Eating in Croatian

In an earlier post, I wondered what my frame of reference would be for understanding Croatia. I have now been here for nearly four weeks, and I think I can say that I am looking at this country through its libraries and its food. Today we will talk about food.

The University of Zadar has made my hotel accommodations for me, and they have been arranged on the pension plan, meaning that I eat breakfast and dinner in the hotel. In Zadar and Osijek the breakfasts have been the typical European self-serve buffets: eggs, sausage, fabulous pastries, cold meats and sliced cheese, yoghurt, tomatoes, cereal, and much, much more. In Zadar, there was always fresh cantaloupe. In both Osijek and Zadar, there are locally grown mandarin oranges. It's all good.

My first day in Zadar I strode confidently out to find lunch. I first tried the little cafe near the hotel. No food there -- just coffee and gelato. I walked farther along the beach and found another cafe. Again, just coffee and other drinks -- no food at all. It took awhile before I figured out that the all of these appealing little cafes that said Cafe Bar or just Coffee Bar only served drinks. They are everywhere, filled with Croatians drinking and smoking (but only until March, 2009 when smoking will be banned in restaurants). No Starbucks but lots and lots of other places to drink good strong coffee.

Lunch remained a little elusive in Zadar. I could walk about 15 minutes into the Old City and find restaurants serving food or I could buy a burek ( rich cheese-filled pastry that everyone said is not Croatian at all, but Servian) at the local supermarket. Or I could sneak bread, cheese, and ham and a mandarin from the breakfast buffet. I was not going to starve.

Dinner in the Hotel Kolovare in Zadar was always filling and certainly edible but hardly representative of the best cooking in Dalmatia. For that, you need a good seafood restaurant or a konoba for truly authentic Dalmatian food.

My students and I ate at a konoba on the island of Sali. They tell me that it was typical of its kind. The stone walls, green shutters, white net curtains, wood benches are the standard decor. Food was served family style: black risotto made with squid ink, a cabbage salad, and fried calamari. All washed down with a local white wine.

Here are some other foods that are unique to Croatia that I relished: palacinkes (crepes filled with chocolate or in Zadar with marascino cherries -- incredible), cevapceci (spicy meatballs served with a pepper and tomato relish and onions), krafna (donuts!), calamari salad, amazingly fresh salads with simple lettuce and tomatoes, burek (flaky cheese-filled pastry), velvety prosciutto, and sheep's milk cheese from Pag Island. And drinks: honey grappa as an ice cold aperitif, slivovics (plum brandy), and a home made cherry liqueur.

I was told that the food would be completely different in Osijek -- more meat and potatoes. I've been here for four days, and you couldn't prove it by me. Again, I am eating in the hotel restaurant which is a much more elegant place than the dining room at the Hotel Kalovare. (I heartily recommend the Waldinger if you find yourself here.) On my first day, I had unwisely ordered the "chicken tortilla" at the Gallija Mexican and Steak Restaurant. Well, how could I not? Wouldn't you be curious? OK. It was a mistake. So to compensate I tried to order something called "Slavonian plate" for supper. It seemed to be an assortment of local dishes. "You don't want that," said the waiter. "It's too heavy." "Oh," I said. "What do I want?" "Fish," said the waiter. And he was right. It was a lovely river fish -- perch, I think -- perfectly prepared with a mound of roasted vegetable. And they have insisted I eat fish for the past two nights as well. Very tasty but not the meat and potatoes I was prepared for.

This would not be an easy place for a vegetarian, but for me, it's been good eats.