A visit to Zagreb and Northern Croatia, without trying štrukli, a mouthwatering regional specialty, would be a huge mistake. Many famous people, including Queen Elizabeth, American president, Jimmy Carter, and Tina Turner could not remain indifferent to this popular traditional dish that is served in households and restaurants across the Croatia’s north.
Štrukli (pronounced: shtrooklee) are prepared with freshly made dough with a cottage cheese filling, and they can be either baked or cooked/boiled. The recipe originated in the villages of Hrvatsko Zagorje, a region to the north, that takes pride in its fairy-tale castles amidst the picturesque rolling hills. In Zagorje most homesteads and restaurants prepare traditional local dishes among which štrukli has become a trademark of the continental Croatian gastronomy. In former times, štrukli was served daily in the Zagorje villages. Most families in those days were poor and meat was eaten only on rare occasions. Štrukli, with its simple combination of several basic ingredients that all housewives of Zagorje had in their pantries – eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and flour, was a logical choice for daily sustenance. It was an easy dish to prepare for their large families to give them enough strength for the daily chores and farming work.
But how are the štrukli made? The first step is to knead the dough. The pastry is then rolled out flat and very thinly to cover the tabletop. Then, a mixture of cottage cheese with the addition of eggs, sour cream and salt is spread thinly over the pastry. The pastry is rolled lengthwise from both sides into two joined rolls, and finally cut in 20 cm long pieces. For baked štrukli, the pieces are placed into a baking tray, generously covered with clotted cream, and baked for roughly 45 minutes, until slightly brown on top. For cooked/boiled štrukli, the pieces are placed into a pot of boiling water and cooked for approximately 20 minutes, then drained. This version tastes wonderful with a sprinkling of crunchy fried breadcrumbs on top.
What is fascinating about this dish is that it can be served in a soup, as an entrée, a main course, an individual light course or dessert. Here we come to another interesting detail - štrukli can either be savory or sweet. Different places serve different versions of štrukli so you might come across štrukli with the addition of apples, poppy, truffles, pumpkin, blueberries, smoked paprika and the like. However, classical štrukli with cheese, cream, and eggs, can be found in almost every restaurant that serves this signature dish of Northern Croatia. Not only restaurants serve them, as you will find štrukli in most bakeries these days. If you have access to a kitchen, you can make them yourself. Tasty frozen štrukli, prepared by different Croatian producers, with simple instructions on how to cook them, can be found in many shops and supermarkets.
Due to its authenticity, in 2007 this regional dish, Zagorje štrukli was inducted into the list of Croatia’s intangible cultural heritage, by the Croatian Ministry of Culture.
If you happen to be in Zagorje in July, then visiting Štruklijada, which is an annual event and competition in the preparation of this tasty local dish, is a must. The first Štruklijada organized in 2009, with the purpose of promoting and preserving this unique Zagorje recipe, has been attracting an increasing number of visitors ever since. This annual event would be the perfect place to sample the absolute best, regional štrukli and to congratulate the winning team.
Flour, water, cottage cheese, cream, eggs, and a little oil. This is all you need to make the perfect štrukli. So simple, yet so delicious!
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best spots in Zagreb where you can enjoy this traditional delicacy.
Štrukli to Go
La Štruk
Le Bistro in the Esplanade Hotel
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