15 Traditional Croatian Foods to Try on Your Trip

If you’re anything like me, trying the local food is a must on your trip. Personally, it’s one of my favourite ways to get familiar with local culture because food speaks a lot about daily life, tradition, history and how it all shaped what has been served on the menu for centuries. So, if you’re looking for traditional Croatian foods to try on your trip, you have come to the right place.

As I am born and raised Croatian, of course I grew up on our food, and so traditional Croatian cuisine has always been a comfort food to me.

Therefore, in this blog post I will be sharing with you my top 15 traditional Croatian foods to try on your trip – the more from the list, the better!

Just bear in mind that even though all of the dishes listed here are traditional, they may not be served where you’re visiting because some of them belong and are more common to the certain Croatian region.

For example, northern, and especially eastern Croatia, are popular for their hearty meat dishes, so most menus in restaurants will offer cooked and grilled meat dishes, mostly pork, but often you’ll see lamb and veal options too.

On the other hand, coastal regions are more oriented to fresh seafood, so there will be plenty of options of seafood and fish dishes to choose from.

This is not to say that you can’t find pork dishes on the Adriatic coast or seafood in the mainland area, and some dishes are universal to all regions and can be found everywhere, such as cevapi and burek.

So, without further ado, below you can find my recommendation of traditional Croatian foods to try, from most popular Croatian dishes to unique ones.

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Cevapi

If there’s one Croatian dish you absolutely have to try is cevapi (pronounced che-VAH-pee).

Cevapi is the most popular dish in Croatia, so no matter where you are, you will be able to find a place that serves them.

Cevapi is like a little sausage or kebab made from minced meat, usually beef, lamb or a mix of the two. They always come with lepinja bread (LEH-pee-nya), onions and ajvar dip (EYE-var) made of grilled aubergines and bell peppers.

You can find cevapi as street food or in restaurants and usually they come with 2 options; small cevapi with 5 cevaps or big cevapi with 10 cevaps.

Trust me, it’s very difficult to find a Croatian who doesn’t like cevapi, and if you do, they are mostly vegetarians. Every kid starts eating cevapi as soon as they physically can, so we really grow up on them.

Burek

Another very popular traditional Croatian dish is burek (pronounced as BOO-rek).

Burek is a savory flaky pastry, mainly filled with either cottage cheese or minced meat. Other options you can find in certain bakeries are with spinach and cottage cheese or with potato, also known as krumpirusa (kroom-peer-OO-shah).

Krumpirusa is my favourite, so I would definitely recommend trying it, but honestly, you won’t go wrong with either one.

Burek is sold in bakeries, I don’t think there’s a bakery that doesn’t sell it, and if it doesn’t, it’s probably not a good bakery to start with!

My top tip is to eat burek with yoghurt, trust me, it’s the best combo! Every bakery that sells burek also sells yoghurt, so they’ll know which version to give to you because this yoghurt is watery and is meant to be drunk.

Sarma

Sarma is probably my favourite traditional Croatian dish, and if it doesn’t take a lot of time to make it, I would probably be cooking it every week!

Sarma (pronounced as SAR-mah) is stuffed sour cabbage leaves with minced meat and rice. It is cooked in a broth for a few hours and is commonly served with mashed potatoes and bread.

I love to add tomato passata in the broth, but because of the paprika spice, the broth should be reddish nevertheless, however, I just love the taste passata ads. The original recipe is without it, but some people like me, do add it. Also, we add a chunk of pancetta to the broth for a richer taste.

You can find sarma in more traditional restaurants called konoba or taverna.

Stuffed Paprika

Stuffed paprika, or as we call it punjena paprika (pronounced as poon-YEH-nah PAH-pree-kah), is a similar dish to sarma.

Actually, the preparation is the same, but the main difference is that instead of rolling the cabbage leaves, you are filling bell peppers with minced meat.

In punjena paprika, you have to add tomato passata and you don’t add pancetta because the taste of punjena paprika is sweeter compared to sarma, which is more sour.

This is my favourite meal after sarma and I’m actually making it while writing this blog post!

Same as with sarma, you can find it in traditional restaurants.

Peka

Peka is a Croatian dish made under the bell, which is also the literal translation.

Peka (PEH-kah) is more referring to the method of preparation which involves slow cooking under a dome-shaped lid covered in hot ashes.

My dad makes a really great peka, and while a lot of families are doing this themselves, don’t worry, there are also restaurants that are serving it, but usually you need to order peka at least a day before, unless they don’t list it under the daily menu.

