Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth in Slovenia and Croatia
As the famous saying goes, “life is uncertain so eat dessert first”. In Slovenia and Croatia, whether it’s over afternoon coffees, as the cherry on top of a lovely dinner or even as a sneaky breakfast, there’s no wrong time to enjoy a sweet treat.
Slovenian Sweets
A must for any celebration, but a delight any time of year really, potica is the queen of Slovenian desserts. A rolled dough cake that reveals its secret spiral filling when sliced, it looks as good as it tastes. Typical fillings include walnut, hazelnut, poppy and raisins but there are oh so many types of potica – 120+ sweet (and savory!) varieties to choose from. Mentioned in writing back in 1575, potica is so utterly Slovenian it has protected status by the EU.
Also protected under the same traditional specialty scheme is eastern Slovenia’s Prekmurska gibanica which has eight total layers of decadent goodness. A twice-repeated stack of poppy seed, cottage cheese, walnut filling and then apple filling with cream and phyllo between each. A perfect mix of textures, flavors and colors.
Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s most well-known destinations, so popular in fact that it even has its own dessert. Born in 1953, kremšnita only needed half the layers to steal the show – creamy vanilla custard, a light-as-a-cloud layer of whipped cream and puff pastry on the top and bottom. The star of too many Instagram posts to count, no trip to the lake is complete without a taste of this pillowy treat.
Croatian Confections
Across the border in Croatia and just 20 km from the capital, Zagreb, you can compare the Bled kremšnita to the Samobor version. So yummy that it’s not uncommon for folks in the city to make the trip to Samobor just for a piece of kremšnita and a stroll in the serene Baroque town.
Listed in the Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia, Zagorski štrukli is quintessentially and completely Croatian (it even has its own festival!). This rustic, centuries-old dish is a soul-satisfying, cheese-filled pastry that can be baked or boiled. Adding sugar turns this savory dish into a hearty sweet treat.
If you’re looking for something that doesn’t require a nap, rožata is the way to go. Originating in Dubrovnik on the sunny Dalmatian coast, you can think of it as the cousin of crème brûlée and flan with the name “rožata” coming from the secret ingredient that makes this dessert uniquely Croatian, the rose petal liqueur, Rozulin.
Among the more unique sweets, and one that’d be right at home on the breakfast table, is salenjaci from eastern Croatia. Essentially a Slavonian croissant, the dough is made with pig lard rather than the traditional butter and is typically filled with plum or apricot jam. Absolutely next-level flavor.
Rest assured, no matter where you are in Slovenia and Croatia, you’ll never be too far from satisfying that craving for something sweet.