Zagreb Cuisine

(Source: Zagreb Tourist Board)

The people of Zagreb are open-minded, inquisitive, fond of socialising and the little joys of life – and this is exactly what their cuisine is like. Through centuries under the rule of and in the vicinity of other nations, Zagreb gastronomy collected influences from everywhere – from Austrian, Hungarian, Italian, but also Turkish and oriental cuisines. Its basis, however, has always been the local ingredients coming from Zagreb's fertile and hard-working surroundings. The food has to be rich and enjoyable, and the gathering of friends and family around the table is always a true feast.

The old Zagreb cuisine is actually an ideal blend of peasant food and sophisticated Austrian heritage. The Zagrebians hold homemade bread in high regard and, while they consume a lot of meat, meat products, potato, eggs and local varieties of pasta, they also eat a great deal of vegetables and dairy products, notably cottage cheese and sour cream.

A true, honest meal needs to proceed unrushed, according to the set scenario from the entrée and soup, through the main course to dessert, all washed down with local wines, sometimes additionally with rakija or liqueur at the beginning or at the end of the meal. Although the best way to get to know the richness of Zagreb cuisine would be a Sunday lunch in a local family's home or a summer open-air barbecue, there are enough traditional restaurants both in and around the city with an offer which will faithfully represent all the flavours and smells synonymous with home cooking. 

The Sweet Side of Zagreb

Pastries and cakes have always been important to the people of Zagreb, and they devote a lot of time to them – you only need to leaf through the old Zagreb cookbooks full of sweet wonders. There are many local desserts that are in fact the heritage of the Austro-Hungarian times so that we have our own variations on the sweet themes from all over Central Europe. Numerous varieties of pancakes, strudels, pies and dumplings are the most widespread and simplest desserts but there are also more complex creations, such as the rich chocolatey Jelačić bars, our echo of the Viennese Sacher cake. Zagreb embraced the traditional kremšnita (custard slice), a specialty from the nearby town of Samobor, adding whipped cream and chocolate glaze to its own version. Following in the footsteps of Vienna, the first pastry shops opened at the beginning of the 19th century, while the father of modern baking and pastry industry is considered to be Alois Schönoa, also the father of the writer who is the most representative of Zagreb – August Šenoa.

Cake and pastry making developed with time, so today we can choose between old-fashioned pastry shops with a classic offer, and original, modern cake makers. Whichever genre you might prefer, the news of a good cake spreads like wildfire so the most successful cake and pastry makers enjoy devout following. The change of seasons is reflected in pastry shop displays – in autumn people flock to feast on chestnut- d desserts; winter is reserved for richer cakes, usually made of chocolate and nuts, while spring and summer are the time for lighter desserts with strawberries and other berries, such as the "icy wind" cake. Ice-cream is also well-liked, and you can tell that Italy is near by how seriously this seasonal dessert is treated. Creative chocolate making is a new niche, still small but exciting and already winning international awards. It is not by coincidence that the Museum of Chocolate has recently opened in Zagreb.