 Maraskino a liqueur of pleasure difficult to resist to
Maraskino - Would you like to have an authentic souvenir to remind you of your stay in Zadar? We recommend the famous liqueur called Maraskino made of miraculous and healthy marasca cherries which grow in the surroundings of Zadar. The rocky landscape, red soil, a lot of sun and wind called bura contribute to the exceptional aroma of this liqueur, which had been exported by ships all around the world in the 17th and 18th century.
Maraskino was highly appreciated at English court and was also a favourite drink among many famous personalities of the past. It is known that King George IV sent his ships to pick cases of liqueur, and even the Queen Victoria loved it and could not do without this delicious liqueur. Napoleon Bonaparte and his generals toasted their victories with Maraskino.
  The authentic Croatian invention
Penkala - Slavoljub Penkala is known as one of the most famous European inventors who in 1906 invented the first pen and in 1907 the first fountain pen. The Penkala ball point pen is considered to be the authentic Croatian souvenir today witnessing the importance of Zagreb as an industrial, commercial and cultural centre in the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, Zagreb was the centre of the writing instruments industry, whereas the factory, which was opened in Zagreb, exported its products all around the world: in Riga, Lawow, Vienna, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, and even Tokyo and Singapore. In the period from 1914 to 1926 it became one of the leading factories in this sector in the world.
The famous graphic artist Rafael Barda said that "penkala" is not only a Croatian but an European souvenir as well. Every "penkala" pen is a unique souvenir, it has its serial number and the certificate in Croatian and 12 more languages.
  Traditional jewellery from Rijeka
Morčić - Among the traditional souvenirs that remind a tourist of a holiday spent in Rijeka, Kvarner or Croatia, an important place has the traditional jewellery from Rijeka known as "morčić". In general they are earings ornamented with a black head having a turban at top, but the icon of Morcic appears in other jewellery items too: brooches, rings, tie-pins and necklaces. Morcic was believed to be an amulet having protective powers, while according to the legend, women wore it as a symbol of victory over the Turks in the 16th century.
Skilful jewellers from Rijeka designed this attractive jewellery item at affordable prices and it thus became a must have accessory in every women's jewellery collection. At the end of the 19th century, when the black head with a turban started to be used as a decoration on different kinds of jewellery, Morcic became a luxurious and expensive jewellery item, which only rich people could afford to buy.
 Modern invention of the Croatian soldier
Cravat - Handmade silk ties are among the best known Croatian souvenirs. At the beginning the cravat (tie) was a kerchief worn by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century. In the 18th century it became part of the traditional male national costume. After that it entered the fashion and became a modern fashion accessory.
The cravat, due to its originality, was accepted by Parisians as symbol of progress. During the French Revolution, black ties were worn as a sign of protest against backward, i.e. obsolete ideas.
Regardless of its form, the tie grew into a recognizable souvenir which will always be a reminder of its homeland Croatia!
  The lacework and cheese
Pag - If you visit the island of Pag, you certainly won't leave empty-handed. As many others, you will be impressed by the beauty of the lacework from Pag the symbol of the island, trimmed with typical motifs inspired by its rocky landscape. If you would like to buy the lacework from Pag, we recommend a walk through the streets of the town of Pag where you will find a myriad of lacework. You will have also the possibility to see how a diligent, skilful and patient lace makers' hand works.
On the hills of the Pag island, washed by the breeze of salty bura, 7 different species of medicinal herbs and an ideal grazing land make the lamb's meat from Pag so special. We recommend also the famous local cheese of Pag, which has been prepared carefully by the inhabitants of Pag since time immemorial. You can buy cheese directly in the cheese factory in the town of Pag or it can be purchased by private producers.
*This information was taken from www.adriatica.net
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Croatian Cuisine
Croatian cuisine is heterogeneous, and is therefore known as "the cuisine of regions". It is also simple pleasant food, which is easy to prepare but delicious nonetheless. People from the Croatian Adriatic eat food that is very similar to Italian cuisine. There is a mixture of Austrian, Hungarian and Middle East food, but also food that you can only eat in Croatia. Croatian cuisine's modern roots date back to the Proto-Slavic and ancient periods and the differences in the selection of foodstuffs and forms of cooking are most notable between those on the mainland and those in coastal regions.
Mainland cuisine is more characterized by the earlier Proto-Slavic and the more recent contacts with the more famous gastronomic orders of today - Hungarian, Viennese and Turkish - while the coastal region bears the influences of the Greek, Roman and Illyrian, as well as of the later Mediterranean cuisine - Italian and French.
A large body of books bears witness to the high level of gastronomic culture in Croatia, which in European terms dealt with food in the distant past, such as the Gazophylacium by Belostenec, a Latin-Kajkavian dictionary dating from 1740 that preceded a similar French dictionary.
There is also Beletristic literature by Marulic, Hektorovic, Drzic and other writers, down to the work written by Ivan Bierling in 1813 containing recipes for the preparation of 554 various dishes (translated from the German original), and which is considered to be the first Croatian cookery book.
Here are some great links if you want to try some nice Croatian recipes:
http://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/cuisine/
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/countries/europe/croatia/croatia.htm
http://dalmacija.net/site/articles/articleshow.php?id=27
http://dalmatiankitchen.com/recipes/index.cfm |