RESTAURANTS, CHEESE FROM PAG, TRAVARICA...

The cuisine of Croatia is Mediterranean and famous. It is characterized by grilled meat, fish, local vegetables and of course local olive oils.
There are great wines and spirits. Here are just a few examples.

cheese from island pag

You can expect something special. There are many sheep farmers on the island of Pag. The specialty is that the grass, the sheep eat is particularly salty. The cheese made from this sheep's milk (in Croatian cheese is called "Sir") tastes simply fantastic. It is important to make sure, that it is real cheese (sir) from the island of Pag (paski), i.e. paski sir. It is offered in different stages of maturity from mild (young) to strong (old). A very well matured paski sir is similar to Parmesan in terms of taste and consistency, only much better. It is best to buy it from the local dairies on Pag, or at the market in Zadar. A good paski sir costs around € 35 per kilo.

Travarica

Everyone knows Slivovic (the clear plum brandy). In addition, there is an abundance of liqueurs and herbal bitters. Pelinkovac, Vlahovac, Bermet, Orahovac, Maraschino, Kruschkovac etc. The most interesting from our point of view is the Travarica. It is not just a herbal bitter but a kind of medicine. It is said that one sip of Travarica a day will take you to an age of 100. Unfortunately, there are big differences in quality. From "yummy, super delicious" to "yuck, turpentine". For our taste, the real Velebitska Travarica (made from herbs from the Velebit Mountains and also locally distilled) is the best. The expensive varieties in the tourist shops are by far not always the best. Just try it.

Fisch & Fleisch

Not much need be said about meat. Everyone in Europe knows the famous overloaded grill plates with cevapcici, pljescavica, steak, skewers, onions and delicious sauces. Good Appetite.

Fish is a must in Croatia because it often comes straight from the fishermen, especially in the small villages. Most of the time, the goods have never seen the inside of a freezer. No matter if fish, scampi or squid. Just make sure that the restaurant is not too “touristy” and that the menu is not too long. Two of our recommendation for superbe fish in the region are the restaurant “Sto Morica” in the pedestrian zone of Zadar or Restaurant Bruschetta close to the seaside promenade in Zadar.