Peka is mainly made from lamb or veal, but if you’re on the coast, you can also try the octopus one.

My favourite is veal peka followed by octopus, and that’s mainly because I don’t like lamb, but my husband loves it and lamb peka is usually his favourite, but you can’t go wrong with any choice here!

Black Risotto

Black risotto is a very popular dish on the Dalmatian coast, but you can usually find it anywhere in Croatia.

Black risotto gets its rich black colour from cuttlefish, which is cooked with its ink. I recommend pairing it with a white wine.

Definitely try if you’re visiting Croatian coast for the first time!

📖 Read my 7 Best Places to Visit in Croatia for First Timers blog post.

Kotlovina

Taste and look of kotlovina (pronounced kot-lo-VEE-nah) is similar to peka, but the preparation is different and easier, so if you’re perhaps looking to try out some of the Croatian traditional foods at home, kotlovina is a good place to start (besides regular bbq).

Kotlovina is cooked in a kotao (large pot) over an open fire, which gives it a smoky depth of flavour.

My husband is great at it, so we tend to eat it regularly, but you can also find kotlovina in traditional restaurants, mostly in the Slavonia region.

Dagnje na Buzaru

Whenever I’m at the coast, I order at least once dagnje na buzaru aka mussels on buzara.

Dagnje na buzaru (pronounced DAHN-nyeh nah boo-ZAH-roo) is prepared with simple and minimal ingredients, such as olive oil, garlic, parsley, wine and breadcrumbs. Sometimes they add tomato sauce and this type is called red mussels on buzara, whereas without it white. The dish is enjoyed with homemade bread and a glass of chilled white coastal wine.

You can find mussels on buzara at pretty much any seaside restaurant.

Gulas

Gulas aka goulash is a traditional Croatian dish that was influenced by Hungary when Croatia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Croatian goulash is usually made of beef, cooked in a tomato sauce with red wine and served with mashed potatoes, gnocchi or even pasta.

You can find goulash in traditional restaurants.

Pizza

You may be surprised with this, but pizza is a very much traditional and popular Croatian dish loved by every single Croatian probably.

Because Croatia is bordering Italy, obviously we got a lot of the Italian influence on our food, so you’d see that even traditional restaurants often have pasta or pizza on the menu. And of course pizza can be found anywhere, from bakeries to pizzerias.

My favourite is capriciosa or sometimes called mixed pizza that consists of tomato base, ham, mushrooms, cheese and olives, so no anchovies like in Italy!

Stuffed or Grilled Squid

If you love seafood, you have to try squid in Croatia, especially at the seaside, though it’s delicious anywhere you go!

My favourite is stuffed squid with ham and cheese – so, so delicious! But, the standard grilled squid is really good too.

Both versions are usually served with boiled potatoes and swiss chard.

Cured Meat

Cured meat is a delicacy in Croatia and is usually served as an appetiser, though at homes, it is often brought to the table when you have guests. A concept of eating then is similar to Spanish tapas – we eat meat and cheese while talking, drinking and hanging out together, so it’s our little tradition.

The most popular cured meat in Croatia is ham, prosciutto, sausage, kulen (KOO-len) and bacon.

📖 Read my 12 Most Popular Croatian Traditions to Know About blog post.

Seafood Grill Platter

And speaking of platters, you have to try a seafood platter at the seaside.

The platter usually consists of fish, mussels, squid, prawns and octopus, give or take. It’s a great meal for dinner if you’re visiting with at least one more person because platters are usually served from 2 persons.

Pita

Pita is very similar to burek, but you don’t get one piece of it, it comes as a whole plate.

Same as with burek, my favourite is made from potatoes, but it can be filled with meat, cheese, and some even make sweet versions with nutella.

Pita is usually made at home, but there are specialised places in some towns called piteria (like a pita place) that make and sell them.

It’s usually topped with greek yoghurt or sour cream, and we drink yoghurt with it too.

Schnitzel

And last but not least, one of our traditional food is schnitzel. Because we were a part of the Habsburg Monarchy and then Austro-Hungarian Empire for centuries, we got influenced by Austrian cuisine, including their Viennese schnitzel.

In Croatia we make the breaded schnitzel from pork or more often chicken these days. But my favourite version is the Zagreb schnitzel which is filled with ham and cheese, you have to try this!

Most restaurants will have schnitzel on their menu. And in terms of Croatian homes, the schnitzel is served almost weekly, mostly on Sundays.

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