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| The majority of Germans
came to the Croatian territory during the reign of Maria Theresa (1740
- 1780). From that time on they have acclimatised well and have influenced
our cuisine in their own particular way. They have retained their
own customs, some of which Croatians taken over. However, we have
found out that in Croatia there are no German restaurants or stores
with German food. The main food in German cuisine is potato, followed
by a number of various goulashes that were taken over from the Hungarian
cuisine. Their " ajnpren " soup has been adopted in every Croatian
household, especially in the continental area. Asparagus and game
are frequent as well, and in the preparation of food Germans are known
by the extensive usage of butter. Germans like heavy, fried, stuffed
food, so their specialities are Kullster sausages, Bavarian roast
pork, sausage salad, Frankfurters sausages, boar with bread dumplings,
speckkuchen (cake made of bacon with a lot of onions and eggs ), malutaša
( meat pressed into dough or cheese + spinach ), Kletzebrof Christmas
cake, Kuglof - Austrian cake, jam doughnuts and croissants which are
very popular in all parts of Croatian. For many Croatians the ideal
setting for a meal is cheerful music, typical German wooden chairs
and tables and a fat, smiling waitress with a red cheeks and curly
blond hair, who will obligingly serve them a pint of beer and a delicious,
greasy sausage with bread. |
| CZECH ETHNIC MINORITY |
| There are about 14000
Czechs living in Croatia, mostly in Slavonia, with their centre in
Daruvar. They came to these parts 200 years ago due to economic reasons
and studies. In 1945 many of them returned to southern Morawa., because
after the Second World War they had better living condition there.We
have visited the centre of the Czech minority in Zagreb, talked to
them and their members, and here is the summery of our brief, interesting
interview:We have questioned three very nice women from the Czech
Beseda while they were preparing croissants with jam, and in the honey
atmosphere we have found out that when we are in Chech Republic we
mustn't miss the chance to try the most frequent dish in their household
: Czech dumplings with gravy, sauerkraut and pork ( or duck or goose
), Svičkovu (roast beef ), pork ala Vilet and " Bfamborak " - round
flat cake with saw potatoes. |
| ITALIAN ETHNIC MINORITY |
| There are about 4800 Italians
living in Croatia, mainly in the north of Croatia littoral. They came
to this territory during the Venetian occupation of Croatia in the
15th century, and we can say that they are rooted mostly in Istria,
where even today some of them speak only Italian. With their cuisine
Italians have strongly influenced Croatian food. In Zagreb, for example,
there are hundreds of pizza parlours and trattorias where, besides
pizza, you can also find pasta with sauce, gnocchi, lasagne, salads
and other original Italian dishes. Not only are there many Italian
restaurants, but in every "regular" restaurant you can order at least
several Italian specialities. Italian cuisine is very similar to the
cuisine of the Adriatic coast, its islands and its hinterland. Except
for the traditional pasta, there is a lot of fish, sea fruits, vegetables,
various sauces and a number of different spices, among which the most
common are rosemary, bay leaves, sweet basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram
and garden-sage. Italians are also the lovers of cheese, such as mozzarella,
mascarpone and gorgonzola which can all be bought in many Croatian
stores but at a higher price. When we talk about the Italian specialities,
we chiefly refer to lasagne (made of several layers of dough, bolognese
sauce, besamel, cheese, and vegetables. It is all fried in oven. ),
cannelloni ( tube-shaped rolls which can be stuffed with vegetables,
meat...), pastasciutta ( pasta with tomato sauce, vegetables and spices
) and pizza, which originates from Israel, but since the Italians
have perfected it we can consider it to be their national dish. As
far as the cakes are concerned, they are mostly dry and very sweet,
mainly made of marzipan, with almonds and candied fruits or soaked
in syrup, for example zuppa inglese (there is also an ice-cream ),
zabaglione ( yolk and white wine cream ), panettone ( Italian Christmas
cake ). The Italians are also great lovers and experts in wine, and
are always fascinated by our national wines. |
| JEWISH MINORITY |
| Jewish cuisine does not
exist in the same way as Italian or Mexican does. Jews have a complex
food system (kashrut) that defines which food is forbidden and which
allowed, and the ways in which it is prepared and eaten. Every meal
that is prepared by the directions of kashrut can also be Jewish,
and Jews usually prepare food in the way customary to the country
they live in. There are many famous Jewish dishes that have become
part of other cuisines, such as Greek, Turkish, Russian etc. Also,
there is a great number of meals that are traditionally or ritually
connected to certain holidays. On Hanukah, for example, it is a tradition
to eat an apple dipped in honey. There are also certain days which
take certain type of food: JOM KIPUR is a fast, but as the first meal
of the day it is customary to eat a soft cake called kuglof, with
tea or coffee (the influence of Viennese cuisine). On PURIM they eat
special kinds of rolls called Hamantaschen (Haman's pockets). On PASSOVER,
a special meal is prepared called Seder ("order"): bitter herbs, round
unleavened flat cake and lamb. |
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| SERBIAN ETHNIC
MINORITY |
| Until
the civil war in Croatia, Serbians were a huge part of Croatian population,
but during and after the war they moved out of Croatia in great numbers.
Today, they are present mainly in the eastern Croatia (near the Serbian-Croatian
border) and in some parts of the southern Croatian Littoral and hinterland. |
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Croatian and Serbian cuisine are quite alike, especially regarding
the oriental influence, due to the long lasting Turkish occupation.
Their specialities are ajvar (vegetable mixture made of red peppers
and eggplants), cheese-cake (made of rolled dough), Serbian broth
(with potatoes and sorrel), Serbian beans, Serbian barley-groats or
"papazjanija" (boiled with beans), Serbian cufteta (with onions chopped
or minced meat with sauce), Leskovacka mixture (minced meat dumplings
with sauce), Uzicki kajmak (a tasteful smear made of cream and butter,
with salt; usually eaten with home-made corn bread), corn with eggs. |
| A
number of these dishes is present in the Croatian cuisine as well,
but under different titles. One dish that is especially popular in
Croatian households is ajvar, which is prepared and put into jars
as winter provisions every autumn. |
| GIPSY
MINORITY |
| Gipsies
come to Croatia mainly from Bosnia, as we have found out from a Gipsy-woman
called Rasema. Their chief characteristic is that they take over the
customs and cuisine from the people whose country they are in. Muslim
Gipsies (from Bosnia) eat pork regardless of their religion. They
usually prepare all sorts of pies at home, and their favourite one
is a potato-pie. Pies are also made of cheese and meat. They cook
various kinds of stews, like, for example, beans and sauerkraut, beans
and potatoes, stuffed cabbage leaves … |
| Since they
don't have much money, they cook food that is cheaper, don't eat in
fast-food restaurants and prepare everything at home. Only women do
the cooking. |
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