Food report from Croatia

15 years ago

Netla here. I couldn't resist checking in.

I have have been trying out the food every chance I get. Firstly I was shocked to find how expensive it is to eat out here - nearly as expensive as in Iceland, but not quite. I have been eating out once a day and then having smaller meals of local yogurt and fresh fruit.

Burek has been a disappointment every time I have tried it, possibly because I always end up with the cheese filling that really doesn't taste of anything. I have yet to come across meat or potato fillings.

Cevapi or cevapici are great. The Bosnians seem to spice them more than the Croatians do, but both versions are good. They are usually served inside a huge bun, with raw onions and a red bell pepper sauce on the side.

Raznjici (skewered kebabs) are great, both chicken and beef. The bread they serve with it is delicious, chewy and flavourful.

Tonight I tried a local seafood platter: fried squid, shrimp, mussels and fried scorpion-fish. It was the first time I have ever had squid that wasn't like leather to chew, and it was good, as were the rest. The scorpion-fish was oily and mild, and the mussels were very good. I hate the preserved variety, but these were fresh, which made all the difference.

Tomorrow night the school is having a reception and I think they will be serving local food. I will report back if there is anything interesting on the menu.

There is a pomegranate tree outside my window. Sadly the fruit are not ripe, or I would be eating them straight off the tree.

Bye for now,

Jo

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

jimster
15 years ago
Interesting report. Send another when you have the opportunity.

Enjoy your visit.

Jim
canarybird01
15 years ago
Jo....it sounds as though you've found a few good things to eat so you won't be starving. It will be interesting to hear what's on the menu at the school reception.

Come back and tell us and enjoy yourself!

SharonCb
Related Discussions
Report From The Organic Living Show
Q
Comments (7)
Heidi, You crack me up!!! I can just see you smiling sweetly at your DH while thinking to yourself "I have no idea where these are going, honey!" lol lol lol I am SO GLAD you made it to the organic show! You and your extravagant mail order purchase of heirloom tomatoes in 2005 were one of the reasons I posted the report on the show, so you'd know that next year it wouldn't be necessary to order plants and pay a king's ransom in shipping!!! Also, you know I will raise any tomatoes you want next year when I grow my own! So, tell me what you bought for ants in the veggie garden. I have purchased both Gardenville's Auntie Fuego and one of the new spinosad products for the fire ants in my veggie garden, but haven't put them out yet. And I bought Seranade for future, anticipated foliar problems on tomato plants (it is a given that they will occur, the only question is when and how bad they will be). And, speaking of ants in the garden, did you see the thread a week or two ago from the guy who put Over and Out Fireant Killer in his vegetable garden? Might have been on the Vegetable forum or the Organic forum? Talk about ruining your soil for years and years to come. I belive if I were that guy, I'd hire a bulldozer and have several FEET of soil removed and replaced. Did your friend get sweet potato slips at Horns? I know that it is the usual time to plant them, but the nights are staying so darn cold! Well, I am glad you had a great Sunday in spite of your dance workshop being cancelled. ANY day spent shopping for plants is a great day, isn't it? Dawn
...See More
What to do about conflicting reports on foods?
Q
Comments (5)
They are conflicting because one is just giving you low sodium and one is just giving you low fat info- some people just need to be on a low salt like people with high blood pressure and some just need to be on low fat like for gallbladder probs. If you want to use creamer they do have fat free half and half and all my patients think it tastes pretty good- just like with milk though watch the sodium a bit- also for the egg whites- yes they have about 100 mg of sodium but they are still recommended for coronary's because the cholesterol issue is usually more important than the sodium issue depending on whether he has CHF or high blood pressure- only a select percentage get results with a low sodium diet helping BP but they still recommend it for everyone in case you are one of those few. They have done enough studies now that show the cholesterol in the yolks doesn't affect the cholesterol in the body so i imagine in a few years they are going to tell you yolks are ok again.
...See More
Did I miss a report/pictures from Annie on the wedding?
Q
Comments (21)
My youngest niece's wedding was a riot. The groom does not dance, so he decided there would be no dancing at the wedding. They did have a three piece jazz group. Of course everyone thought you were supposed to dance so watching people try to gyrate to the jazz was hysterical. They both love fly-fishing and had a fishing theme -- ahem. The wedding cake had a fish on top that looked like it was dead -- seriously, a dead trout lying on top of the cake. There was a groom's cake and I never did decide what that shape was. The centerpieces were bowls of goldfish. Cute -- but what do you do with 100 goldfish after the wedding? In the end, a good time was had by all but there was a lot of eye-rolling and tongue biting. Yes -- kudos for you for pulling this one off. It will make a good family story for years. I wish the couple much happiness and a home of their own!
...See More
Has anyone visited Croatia?
Q
Comments (11)
Split is home to Diocletian's Palace. Diocletian was one of the later Roman emperors who had this palace constructed as a retirement home. Over the centuries different parts have been repurposed, which is why an old Roman Temple is now a Christian church. They've been digging out the old foundations which are really neat to take a tour of. From Split I'd recommend a trip to Trogir. Trogir occupies pretty well all of the tiny island it is built on and has some amazing ancient buildings. There is a very good walking tour on offer from the tourist office. Along the coast, you could stop at Krka which is similar to Plitvice but different enough to be worth visiting IMO. Then on to Zadar, which is really interesting and has the Sea Organ and the Tribute to the Sun. This is a large plaza at the edge of the sea, which has little lights embedded in it. The Sea Organ is pipes under the plaza which are open to the sea and which are tuned so that when the waves push air up them they make a sound. The lights light up at night and make random patterns depending on the sounds generated by the Sea Organ. It's really neat, and to sit there and watch the sun go down is a magical experience. Apparently Alfred Hitchcock said they were the most beautiful sunsets in the world. We visited a church there which was built around the year 1000 and is clearly made from chunks of old Roman buildings. Form Zadar you go up to Plitvice Lakes, which are amazing, and huge. You could easily spend two days wandering around in there. The scenery and waterfalls are just gorgeous. We did this trip in reverse a few years back and I would love to do it again. If you like cheese do try the Pag cheese which is delicious; it's a huge pity we can't get it here. Also try the Prsut, which is like Prosciutto. I really envy you :-)
...See More
dedtired
15 years ago
Oh Jo, I'm not sure i could even find Croatia on a map. The kabobs sound wonderful to and the bread just the way I like it, although I haven't met too many kinds of bread that I don't like.

