In close contact with neighboring countries such as Hungary and Serbia, central and eastern Croatia are typical of Central European cuisine. Cabbage, potatoes, legumes and smoked meats are simmered for a long time. Soups and rich sauces help to combat the cold winters, while dairy products are used extensively in the form of cream or cheese, alongside wheat, barley and corn.

The Gorski Kotar and Lika regions form a natural mountainous barrier between the Croatian coast and the east of the country. In these highlands, the cuisine reflects the habits of mountain dwellers living among pastures and forests rich in game and mushrooms. Summers are short, winters harsh. The simple, nutritious diet is based on long-cooked dishes such as lovački gulaš, a wild boar stew with a spicy paprika sauce.

North-western Croatia revolves around the country's capital, Zagreb. Surrounded by plains and hills, this region offers a wide variety of produce. Roast dishes feature seasonal vegetables, often mixed with pork and poultry. In winter, sauerkraut accompanies beans and potatoes, while in summer, fresh tomato and cucumber salads are served with garlic sour cream and sautéed vegetables (zucchini, green beans and peas). This is also the season for preparing winter preserves. Alongside the indispensable sauerkraut, you'll find jars of cucumbers, beet and pickled onions. Turkey, goose and duck from the Turopolje region are renowned. Famous dishes include štrukli sa sirom from the town of Zagorje, north of Zagreb. This rich pasta dish is topped with cream and baked au gratin. Pork, and sausages in particular, are a central element of this region's cuisine. A good example is krvavice, a kind of black pudding, while češnjovka, which could be translated as garlic sausage, is often served with mustard. Samobor, a small gastronomic town near Zagreb, is proud of its restaurants. All feature the famous samoborski kotleti, a dish of pork ribs in a rich herb sauce, served with potatoes. The hearty samoborska kotlovina is a festive dish, where sausages, beef, chicken and game are slow-cooked with vegetables and mushrooms in a wine and onion sauce. Zagrebački odrezak, as the name suggests, originated in the Croatian capital. This rolled veal cutlet is stuffed with cheese and ham, then breaded and deep-fried.

Slavonia and Baranja, made up mainly of fertile plains, form the breadbasket of Croatia. The cuisine here includes wholemeal dishes, egg pasta, poultry and pork dishes in sauce, potato gratins with homemade fromage frais, crème fraîche and hard cheese. Smoked and dried pork is available in ham, bacon and sausages. Vegetables in brine (peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and young onions) called turšija are very popular as an aperitif. Trout and carp are used to prepare fišpaprikaš, a thick, slightly spicy soup. Čobanac, named after čobani (Croatian for farmer), is a meat stew (pork, veal or game) with potato dumplings.

Last but not least, central and especially eastern Croatia were often under the influence, or even tutelage, of the Ottoman Empire. The Turks and Bosnians gave the region a taste for spices and grilled meats. Cevapčići, common throughout the Balkans, take their name from the Turkish word kebap. These small, elongated croquettes of minced pork are generously garnished with onion and paprika. Pljeskavica resembles a minced steak, usually made from lamb. It is served with French fries and pickled peppers. Raznjićii are small, spicy pork or chicken skewers.

Torn into a myriad of islands, gulfs, peninsulas and capes, the Croatian coast stretches for some 5,800 km, 1,000 km longer than France, which is ten times larger. Separated from the rest of Croatia by the Dinaric Alps, the Adriatic coast stretches from Slovenia to Montenegro, and offers a completely different gastronomy to the rest of the country. Mediterranean cuisine is the order of the day: vegetables, fish, seafood and shellfish are cooked in olive oil and seasoned with garlic, thyme, sage and rosemary. Goat's and sheep's cheeses, olives, figs and nuts are served with a glass of Dalmatian red wine. The region was ruled by the Republic of Venice for much of its history, and Italian influences are undeniable.

Istrian dishes include maneštra (a vegetable soup) and pašta-fažol (a pasta and white bean soup), whose names are reminiscent of minestrone and pasta e fagioli from Italy. Fuži is a tube-shaped pasta, usually served with a truffle and cured ham sauce, or with beef stew. More hearty is mlinci, a flatbread usually cut into strips, basted with sauce and baked au gratin.

