Gastro en

Gastronomy in Dalmatia has grown out of the tradition of natural and healthy Mediterranean foods based on vegetable dishes and olive oil, fish and shellfish, wine, goat and sheep milk cheeses, and fruit, including citrus fruit, maraska (maraschino) cherries, grapes, figs and almonds. The special quality of this cuisine lies in the method by which the dishes are prepared. Vegetables are cooked in very little water, seasoned with olive oil and sprinkled with herbs such as rosemary, sage, basil and marjoram. Fish is prepared as a brudet (fish soup), boiled or charcoal-grilled, while meat prepared under a baking lid acquires a unique flavour.

There is a special place in Dalmatian cuisine given to fish prepared on a grill, as a brudet and boiled, but it is also offered salted or as a marinade. Predominant among the spices are laurel and garlic and the indispensable olive oil. Shellfish and crustacean are prepared as a buzara, while the Dalmatian meat speciality is the paĹĄticada (marinated meat stew) with gnocchi.

The recipes that follow originate from all parts of Dalmatia, and together form what we customarily refer to as domestic, traditional cuisine.