as Dalmatia, is heavily influenced by Italy and the Mediterranian climate. There is a lot of regional variation. The peninsula in the north, Istra, is especially heavily influenced by Italy. Seafood, olive oil, figs, and pasta are all common throughout Dalmatia.

There are some commonalities across all the regions: breads, wines, and homemade spirits known as rakija are common to all regions. Many of the dishes I will be sharing can be found in more than one region, although sometimes in modified versions or with different names.

Because I've just spend three months living in Slavonia and learning about Slavonian cooking, most of my early recipes will be from that region. This spring, I will be living in Dalmatia and will write more about the cuisine there.