What a great adventure for you. Sounds like you are adventurous, too. I would not eat squid or scorpion fish. I am a suspicious eater.

Tell us more when you can -- and take pictures of the country to post.
annie1992
15 years ago
Oh, I agree, send more reports whenever you have time. Pictures would be good too, if that's possible!

Have fun and eat well....

Annie
msazadi
15 years ago
Jo, keep eating and I hope taking pictures. I am hoping to get us on a trip over there next year. I too would love to pick a pomegranate RIPE from a tree or bush.

Have a good time!
netla
Original Author
15 years ago
The food at the reception was canapes, made with local ingredients, ham, sausages, cheese and anchovies, both salted and pickled. Considering how many people claim to hate anchovies I was interested to see that the anchovy canapes disappeared the fastest of all. But what a place to have a reception: On top of one of the towers that form part of the old city walls, overlooking the harbour and the rooftops of the city, with live traditional music and a beautiful sunset in the background. I will post a link to my flickr page once I have organised the photos.

More local food I have tried:
Pljeskavica - thin patties of beef, filled with cheese. Very good.

I discovered a Bosnian restaurant here in Dubrovnik. It's a tiny place with only a handful of tables, but seems to be very popular. I had the house special, veal and mushrooms with feta and some other milder cheese, wrapped in filo and served with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Very good. I also had walnut baclava with whipped cream and lemon syrup, which was very good, but the syrup was sweet enough to make me quite thirsty. Funny enough, the place is called Taj Mahal.

I'll be flying home on Sunday, but I want to at least try octopus before I go home. Oh, and I have found a delicious Croatian cookbook in English that I am going to buy. I plan to post some recipes from it once I get home.

Than concludes my second food report.
annie1992
15 years ago
Netla, I'm going to look forward to those pictures. Baklava is always so sweet it makes me thirsty, so I'm not at all surprised that the version there is too.

annie
jimster
15 years ago
It's good of you to post reports during your busy schedule. I know that isn't easy. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Jim

Food report from Croatia

Comments (8)

jimster

canarybird01

Related Discussions

dedtired

annie1992

msazadi

netla
Original Author

annie1992

jimster

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Food report from Croatia

Comments (8)

jimster

canarybird01

Related Discussions

dedtired

annie1992

msazadi

netlaOriginal Author

annie1992

jimster

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

netla
Original Author