In Dalmatia, a region stretching from Zadar to Dubrovnik, it's impossible to miss pašticada, one of the most popular Dalmatian dishes. This stew consists of beef, confit for several hours in a rich sauce of sweet wine, tomato and cinnamon, garnished with prunes. Eels from the Neretva delta near Dubrovnik, simply grilled, are also very popular. A speciality of the town of Sinj, arambašići are meatballs rolled in green cabbage leaves. You might think that every Adriatic island has its own specialty, but a more rustic dish based on grilled lamb offal is also appreciated on Hvar, Korčula or Brač. Otherwise, the many fresh fish (sea bass, sea bream, grouper, mackerel), often grilled whole, should delight seafood lovers. Near the bay of Ston, the oysters are said by locals to be the best in the world. Crni rižot, the famous squid ink risotto, is also a classic. Krk's šurlice, a long tubular pasta, is usually served with a seafood sauce. More rustic, viška pogača is a pie filled with candied peppers and anchovies or sardines, very popular on the island of Vis.

Inland Dalmatia favors lamb, mutton, pork and game, served with wheat pasta, cornmeal (polenta), cereal porridge or vegetables such as wild asparagus. Swiss chard is used to concoct the famous blitva, a mashed potato and leafy green dish that's a perfect accompaniment to any meal. Soparnik is a very popular snack in this region, in the form of a thin pie also filled with chard and brushed with garlicky olive oil. Peka is not a recipe per se, but a cooking method that originated in Dalmatia. This large, hollow earthenware dish is filled with meat - usually pork or lamb - and vegetables, then closed with a bell and covered with embers. The meat then steams for several hours over a very low heat.

Another custom whose popularity extends beyond the borders of Dalmatia, marenda, a kind of late breakfast eaten between 10 and 11 a.m., was originally a late-morning break for early-rising farm workers. It's called gablec in the Zagreb region. Most of the time, it consists of a sandwich of cold meats, fish or cheese. But there are also more hearty traditional dishes, such as bean soup, bacon soup, ham soup or sausage soup, as well as tripe(tripice) and goulash.

Thanks to its many Slavic, Italian and Austro-Hungarian influences, Croatia boasts an astonishing array of desserts. On the coasts, pastries consist mainly of small dried-fruit cookies and other delicate entremets, while inland desserts resemble those found in Austria and the rest of Central Europe, with refined but hearty preparations filled with cream, poppy seed and walnut pastries.

If there's one Croatian pastry that deserves special attention, it's licitar or Zagreb heart. The making of this gingerbread, produced in the north of the country, is so meticulous that in 2010 it was inscribed by Unesco on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In northern Croatia, the monks who began making gingerbread in the Middle Ages were also beekeepers. The recipe consists of flour, sugar, water, baking soda and, of course, honey. Despite its name, it traditionally contains no spices. Although they may remind you of Christmas and are often sold in winter, they are intended for weddings, hence the heart shape. They are decorated with the names of the newlyweds and the date of the happy event. Their originality lies in the icing and motifs created using food coloring. This skill requires a certain amount of dexterity, and has been passed down from one generation to the next for centuries. They are commonly eaten with medica and gvirc, honey-based beverages similar to mead, sold during festivals and religious processions.

In addition to licitar, northern Croatia is rich in sweet specialties that remind us of winter, such as medenjaci, cinnamon cookies in the shape of stars, fir trees or little characters, hung on the Christmas tree. Zlevanka, a delicate semolina flan, originates from Medimurje, on the Hungarian border. Another regional specialty is the hearty međimurje gibanica, made with strudel-like layers of filo pastry filled with apple, poppy seeds, fromage frais and walnuts. For the hungry. In the same genre, bučnica is topped with a sweet squash purée. Northern Croatia is also home to pastries reminiscent of those found in the rest of Central Europe, such as makovnjača, a rolled cake with poppy seeds, or orehnjača, similar but filled with walnut purée. The kremšnita resembles a mille-feuilles with its layers of crispy puff pastry filled with vanilla cream. The most popular comes from the town of Samobor. Doughnuts(buhli, krafne) are often served at religious festivals and carnivals. Finally, bajadera is halfway between cake and confectionery. It takes the form of bars with several layers of cookies, nougat, nut cream and chocolate. It's a popular dessert throughout the former Yugoslavia.

