Gastronomy is according to "Croatian Encyclopedia “the skill of preparing dishes, expert knowledge of different dishes and methods of their preparation developed to the point of art; the cult of selected food and culinary knowledge”. The gastronomy of a particular region therefore depends on the people who inhabit it and their culinary practices, which are shaped by customs and historical context, in interdependence with climate, soil, waters, plants and animals. The starting point of the beautiful diversity of flavors of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is the diversity of its three gastronomies: coastal, island and Gorski Kotar. The story of them goes far back in time, testifying to the natural resources of the region and the craftsmanship and culinary creativity of its inhabitants.
The gastronomy of the coastal cuisine (Opatija Riviera, Rijeka and its ring, Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera) has been shaped by the lives of people between the mountainous hinterland and the coast. Throughout history, various influences have mixed in this region: the court cuisine of the Frankopan princes, the bourgeois cuisine of the inhabitants of Austrian, Czech and Hungarian roots, and the folk cuisine of fishermen and farmers. Cereals, fruit, vegetables and vines are grown in the fertile valleys of the karst terrain. People use dry stone walls to turn the steep coasts towards the sea into terraced gardens, and the food is “lined up” here and grown at certain altitudes. Right next to the sea are olive groves and fig trees, followed by orchards chestnut and cherries, then come vineyards and vegetable crops with peach (a type of winter cabbage, a relative of cabbage and a cousin of kale) and a favorite hood (cabbage). Higher up are pastures for sheep and wild horses. The entire coastline is covered with medicinal and aromatic herbs – thyme, sage, laurel forests, rosemary, heather, wormwood, wild garlic shoots and asparagus. Torrential waters from the mountains carry leaves and organic material, causing the deposition of “blue mud” in the sea. It is an excellent habitat for Kvarner scampi, which, prepared on a grill or grilled, is considered one of the symbols of coastal cuisine.
Along with shrimp, traditional dishes of this cuisine are frittata from asparagus, cooked peach with a little potato, "turned" in fell (in a frying pan) with olive oil or lard, polenta “kumpirica” with Grobnik cheese, Crikveniška rupice, salty Bribirski close friend and fig jam, and a special category consists of dumplings what nature provides at that moment, seasonal vegetables and ingredients, is put into the pot. The refreshment of hot stew comes in many variations, for example in Crikvenica trampolines, dumplings from cuttlefish and barley with dried meat.
Besides the small bluefish, only one large bluefish in the Primorje region is called a “fish.” It is tuna, and in the past, the people of Primorje caught it using a special technique: stationary nets combined with watchtowers on the coast – tuners.
The island cuisine (the islands of Cres, Lošinj, Rab and Krk) is marked by the Venetian influence, the maritime and fishing connection with Italy, and the cuisine of the first tourist guesthouses and hotels. The first recipe books were created in the monastery kitchens.
The natural features of this area are the karst soil, the bora wind and the summer heat. In the bora, the cold and dry winter wind, pork and mutton legs, tuna, tabinja, gof, menule, hake and octopus are dried. For the islanders, the sea is a “meadow” from which come the delicacies of the sea: frittata of stock (dried octopus), squid stew with peach (verses on the stove), bonito in oil. It is important to highlight the salted fish that takes on the role of a spice: it enhances every dish and gives it character. The second island “meadow” is the rocky hinterland: in coexistence with the olives Plominka, Slivnjaca and Orkul and fragrant sage, the island sheep live here in the open all year round – crosses of the coarse-haired local breed with the Merino. The sheep provide the milk for the curd from which Bodulski cheese is prepared on the island of Krk presnac. Krčka is obtained from sheep's milk formajela – small, extremely hard and dry sheep's cheese, made from Cres meat hook (sheep prosciutto) and Christmas Rab stew – mutton stewed with apples, prunes, figs and raisins, sweetened with sage honey and served with sauerkraut. The richness of island flavours is complemented by Rab almond-based cake.
Krk is the "breadbasket" of island cuisine, and due to its proximity to the mainland, it also has a part of the coastal gastronomy heritage. Various types of pasta, primarily Krk pasta šurlice and macaroons those Cres bricks, are the legacy of Venetian cuisine in island cuisine.
The gastronomy of Gorski Kotar (Gorski Kotar), as we know it today, flourished in the 18th century, thanks to the roads that brought new inhabitants and formed larger settlements to this region of pre-Alpine climate, mountain passes and impenetrable forests. It is therefore not surprising that the Gorski Kotar table has always been filled with invigorating food that warms the body, gives energy and takes advantage of the benefits of forest, meadow and river habitats.
The cuisine of Gorski Kotar is rich in spoon dishes that generously combine nutritious ingredients: green vegetables, beans, barley and meat (dried meat or sausages). Some of the most famous Gorski Kotar spoon dishes are venison goulash with hunter's bread dumplings, forest mushroom soup, sauerkraut with dried pork neck and pickled turnips with beans. The desserts echo Austro-Hungarian cuisine: puff pastry rolls filled with apples, fresh cheese or forest berries (wild blueberries, raspberries and blackberries). Winter bread is vital in this region: croquettes (cracklings) and notch are served with cooked cow's cheese, and sauerkraut and turnips with polenta, potato wedges baked with bacon, and as a side dish to meat dishes. Herbal teas sweetened with Gorski kotar honey and honey (honeydew). The abundance of Gorski Kotar gastronomy is rounded off by animal species that live in rich aquatic habitats, such as brown trout, frogs and snails.
