We often get asked about the typical Croatian food available here in Croatia as many visitors can’t get over how sensational some of the cuisine, especially here on the coast!
The flavours and menus have many different influences from an eclectic range of countries.
Typical Croatian food is heavily influenced by Italy, Turkey, Hungary and the surrounding Balkan nations.
Here we chat about some of the popular traditional foods you guys can easily get and try here in Novalja.
Burek - The Number One Croatian Food Hangover Food
Whether you’re nursing a banging hangover, in need of something quick and easy to eat or simply want a tasty treat, the Burek is absolutely the typical Croatian food snack in Croatia!
You can get them from any supermarket or bakery (Pekara) and they are phenomenally popular with both tourists and locals alike.
In a nutshell, they are pastries filled with either meat, cheese or apple! Nom nom nom!
Ćevapčići - Traditional Minced Meat Croatian Food
Is a grilled dish of minced meat found traditionally in the countries of southeast Europe.
They look like small little sausages and it is considered a national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia, and is also common in Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo.
It's an absolutely addictive Croatian food so be prepared to want more...and more……...and more! Definitely a typical Croatian food for the meat lovers!
Pag Lamb - Traditional Pag Island Croatian Food
The salt air, sea and rocky terrain across Pag island together create some very unique local Croatian food dishes.
One such specialty is Pag lamb. Pag lamb is a spit-roasted dish usually served with potatoes and vegetables.
As you travel around Pag, you may even see it spit-roasted in front of restaurants or family homes and the smell is just infectious.
It really is an incredibly flavoursome traditional Croatian food and a must-do when you are here on the island of Pag.
Pag Cheese (Paški sir) - World Famous Cheese of Pag Island
Before the recent clubbing boom at Zrće, Pag was best-known for one smelly thing: its cheese.
The famous Paški sir, meaning Pag cheese, is available on a typical Croatian food menus all across Croatia.
It comes from the local breed of small sheep whose milk has a salty flavour due to the high salt content contained in the island’s wild vegetation that they feed from.
Several of the cheese factories (that you can actually visit) have even won international awards for the quality of their produce. World Champs in fact!
Local Fresh Fish - Caught daily in Novalja Waters
As Pag is an island it is not surprising that fishing is still a very important activity to the locals.
Most of the quality restaurants will have a freezer full of fish which has been caught that day for you to dine on.
Or alternatively, pay a visit to the local fish market on Novalja’s promenade that sells fresh fish daily.
Pro tip, get there really early as most of the decent fish is sold early in the morning. By early, I’m talking around 7am!
Maybe on your way back from Zrce eh? If you can still see straight that is.