Throughout your subsequent journey to Croatia, don’t miss the prospect to strive some – or all – of those conventional Croatian desserts.
Croatians love desserts. Regardless of how a lot meals we could have had, there’s all the time room for dessert. Croatian dessert recipes are written in notebooks and handed down via generations. Whereas some conventional desserts come and exit of trend, others are timeless. Right here’s a listing of one of the best Croatian desserts to strive in your subsequent Croatia trip.
10 Croatian Desserts You Have To Strive
1. Kremšnita
For a lot of Croatians, Kremsnita (custard cream cake) is the queen of Croatian desserts. The identify comes from the German phrase Cremeschnitte and you could find this delicacy in lots of central European international locations, most famously at Lake Bled in Slovenia.
The origin of this conventional cake is unknown. But, all these international locations have been as soon as a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Therefore, the cake is out there all through the area, with some variations. The style of Kremsnita takes me again to my childhood when each birthday, anniversary, or vacation was marked by everybody’s favourite dessert.
The basic Croatian Kremsnita is a cake made from effective yellow egg custard and generally a little bit of whipped cream, in between layers of golden flaky pastry crust. The cake is among the symbols of Samobor, a small city that lies eighteen miles from the capital. Locals on this picturesque city take nice delight of their model of the cake, Samoborska Kremsnita.
A pastry chef, Đuro Lukačić, created the unique recipe within the Nineteen Twenties after returning to his hometown to work in his brother’s pastry store. He had spent a few years working in prestigious pastry retailers in Vienna, Budapest, and Zagreb, and he mixed a number of recipes he preferred to create his well-known model.
Samoborska Kremsnita is straightforward: two layers of puff pastry, the highest sprinkled with icing sugar, with primarily egg custard filling and a skinny layer of whipped cream. A factor that’s distinctive to Samobor is the truth that they serve the cake heat. Again within the day, the cake was so widespread that folks waited in line to purchase a chunk. Because the demand was so excessive, there was no time for the cake to chill. You possibly can benefit from the unique cake on the U Prolazu pastry store within the heart of Samobor.
Zagreb has its personal model, Zagrebacka Kremsnita, which has chocolate icing as an alternative of the highest crust. You received’t discover this kind in a heat model, but it surely’s equally yummy. The writer of the thought is Stjepan Vincek, the proprietor of Vincek, the preferred pastry store in Zagreb.
2. Breskvice
Breskvice are small colourful bites that seem like peaches, have a candy peach taste, and are named accordingly. Aside from Croatia, you could find them in different ex-Yugoslavian international locations. They’re served at weddings, birthday events, or anniversaries, normally on a plate filled with small muffins and cookies. In Croatia, holidays and celebrations don’t really feel the identical with out Breskvice.
Their exterior is made from a cookie dough combination, and the feel reminds you of sentimental cookies. It’s essential to hole out the cookies to create space for the filling, which connects the 2 halves of every little peach. Nothing is wasted, so that you make the filling by including chocolate, peach jam, toasted hazelnuts, and a touch of rum to the crumbs you faraway from the pit. You dip the completed peaches in coloured milk and roll them in sugar. The top end result is an ideal little chunk that melts in your mouth.
Breskvice treats are a nightmare to make as a result of there may be a lot work to do and it appears to take endlessly. Fortunately, you’ll be able to generally discover them in supermarkets, and we’re endlessly grateful to all these diligent arms who put lots of effort into making them.
3. Mađarica
Madarica, a layered chocolate cake, is one other incredible candy deal with you could find on the identical platter as Breskvice and plenty of different muffins and cookies. It’s a timeless basic that may make you lick your fingers and attain for extra. We don’t know anybody who can cease at only one piece. The identify is the Croatian phrase for a Hungarian girl. We are able to solely guess that the cake bought this identify as a result of it seems to be like widespread Hungarian muffins Zserbo, Esterhazy, and Dobos.
This delightfully wealthy dessert consists of 5 layers of skinny cake, creamy chocolate, and darkish chocolate glaze on high. Making Madarica takes time and ability because it entails very skinny cake layers that may simply break. I keep in mind my mother dropping her calm each time a layer would break and stating she wouldn’t make Madarica ever once more. Having to chop the cake into small equivalent rectangles isn’t encouraging both.
