Every town in Croatia has at least one marketplace to which the rural homesteads from the surrounding areas bring their fresh produce.
As recently as the end of last century it seemed that cheap food of dubious quality, arriving from the world markets, would spell curtains for the small producers of quality products. Instead, it has become apparent that the number of people willing to pay more for fresh local products is steadily growing.
Alongside enduring treasures, like fresh cottage cheese and cream, free-range eggs, or grincajg (from the German Grünzeug) - bunches of root vegetables and greens for traditionally prepared soup, ever increasing numbers of customers are seeking indigenous types of fruit and vegetables, wild edible plants, forest mushrooms and many other foodstuffs, the high quality of which can be ensured only by small breeders and grower-gatherers.
One of the permanent tasks of the nationwide care for our gastronomy is the need to preserve such markets, to safeguard small grower-gatherers and breeders, as well as the country’s traditional dishes.

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Today, there is a veritable pleiad of new culinary stars of the younger and middle generations in Croatia. Their number is directly related to the very dynamic national gastronomic stage which permits them a wide scope of research and experimentation. It also prompts them to reassess the culinary heritage of these parts, to seek new ways of revitalizing traditions and to test methods of utilizing top quality local ingredients in the contemporary gastronomic trends prevailing in the world.
In other words, what we have here is a deep understanding of the genesis of local gastronomy: it has always been a place of fruitful meetings between different cultural patterns. It has to be underlined, however, that this new generation of Croatian chefs is facing a task greater than any of its predecessors: their aim is to demonstrate to the world that one of the greatest national assets of Croatia is her gastronomy.

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The entire Adriatic area is inhabited with people who find it hard to imagine life without Swiss chard, so much that some have, in fact, suggested (not entirely tongue in cheek) that this plant is of such importance for the Croats, particularly those living by the sea, that it should form part of the new Croatian coat of arms.
Blitva is best when young, when its leaves are thin and soft, of a bright green colour, and only some 10 cm long. Preparation of this much revered plant is simplicity itself: immersed in boiling water and allowed to cook for a brief spell, carefully drained and sprinkled with olive oil. It is often served with boiled potatoes, and sometimes they are cooked together, particularly when chard is no longer quite so young and tender. Thus prepared, it is most commonly eaten with fish.
New generations of Croatian gastronomes are using chard in new, more imaginative ways, often inspired by old and almost forgotten recipes. Savoury strudels and pies prepared with Swiss chard and fresh cheese; sauces for pasta made from boiled chard and basil; minced meat rolled into large leaves of chard and cooked gently in an oven; larger fish stuffed with chard and herbs…

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The majority of gourmands regard food prepared under a peka as the ultimate in grilled dishes. This simple accessory – a simple domed lid – can be made of metal, thinner or thicker, often of cast iron, but true connoisseurs are particularly appreciative of the earthenware peka.
Food cooked under peka, be it in a fireproof pot or directly on a stone slab, comprises meat with vegetables, usually veal, lamb and yearling beef, covered with potatoes and other vegetables. Larger poultry is also prepared in this manner, especially in the mountainous part of the Kvarner region. Even if catering establishments provide only bread baked in this way, their ratings are usually elevated.

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Although somewhat less varied than grilling, the spit also allows for the preparation of many dishes: from small ones of poultry to massive ones of oxen. Spit roasting is common all over the country and is the main feature of catering establishments along the arterial roads, where spits function as a form of live advertising. Most commonly spit roasted are suckling pigs, lambs and, less frequently, kids.
This is a very ancient method of preparing food, being imported to these parts from the East. But, in the old times, it was not young animals that were spit roasted, because the scarcity of meat dictated that an animal should reach its full adult size before being slaughtered. Traces of this ancient tradition are still seen in Croatia in the custom of spit roasting oxen, particularly for popular festivities. Central parts of the Slavonian region are renowned for their masters of spit roasting an ox. However, folks from certain large villages in Slavonia, such as Gundinci, prefer a heifer since they know from much enjoyed experience that its meat is considerably juicier.
Gentle heat and good meat are the keys to every successful spit roast. Bearing in mind that there are practically no spices involved, the genuine quality of meat is necessarily a major factor. Spit roasting is always a slow process, its rotation being slow and steady. It takes an experienced cook to salt an animal for the spit, while during roasting it is basted only with oil, or melted pork fat, and sometimes with stock, wine or beer.

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There is practically no food which Croats would not prepare on a grill (roštilj) in the continental part of the country, or on gradele - its counterpart on the coast. And preparation is equally varied everywhere.
All the better parts of meat are grilled, the meat coming from practically all kinds of animal: poultry, pig, yearling beef, beef, lamb, kid, game small and large, snails, frogs, fish, crabs, shellfish, molluscs, even vegetables and cheese. Bread itself is improved on the grill to keep hunger at bay until the main attractions are ready.
Traditionally, the grill is tended by men who like to boast of their skills in this department, everyone having some special nuance or personal method which sometimes goes into meticulous detail, like the selection of the right kind of wood and, of course, the heat of the live coals. Highly sought after is dry grape vine, while some grill masters collect veritable boutiques of different dry woods, which are then further enhanced through the addition of aromatic plants, such as rosemary sprigs.
Generally speaking, grilling is best when done over plenty of live coals which produce a gentle heat, whereas grilling over a fire is regarded as barbaric, or at least demonstrating a certain lack of good taste and manners.

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