Croatia’s mouth-watering melange of culinary influences – a jumble of Hungarian, Italian, Slavic, Turkish and Austrian, among others – has created one of the most exciting cuisines in Europe. Each region has its own specialities, making a foodie tour of Croatia one of the most pleasurable ways of spending a summer holiday.
Start in the heart-shaped Istrian peninsula in the north Adriatic, a land of award-winning olive oils, superb wines and pungent truffles. While there’s a hint of Italy on the plate, the Istrians have come up with their own pasta called fuži, which is served with all sorts of deeply flavoured sauces including beef ragout and, of course, truffles. Spend a morning with a truffle farmer and his hunting dog and you’ll soon see how much the truffle is valued here. Try thin slices of air-dried ham called pršut during wine tastings in some of Istria’s top-classes wineries producing delicate white malvazija and robust teran reds. Seafood lovers can combine visits to gorgeous Rovinj with giant bowls of mussels from the Lim Channel.