Fortunately, you’ll be able to pattern Madarica at conventional pastry retailers round Croatia or purchase a complete field in some supermarkets. For me, although, my mother’s Madarica nonetheless tastes significantly better, regardless of a damaged layer or two.
4. Fritule
Fritule (or Prikle) are small deep-fried muffins with powdered sugar, melted chocolate, or caramel on high. Much like the Venetian Fritole, they’re conventional candy snacks originating in Dalmatia. These days, they’re widespread throughout Croatia and ready principally round Christmas. There’s no Christmas Eve with out the scent of Fritule, a real image of Christmas in Croatia.
To make the fundamental dough for Fritule, you want flour, eggs, milk, butter, and sugar. To make them juicier, you’ll be able to add raisins or grated apples. Skilled Fritule makers declare that the key to creating one of the best fritters is the vigorous mixing of the substances till there are bubbles within the dough. It’s greatest so as to add a little bit of alcohol to the dough, resembling rum, cognac, maraschino liqueur, or rose brandy, to make it ethereal and provides it a pleasant aroma.
You deep-fry the dough by the spoonful, a couple of items at a time, to verify they don’t stick collectively or burn. The end result must be flippantly crisp and golden brown ball-shaped bites, smooth and fluffy on the within. Then, you drain them with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate lined with absorbent paper to take away extra oil, earlier than coating them generously with powdered sugar, chocolate, or caramel glaze.
Yow will discover Fritule at many meals stalls round Zagreb throughout Creation when Zagreb turns right into a winter wonderland. Often, you too can discover them in conventional taverns in Istria and Dalmatia.
5. Paprenjaci
Paprenjaci (or black pepper cookies) are crispy and fragrant cookies which might be a staple of Croatian cookie jars. These Croatian cookies date again to Renaissance instances when Papar was the identify for a bunch of spices that included nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Originating from the Island of Hvar, particularly Stari Grad, Paprenjaci cookies have been ready as presents for newborns or to be provided as Christmas sweets and wedding ceremony treats.
Paprenjaci have a posh taste profile for seemingly easy cookies. They’re made with flour, eggs, honey, olive oil, Prosek (candy dessert wine), saffron, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and cloves. For reference, think about gingerbread cookies, lower with picket molds sporting festive designs, and simply the correct quantity of spices. Conventional Paprenjaci have been hand-cut and painted to resemble horseshoes, roosters, fruit, spiritual iconography, or ornate and delicate designs with white frosting.
You might be prone to run into one of many many types of this widespread deal with throughout a keep in Croatia. Paprenjaci could be simply present in delis, memento retailers, and each duty-free store in Croatia. This straightforward biscuit has slowly labored its manner into the collective nationwide consciousness to develop into a useful conventional deal with and a vastly sought-after memento. It’s a part of Croatia’s intangible cultural heritage.
6. Makovnjača & Orehnjača
Makovnjaca and Orehnjaca/Orahnjaca are flavorsome yeast dough pastries stuffed with a candy filling, both poppy seed (Makovnjaca) or walnut (Orehnjaca). The lengthy custom of creating poppy seed or walnut rolls is strongly implanted in all components of Croatia.
The particular scent and flavors of those selfmade delicacies are cherished childhood reminiscences for a lot of Croatians. Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers’ genuine recipes are properly preserved and saved as an important household secrets and techniques. Though there are scrumptious desserts just like Croatian poppy seed or walnut rolls in some components of Central and Northern Europe, Croatians proudly think about them their nationwide desserts.
The story of Makovnjaca and Orehnjaca begins proper by the oven, in early childhood. Beginning younger is necessary because it takes time to grasp the ability of creating a smooth dough. Nonetheless, a baby is just not permitted to knead the dough. Youngsters patiently sit subsequent to their grandmothers, observing their light strikes.
It takes time and plenty of errors earlier than the subsequent era is able to keep on the household custom. The baked dough have to be smooth and ethereal on the within and crispy on the skin. The proper dough texture can solely be achieved by rigorously measuring all of the substances and lengthy, affected person mixing and kneading. As soon as mixing and kneading are carried out, the dough must be given an increase earlier than filling and a second rise earlier than baking.
