{"id":23884,"date":"2017-12-07T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=23884&preview=true&preview_id=23884"},"modified":"2024-09-21T00:05:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T14:05:56","slug":"croatias-best-kept-secret-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/croatias-best-kept-secret-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Dig into Croatia\u2019s best-kept secret \u2014 its food!"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared on Urban Adventures<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In the heart of Zagreb, residents weave in and out of stalls, jostling for position as they pick up a day\u2019s supply of locally grown veggies, freshly baked pastries, meats and cheeses at the historic Dolac Market. As part of Urban Adventures’ brand new\u00a0Made In Croatia tour<\/a>, we join the locals and head straight to our first destination to devour cheese.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m handed a freshly cut slice of\u00a0pag\u00a0<\/em>cheese (pa\u0161ki sir<\/em>) and savour every bite of the salty, nutty, earthy flavour. If left alone, I might gobble down the entire wheel of the cheese that\u2019s only produced on the island of Pag on the Dalmatian Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt tastes like the land,\u201d the woman behind the counter notes as I lick every last morsel from my fingers. The specific one I taste comes from a family operation that\u2019s been producing\u00a0pag<\/em>, as well as several cow\u2019s milk varieties, for four generations using traditional methods.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Croatia<\/a> excels at locally produced food that best exemplifies what the French call\u00a0terroir<\/em>, or the concept that the land (and sea) impart flavour and characteristics on livestock and food that can\u2019t be reproduced anywhere else.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Photo by Urban Adventures<\/p><\/div>\n

In the case of\u00a0pag<\/em>\u00a0cheese, it\u2019s the wild herbs that flourish on the otherwise barren land, and the Bura winds blowing salt from the sea onto the rocky pastures, which the native breed of sheep lap up. There are other food and beverages, too, which you can only taste in Croatia thanks to its range of microclimates and historical influences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have just one iconic food. Zagreb features the best cuisines from Central Europe and the Mediterranean,\u201d our guide, Max, explains as we crisscross the city in search of the most authentic flavours.<\/p>\n

RELATED: 10 REASONS WHY ZAGREB SHOULD BE YOUR NEXT EUROPEAN CITY BREAK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A meal in Zagreb tastes like an adventure across varied landscapes and multiple empires. It\u2019s not just the earth, but history, too, that\u2019s created today\u2019s sought-after Croatian food. The Venetians, Romans, Austrians, Hungarians and Ottomans all had close ties to the city and those influences are apparent in meals today, from\u00a0burek<\/em>\u00a0(savoury pastry stuffed with cheese or meat) joints to high-end bistros serving up truffle-scented pasta.<\/p>\n

In addition to the cheese, which has won dozens of international accolades, including a gold medal at the legendary Global Cheese Awards in Britain, save room to sample the country\u2019s other specialties.<\/p>\n

Wine<\/h2>\n
\"Shelves<\/a>

Photo by Kristin Amico<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019ve never tasted Croatian wine, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Winemaking in Croatia dates back 2,500 years, and today there are more than 800 wineries and 150 varieties. While Croatia is a haven for wine lovers, you\u2019ll need to visit to get a true taste of the good stuff. That\u2019s because only about 10% is exported. Wine production remains a family business in Croatia, and 85% of vineyards are boutique operations handcrafting limited quantities each year.<\/p>\n

Among the most popular across the country is\u00a0plavac mali<\/em>, a bold red from southern Dalmatia known for its rich flavours and notes of cherry and blackberry. For a dry white,\u00a0malvazija<\/em>\u00a0can\u2019t be beaten. The grapes, grown in the Istria region, carry a citrus aroma with traces of white pepper and dried grass reminiscent of sauvignon blanc.\u00a0Po\u0161ip<\/em>\u00a0is an earthier white produced from grapes grown almost exclusively on the island of Kor\u010dula, and holds up to stronger dishes than your average white.<\/p>\n

Olive oil<\/h2>\n
\"Glasses<\/a>

Photo by Kristin Amico<\/p><\/div>\n

The average gastro-tourist might assume all the world\u2019s best olive oil comes from Italy or Spain, but Croatia has been winning an increasing number of awards for the prized oil made from olives harvested on the Adriatic coast. The fruits, especially those grown in Istria, are largely hand-picked (as opposed to using machine methods). They are pulverised at their peak, resulting in extra-virgin varieties that pack a peppery, citrusy and sometimes nutty flavor. Save the high-end oils for drizzling on salads, cheese and fish.<\/p>\n

RELATED: CROATIA IN ONE WEEK – THE ULTIMATE GUIDE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Bread<\/h2>\n
\"A<\/a>

Photo by Kristin Amico<\/p><\/div>\n

To taste a Zagreb specialty, arrive at the market early. There are only a few women who continue to bake a traditional style of yeast-raised cornbread, and the loaves sell out before midday. It boasts a crusty exterior and a dense yet soft interior packed with the flavour of fresh corn. One of the\u00a0kumica<\/em>\u00a0(market women) is a feisty septuagenarian who has been selling the labour-intensive bread at Dolac since she was 19.<\/p>\n

Sweet treats turned souvenirs<\/h2>\n
\"Iced<\/a>

Photo by Kristin Amico<\/p><\/div>\n

The\u00a0licitar<\/em>, a gingerbread biscuit shaped like a heart, has been used as a sign of affection in and around Zagreb for centuries. Traditionally sold at church fairs, men gave the women they admired the confection. A small mirror was affixed to the front, and the gift-giver would tell the recipient, \u201cLook into my heart to see who I love.\u201d Today, the heart is the symbol of the city, and visitors can pick up the customised gift handcrafted by artisans who decorate the souvenir while you shop.<\/p>\n

Ready to get stuck into Croatia’s delicious cuisines<\/a>? Jump on an Urban Adventures<\/a>\u00a0brand new Made in Croatia tour and sample truffles, cheeses, \u0160trukli<\/em>, rakija,\u00a0<\/em>gemi\u0161t <\/em>and more!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feature image C\/O Urban Adventures.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of Urban Adventures’ brand new\u00a0Made In Croatia tour, we join the locals and head straight to the market to devour cheese, bread and wine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15460,"featured_media":24008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[81,260,354],"class_list":["post-23884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-croatia","tag-food-adventures","tag-urban-adventures-2","ipf_theme-food"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDig into Croatia\u2019s Best-Kept Secret \u2014 Its Food! | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As part of Urban Adventures' brand new\u00a0Made In Croatia tour, we join the locals and head straight to the market to devour cheese, bread and wine.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/croatias-best-kept-secret-food\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Reasons why Croatia\u2019s best-kept secret is its cuisine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the heart of Zagreb, residents weave in and out of stalls, jostling for position as they pick up a day\u2019s supply of locally grown veggies, freshly baked pastries, meats and cheeses at the historic Dolac Market. 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