Peka: Croatia's Culinary Delight

Tasting Croatia's local dishes is a great way to connect with the culture and flavour of the country. Greatly influenced by many different cultures including the Mediterranean and Central European traditions, Croatia is a country full of culinary delights.

One of them is Peka, is a dish you should not miss out on while sailing through the scattered Dalmatian islands. Peka is a word that refers to a specific way the ingredients of the dish are prepared. It is a traditional, slow-cooking method that combines a selection of meat or octopus, combined with vegetables under the bell, left to simmer slowly with herbs for hours. And the result is finger licking good!

WHY UNDER THE BELL

Baking dishes under the bell ensures that the meat and veggies are half-baked as well as half cooked in their own yummy juices. This means that the aromas of these dishes are really something special. The wood that the iron bell is placed on also contributes to the aromas of the dish giving it that smokey touch. The proudest Croatian chefs of this meal will only use certain types of wood such as beech or hornbeam.

WHERE TO TRY PEKA IN CROATIA?

We must admit that Croatian restaurants with quality Croatian food are pretty rare. However, when you come across the good ones, you're in for a proper treat. Peka is a pretty common dish in Dalmatia, the southern coastal part of the country and we recommend you stumble into a good old "konoba" the Croatian word for tavern, where you'll find the Peka prepared with fresh local meat, octopus or veggies. Konoba Dubokovic, on the island of Hvar or Taverna Riva on the island of Brac, are our recommendations that you can visit on all of our Croatia routes on The Yacht Week.

Written by: Nikolina Zrinski