Hand at hand with smooth dough, the contemporary, fragrant, and moist filling is an equally necessary element of the selfmade rolls. Freshly floor walnuts or poppy seeds are combined with boiling milk, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, a couple of drops of rum, and, generally, raisins.
As soon as baked, the rolls are lower into slices and served with powdered sugar on high. In fact, nothing beats selfmade Makovnjaca and Orehnjaca, however you’ll be able to typically discover these Croatian desserts in conventional Croatian eating places or purchase a complete loaf at some supermarkets.
7. Kroštule
Krostule are crispy candy pastries, ready principally in Dalmatia and Istria, however widespread all through Croatia. Though many declare they’re conventional to this space, the precise homeland of this easy dessert is Venice. Venetian Crostoli unfold to many international locations throughout the glory days of the Venetian Republic. Totally different variations could be present in Italy, France, Hungary, Poland, and Greece. Croatians make Krostule totally on spiritual holidays – Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Christmas Eve, but in addition throughout the Carnival season.
This crunchy Croatian dessert is straightforward to arrange. The primary substances are flour, eggs, sugar, butter, rum, and salt. Dalmatians add their very own staple to the fundamental dough, lemon liqueur (Limoncello), whereas Istrians add white wine. You roll the dough thinly, form it into twisted ribbons, and deep fry. You drain the little pastries and dirt them with icing sugar.
Krostule could be served after a meal or with a cup of espresso or tea. It’s greatest to eat them inside a day, whereas they nonetheless crumble in your mouth. Since they’re straightforward to make, most conventional taverns in Istria and the Dalmatian Coast have them on the menu.
8. Splitska Torta
This conventional Croatian cake, native to the town of Cut up, is a real Dalmatian favourite. Its roots return to when individuals ready dishes out of what was simply out there, both grown within the yard or straightforward to seek out within the space. The cake is indispensable on virtually each vital festive event in Dalmatia.
Splitska Torta consists of layers of meringue and luscious yellow cream. You put together meringue from egg whites, almonds, dried figs, sugar, flour, and a pinch of salt. These days, you could find variations to the meringue, the place almonds are changed by walnuts and dried figs by raisins or another dried fruit.
For the yellow cream, you employ egg yolks, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, and optionally, lemon or orange zest and some drops of rum. You unfold a 3rd of the cream on every layer of meringue and stack one on high of the opposite. Earlier than serving, it’s not uncommon to embellish the highest of the cake with grated chocolate.
In fact, nothing beats a selfmade cake, however you could find Splitska Torta at many patisseries in and round Cut up. Luka Ice Cream & Truffles within the heart of Cut up serves Splitska Torta with the proper ethereal texture and heavenly style.
9. Princes Krafne
Princes Krafne, or princess doughnuts in English, are lavish, creamy, and scrumptious muffins which might be very talked-about in Croatia. Though the exact origin of princess doughnuts is just not totally resolved, it’s extensively accepted that they have been first made in France. Finally, they unfold round Europe and the remainder of the world. These days, Princes Krafne are among the many most beloved Croatian desserts throughout household gatherings and necessary holidays.
Though the listing of substances isn’t very lengthy, making the proper dough takes time. The bottom line is to measure exactly all of the substances: flour, water, butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. Opening the oven earlier than the pastry is totally baked is strictly forbidden as it is going to make your Krafne flat and unappealing. Every pastry must be lower in half and stuffed with yellow custard.
If you happen to handle to make the pastries, the custard must be the straightforward half. There are totally different recipes for the custard, however utilizing contemporary egg yolks reasonably than vanilla pudding will earn you respect in the area people. Aside from egg yolks, additionally, you will want milk, sugar, vanilla sugar, butter, and cornstarch.
Princes Krafne must be served chilly, but it surely’s all the time a problem to attend. Happily, many patisseries in Croatia have them available.
10. Gibanica
Gibanica is a sort of flaky layered pie, normally made with cheese. Two variations of Gibanica are mostly ready in Croatian households – Medimurska and Prekmurska. They differ in some substances, thickness of the filling, kind of topping, and style however each variations are candy and scrumptious. Comparable specialties are made all through Southeast Europe. In Slovenia, Serbia, and North Macedonia, Gibanica goes by the identical identify, whereas in Bulgaria it’s often known as Banica.
