What to Eat in Zadar | 15 Dishes That MUST Be Enjoyed | Part 3

However, due to the specific climate, geographical position and variety of the flora and fauna of the Zadar region, some foods and dishes have a particular influence on the local gastronomy. We, therefore, offer a short list of the best foods that you must taste in Zadar:

Part 1

Part 2

11. Dalmatian Turkey

In just a few hundred years after having arrived from America to Europe, the turkey has become the ruler of the yards on large country estates and large fields and pastures in this part of Dalmatia, where they roam freely in flocks in search of good pasture and proteins from the soil. In autumn and winter, turkey meat dishes are the star of feasts, especially holiday ones during the Christmas season. Turkey is most often prepared under the baking lid even though poultry risotto is a particular delicacy of this region.

12. Dried and Salted Sea Fish

The custom of preserving fish by drying and salting was common on the islands in the days prior to electricity and the discovery of freezers. Fish preserved in this way was the basis for many traditional and extraordinary dishes. Although salted sardines with just a little olive oil is a complete meal in itself. However, the so-called sea game such as shark or cephalopods or octopus are prepared in more demanding dishes such as brodetto. Even though its origins date from the Venetian period when it was introduces to this region, cod is a special delicacy, in particular dried cod, which we like to prepare just boiled with potatoes and add garlic and plenty of olive oil and call it in bianco (plain).

13. Adriatic Bluefin Tuna

In search of food, especially small blue fish, schools of tuna, including the most gastronomically desirable, the bluetail, arrive in the Adriatic Sea. Bluefish fishermen have been hunting tuna for centuries in the first part of the summer season, so this type of fish has become a common food of the local population. At the end of the last century, it was fishermen from Kali, across the channel from Zadar, who came up with the idea of growing and feeding tuna in cages. Bluetail tuna grown in this way became a hit in Japanese and other markets. Fresh tuna, briefly grilled or cooked in other dishes such as brodetto and in salads, is still best to look for in Zadar, in the local restaurants where it is part of the usual autochthonous offer. 

14. Dalmatian Prosciutto

This dried meat product bears the mark of protection of geographical origin, and is mainly produced from the meat of pigs that are raised in the interior of the country. That may seem odd but it is not - the specificity and special value of this delicacy is not basically related to the place of breeding of the animal, but to the method of production. What makes the Dalmatian prosciutto different and more appreciated is its traditional manner of production. Apart from the special way of cutting the pork leg, also specific is the process of drying, smoking and maturing. Only one spice is used, sea salt, and the aroma is given by the smoke from the wood of Mediterranean trees such as spruce. The bora, a characteristic (sometimes even dangerous) strong north wind dries the pork legs thoroughly and creates delicacy that is gladly consumed with a slice of bread, as an ideal autochthonous fast food or an appetizer before the main meal.

15. Olive Oil

Olive oil is one of the basic ingredients of the healthiest diet in the world, from the Mediterranean, so olive oil is an indispensable part of Dalmatian gastronomy. And even more. In Croatia olive-growing exists only in the coastal and island regions, in Istria and Dalmatia in particular. It is in these regions that the olive tree, the tree itself, the leaves and fruits, the oil, are more than mere agriculture, more than ordinary fat, more than food. It is the basic icon of Dalmatian life, the symbolic and real sign that you have arrived on the Mediterranean, in Dalmatia, for together with the vine and the fig, it forms the holy trinity of Dalmatian graces, indescribably important, loved and culturally worshipped. Therefore, when you have come to Zadar, always look for local olive oil, extra virgin or the one produced in the traditional manner that may not be nutritionally perfect but which gives a specific touch to most of the dishes we enjoy in Zadar.