Coffee, Kremsnita, and More – September 2020

Posted on by Susan

We ate a variety of traditional Croatian foods during our two-month stay. 

Bijela kava – White coffee, a popular hot drink, is a type of latte with less coffee and more milk. Croatians believe that any form of coffee is not just a drink, but a social experience. Many of the cafes include outdoor seating options throughout the year, which fill up quite quickly on Saturday mornings and late afternoons on weekdays. At only one cafe in Croatia did we see the clever spoon shown in the photo at the top of this post. 

Kremsnita – Many restaurants and bakeries in Croatia offer kremsnita, but the eateries in Samobor serve the most popular version of the very light, vanilla custard cream between puff pastry sheets. So of course, we had to try it while visiting Samobor.  Even though it was void of chocolate, it was still delicious!

Roasted corn on the cob – This warm, salty treat is one of the most common street foods. Apparently adding butter to the cooked corn cobs is not popular, probably because of the messiness factor when eating. 

Strukli – Both savory and sweet versions of strukli are eaten in Croatia. We made sure to have several tasty meals at Zagreb’s La Struk restaurant, which specializes in the lasagne-like dish made with filo pastry, cottage cheese, cream, eggs, and cheese. 

  • Roasted red pepper strukli
  • Pumpkin seed pesto strukli

Bazlamaka – We stopped at a cafe in Varazdin for an afternoon snack and ordered a piece of traditional corn cake. It is very similar to corn bread, but just a bit drier. A drizzle of honey would have been a nice addition, but apparently that is not commonly served with bazlamaka. 

Ajvar– Our guide in Zadar introduced us to this yummy red bell pepper and olive oil paste that comes in mild and spicy versions. The condiment, usually slathered on bread or eaten with side dishes, became popular throughout Yugoslavia after World War II. 

Cruffin – No, this is not an official or traditional Croatian food, but it was created at Korica bakery in Zagreb. We enjoyed the very yummy combination of a croissant and a muffin at the park across the street from the popular bakery.