Međimurska Gibanica is initially from the Medimurje area in northern Croatia, close to the Hungarian border. Softer and juicier than different comparable sorts of cake, it’s ready with skinny phyllo dough and has 4 layers of filling. The latter’s substances are contemporary cow’s cheese, grated apples, floor walnuts, and floor poppy seeds with toppings like raisins and cinnamon.
Prekmurska Gibanica is initially from Slovenia, however widespread in Croatia as properly. It’s named after the Slovenian area of Prekmurje, which lies in northeastern Slovenia, close to Hungary.
The phyllo dough for Prekmurska Gibanica is just like the one for Medimurska Gibanica. There have to be eight layers of 4 fillings, repeated in the identical order: poppy seeds, cottage cheese, walnuts, and apples. For each Medimurska and Prekmurska Gibanica, the final a part of the dough is topped with candy or bitter cream combined with the egg yolk. Gibanica is then baked within the oven for about 40 minutes to an hour.
Each Medimurska and Prekmurska Gibanica are lower into cubes or squares and normally served sizzling, however very tasty when chilly as properly. Yow will discover Gibanica at conventional eating places north of Zagreb.
Croatian Dessert Wines
Croatian desserts pair excellently with dessert wines. The latter are candy wines to be loved as an after-dinner deal with. On account of their extra intricate manufacturing processes, they’re thought-about among the many most prestigious and costly wines on the planet. In Croatia, these wines are loved on festive events, normally throughout Christmas, when all of the household spends time collectively.
Prošek
Undoubtedly, probably the most well-known Croatian dessert wine is Prosek. The latter shouldn’t be confused with the Italian Prosecco, which is a glowing wine. Prosek is historically made in central and south Dalmatia. Most households who develop grapes make their very own wine in addition to small quantities of unique Prosek dessert wine, which requires about seven instances extra grape enter than an atypical wine.
Croatians normally take pleasure in Prosek on particular events with particular individuals. Historically, individuals would carry Prosek to new moms because it was thought-about to have therapeutic and strengthening results on the physique. Prosek may also be an ingredient in conventional Croatian sweets and different basic dishes, like Pasticada.
Muškat Momjanski
Muskat Momjanski is one other Croatian dessert wine. It comes from a local grape selection that grows on the hills of Momjan, close to the city of Buje, on the Istrian peninsula. Gold or straw yellow in colour, this wine pairs properly with desserts and normally has aromas of dried figs, honey, and raisins. It’s served chilled at about 54°F.
Zelenac
Final however not least, the Zelenac grape selection, which grows all through inland Croatia in vineyards close to the city of Kutjevo, produces some beautiful dessert wines. Whereas some dessert wines could be sickly candy, this selection has notes of freshness and sharpness that offset the excessive sugar content material. This wine is greatest served with fruity or buttery desserts, like an apple strudel or a dry cookie.
Fulfill Your Candy Tooth in Croatia With JayWay
We hope that this listing of the preferred Croatian desserts evokes you to go to Croatia and bask in a journey of sugar-fuelled discovery. Whether or not you’re in search of a foodie journey throughout Croatia, an itinerary that covers the nation’s highlights, or an journey to discover Croatia’s less-traveled roads, our knowledgeable journey planners and wonderful native workers will make certain your subsequent Croatia journey gives you nothing however the sweetest of reminiscences.
Josipa involves us with a powerful background within the tourism enterprise in Dubrovnik. With us, she returned to considered one of her favourite roles, direct contact with friends, after a number of years in gross sales roles with considered one of Dubrovnik’s bigger high-end lodges. Though Josipa was not born in Dubrovnik, she completed her research and began her household life right here and he or she feels Dubrovnik to be her hometown. She is aware of one of the best locations within the metropolis and the encompassing countryside, which she loves visiting together with her household. If you happen to’re beginning your journey in Dubrovnik, Josipa will greet you upon arrival and will likely be your native contact, through the cellphone we offer, all through your journey.