In Dalmatia, you'll find skradinska torta, a walnut and orange cake topped with chocolate ganache. Rožata is a delicate egg custard from the Dubrovnik region, flavored with a local rose liqueur called rozalin. Rapska torta is an astonishing spiral-shaped tart from the island of Rab, filled with almond and maraschino cream. It is thought that this dessert was first served in 1177 to Pope Alexander III, on the occasion of the blessing of Rab's Assumption Cathedral. If you're in Korčula, why not bring back some cukarini, those delicious vanilla rings with almonds, flavored with a hint of rakija, a grape liqueur. Last but not least, paprenjak, spicy shortbread with a recipe dating back to the Renaissance, are often decorated with delicate plant or animal motifs.

If it's not possible to sample everything on the spot, there's nothing to stop you bringing back some Croatian specialities in your suitcases. Of course, the aforementioned cookies make delicious presents, but it's impossible to talk about local products without mentioning Croatian wines. Until the late 1980s, only two cooperatives were allowed to buy grapes to produce wine. An unequal reality when you consider that wine has been produced in the region for over two and a half thousand years. Since the legislation was relaxed, some regions have distinguished themselves by classifying their wines with a quality label comparable to the AOC system. Beware, however, as Croatian wines are sometimes stronger than their French counterparts, drawing up to 15 degrees of alcohol. The best vintages come from western Croatia. Generally speaking, Slavonian wines are more often light, dry whites similar to those found in Hungary or Austria, while Istrian and South Dalmatian wines are often more heady reds. The Croatian coast is ideal for vine-growing, thanks to its arid soil, guaranteed sunshine and iodized air. These favourable plant health conditions have given rise to original, tannic wines. On the Pelješac peninsula, the Plavac Mali, Dingač and Poštup wine regions rival the Istrian Teran. In Istria, with its more temperate climate, the wines are lighter and more subtle. Among the most famous are Poreški merlot, Teran, Malvasia Istarka and Poreški cabernet sauvignon.

Among cooked wines, it's impossible not to mention prošek, known to the Romans as vinum sanctum. It's usually drunk with dessert. Despite its name, it has nothing in common with Italian prosecco, which is a sparkling wine. In the Zadar region,maraschino is a cherry spirit, drunk chilled as an aperitif. Croatia and Italy dispute the origin of this liqueur. As a digestif, open a bottle of šljivovica, a plum brandy, unless you prefer the grape-based rakija, very popular in the rest of the Balkans.

But spirits are not the only quality products to be found in Croatia. There are also some excellent olive oils, four of which have a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO): šoltansko maslinovo ulje, la korčulansko maslinovo ulje, la krčko maslinovo ulje and ekstra djevičansko maslinovo ulje. You can even visit some of the cellars, such as the one at the Pula Coliseum, which - rarely - are open to the public. The owners of the Chiavalon estate, brothers Sandi and Tedi, have planted thousands of olive trees and restored the family farmhouse to a contemporary design. You'll also find full-bodied mountain honey(planinski med), bursting with the aromas of sage, lemon balm and rosemary. For those who prefer their food savory, Croatia boasts a wide range of very tasty charcuterie and cheeses: dalmatinski pršut (smoked ham from Dalmatia),istarski pršut (smoked ham from Istria), šunka (ham from Slavonia) and kulen (dry sausage with a hint of spice). Samoborska muštarda is a mustard with a hint of grape marc, produced in Samobor. Last but not least, don't forget paški sir, a sheep's milk cheese made on the island of Pag, and Istrian white truffles, which you can take home in jars(bijeli tartuf), as condiments or scented oils.