10 Croatian Foods I Loved

Each of us is the master of our own home. There we control everything, the temperature, aesthetics, the food, etc. But when you're traveling your control is restricted to that which is on the menu. Unless of course you're renting a place or have access to a kitchen where you can cook your own meals.

I recently completed a trip to Croatia with stops in Amsterdam and Paris along the way. I assumed there would be many seafood options in the coastal cities of Croatia where we were visiting- which suits my dietary needs. However, when we arrived, we found that most recipes are heavily carb centric. Croatian cuisine is heavily influenced by Italian cuisine with some Greek and Turkish influences. Having originally been Greek colonies, ruled by Ottomans, and later ruled by the Venetians, it's not surprising. Roughly 80% of every menu was some combination of pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and pastries.

Where I Traveled To

We spent all our time in the Dalmatia region of Croatia between Split and Dubrovnik. Both places are coastal cities. Unlike much of Europe they've been barely touched by wars and have been territories of various empires over the centuries. The tourist season in this region is from April through October. The weather is roughly equivalent to the Carolinas, though the coastal cities only see snow roughly once every 10 years. Traditional Croatian dishes often on menus there are black risotto, borek (bur-ek), cevapi (che-vap-ay), pasticada (past-e-sa-da). Each of these including a heavy carb component.

My recommendation is simple when you're traveling: unless it's a medical restriction, relax your diet and explore the local culture. As long as you balance it with proper exercise, don't go into excess or make it a lasting habit, you deserve to experience everything your tourist adventure has to offer.

The 10 Favorite Croatian Foods from My Trip

We had some incredible meals during our tour of Croatia and below are 10 of the great meals we had. First let me say, if you're ever in Dubrovnik, find Bokar Dubrovnik within the old city walls. It was the greatest meal of our entire trip (pictures featured at the end).

I incorporated ratings for each dish. That is their rating in comparison to the best dish of the entire trip. Each of these meals was delicious, but I had to rank them somehow.

1) Octopus Salad.

A delicious combination of octopus, tomatoes, red onions and olive oil, garnished with lemon. RATING: 8/10

2) Seafood Risotto.

Pretty straightforward as the name suggests. Included in this however was mussels, shrimp, and octopus making it especially delicious and attention getting. RATING: 8/10

3) Pasticada.

This is one of the traditional Croatian dishes I mentioned. At this restaurant it was prepared as a steak with gnocchi as a side, but I'm told it's typically prepared as a stew. RATING: 7/10

4) Black Risotto.

This is another traditional Croatian dish. This risotto is cooked using cuttlefish which causes the unique coloring. Among my favorites of this trip and strongly recommended. RATING: 9.5/10

5) Beef Carpaccio.

An internationally known dish. The restaurant we tried it at seasoned the meat with some kind of mustard which made it stand out from all the other times I've tried it. RATING: 8/10

6) "Meat Platter".

Certainly, lived up to its name. We took a day trip to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Our guide recommended Restaurant Kaldrma, which has rooftop seating and outdoor heaters for enjoying the beautiful scenery overlooking the old city of Mostar. RATING: 7.5/10

This dish consisted of doner chicken kebabs, cevapi (che-vap-ay), and a bone-in steak filet over about 2 pounds of fries and paired with ajvar and coleslaw. Doner is a rotisserie style way of cooking meat, cevapi is a traditional Croatian cooking style where ground meat is made into a skinless sausage, and ajvar is a red sauce made of puréed peppers and paprika seasoning.

7) Black Cherry Gelato w/ a chocolate fudge shooter.

Mostro Gelato in Dubrovnik was our favorite gelato place on the whole trip. It's located within the old city walls and boasts an incredibly diverse selection. Each day they swap in two new flavors, making it a great guilty pleasure and they provide a free shooter of chocolate sauce, caramel, or nutella with each purchase. RATING: 10/10

REMINDER: only get a small (1 scoop). It's the only way to keep this rich indulgence semi-healthy.

8) Duck over lentils w/ thinly sliced local bacon.

As I mentioned above, our favorite meals of the trip were at Bokar Dubrovnik within the old city walls of Dubrovnik. These next dishes are all from that restaurant. I ordered the duck twice on this trip because it was THAT good. RATING: 12/10 !!!!

9) Whole Grilled Lobster.

Pretty straightforward, however they added their own special blend of seasonings which I couldn't begin to describe accurately and instead of ketchup ajvar was provided with the french fries. RATING: 11/10 !!!

10) Pork Ribs.

I got to try my companion's ribs on our visit to Bokar Dubrovnik and OH MY GAWD they were fantastic. Hands down the best ribs I've ever eaten. Lightly sauced, falling off the bone. 13/10 !! My only regret was not finding Bokar Dubrovnik earlier in our trip so we could eat more of their incredible food. RATING: 13/10 !!!!!

HONORABLE MENTION: Dalmatia Charcuterie.

Everything locally sourced. To dry and age the charcuterie meats they hang the meat outside for days. The salty sea air provides a natural curing to the meat that I've never seen anywhere else on my travels. I'm not typically a fan of prosciutto, but it was simply too good to refuse.

The prosciutto was complimented by local cheeses, fig spread, pickled red onions, and local ham. The skills used to prepare these ingredients are truly phenomenal and deserve recognition. Even though it's among my favorite Croatian food experiences, it's not a cooked/prepared dish, so I could not score it like the others.