Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The best meat dish in Croatia is veal or lamb prepared under a
peka
—a metal baking
lid that's covered with red-hot coals, to allow the meat to gradually cook to tender perfec-
tion. (
Ispod peka
means “under the bell.”) Available only in traditional restaurants, this dish
typically must be ordered in advance and for multiple people. You'll also find a break from
seafood in the north (Zagreb) and east (Slavonia), where the food has more of a Hungarian
flavor—heavy on meat served with cabbage, noodles, or potatoes.
Budget-conscious tourists reserve meat and fish for splurge dinners and mostly dine on
cheaperandfasterpastasandpizzas.You'llseefamiliardishes,suchasspaghettiBolognese
(withmeatsauce)andspaghetticarbonara(withasauceofegg,parmesan,andbacon),gnoc-
chi (
njoki,
potato dumplings), and lasagna. Risotto (
rižoto,
a rice dish) is popular here; most
common is “black risotto,” mixed with squid ink and various kinds of seafood.
There are many good local varieties of cheese made with sheep's or goat's milk. Pag, an
island in the Kvarner Gulf, produces a famous, very salty, fairly dry sheep's-milk cheese
(paški sir),
which is said to be flavored by the herbs the sheep eat.
