Definitely not without a reason, many of those who know a thing or two about the countries and their gastronomies will say that a lot can be learned about a country through the wealth of its cuisine. As a guest in a tavern and a wine cellar, or some of the numerous beautifully furnished restaurants, whether your choice is the international cuisine or you have decided for some of the national specialties, not only shall you relish the opulence of natural tastes, but you will also find out something more about Croatia, your present, and - we are certain - time and again - your future tourist destination.

Apart from the classical cuisine, we advise you to try some indigenous specialties in one of the numerous, and also the best restaurants which your hosts will surely recommend to you for particular kinds of food. These indeed are not scarce, and in each one of them you will find some dish that will win you over with its taste. Some of them, we are certain, you will like so much that you will wish to make them part and parcel of your everyday menu.

Let us start then from the appetizers! There are many of you who will above all things appreciate remarkably delicious Dalmatian prsut, specially prepared smoked ham. Here also are salted pilchards prepared in a special way, a famous salami from the eastern parts of Croatia - kulen, and so on. Also specific is the way they prepare the widely popular cheese from the island of Pag, which for many people is not only a gastronomic pleasure, but also a souvenir that they will take with them home. The secret of its uniqueness is in ambiance and in technology of preparing. It is made of sheep milk, and in the course of ripening, it is coated with olive oil, which gives it particular aroma and taste. A recommendation for an appetizer would also be excellent mussels (oysters, musule Noah's ark), prstaci (date shells), grilled (na gradele) or cooked skampi (na buzaru). Others will like a continental specialty, prepared from dough and cheese - zagorski strukli - the taste of which, although it comes from the surrounding districts of Zagreb, knows no boundaries.

Out of hundreds of specialties of the animal life in the Adriatic there is a large number of particularly delicious fish, crabs, mussels and cephalopods. Anyway, the most competent of connoisseurs considers the fish and the crabs of the Adriatic sea as the best in the world.

For those who relish the taste of excellently prepared lobsters, scampi, oysters, date shells and highly valued fish in addition to superb wines there is then on doubt - you have just discovered your own corner of the world. The Mediterranean climate has evidently influenced this cuisine, so that here you will find food that is most often prepared simply as cooked - na leso - with seasonings added afterwards. These meals are extremely tasty and light, having one special advantage besides all the others - they can be repeated more often.

Among the dishes that we recommend there are Dalmatian pasticada (beef stuffed with bacon and cooked in wine and spices), the widely famous lamb's meat from the island of Pag, the indigenous continental specialty from Zagreb - Zagrebacki odrezak (cordon bleu) - veal cutlet stuffed with ham and cheese, and then fried in bread crumbs and turkey with mlinci (thinly rolled out dough baked on the stove's hot plate, on which boiling water is poured.

Zagorski Strukli (Strudel with cottage cheese, browned in oven)

Dough 18 oz. flour 1 egg 2 Tbsp oil 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. mild vinegar

Filling 5 oz. butter 19 oz. cottage cheese

Topping 3 oz. butter 2 oz. bread crumbs

Sift flour on a pastry board. Heat the water until lukewarm. Make a small depression in the corner of the flour, add salt, egg and oil, and stir gradually with a knife, adding water with vinegar, work the dough and knead until it becomes completely smooth. Cut dough into three little balls, coat each with oil, cover with warmed dish and leave to rest for about half an hour.

While it is resting, prepare the filling: beat the softened butter with cottage cheese you have run through a strainer, mix in beaten eggs and pinch of salt, until soft and foamy. Blend in sour cream.

Spread the table cloth and cover with flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, and then stretch with hands, so that it becomes paper thin. Remove thick edges, and leave the rolled out dough to dry a little.

Sprinkle the dough with one part of melted butter. Spread one third of the filling over half of the stretched dough and roll in the dough with the aid of a table cloth.

Make an impression on the rolled strip - about 3 to 3 1/2 inches apart - with a wooden spoon. Then cut them with a rim of a plate to seal the ends.

Place these strudels one by one into salted boiling water and let them boil for 10 minutes. Do not cook a large quantity of strudels at once. Take them out with a straining spoon, drain and arrange into an ovenproof dish or a baking pan. Cover abundantly with sour cream. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place into preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 F.

Croatia - Tourist Magazine