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.