Yummy Istrian food you just have to eat (and where to find it)

You guys, I’ve been looking SO much forward to eating my way through this post and sharing it with you. 

Last year, I wrote a post about how much I love Croatian food, but it included both Istrian and Dalmatian food. This guide is dedicated to the gourmet food in Istria, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite cuisines in the world.

Istria is best known for its olive oil, wine and truffles. Before visiting Istria last summer I had never tasted truffles or quality olive oil and now that I’ve had it, it’s difficult to go back. I spent all last week indulging in 4-5 course meals twice a day. No wonder I gained 3 kg.

Are you hungry for the food in Istria? Here’s your guide to the most delightful dishes.

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The best Istrian food

Seafood

The peninsula of Istria is nestled in the Adriatic Sea so it’s no wonder that seafood features so prominently in its cuisine.

The best seafood I’ve had in Istria is fresh oysters (from Lim Fjord), crab claws, grilled fish, sardines and octopus.

Some of these delights are seasonal, but if you visit in the spring (April or May) you can have all of the above. The quality and freshness of Istrian seafood is top-notch.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Bacalao cooked with potatoes and vegetables
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Octopus salad with potato, bacalao, raw scampi and raw sea bass
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Crab claw – one of my favorite dishes!
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Adriatic sea bass with baked polenta and fried vegetables
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Octopus salad with wild asparagus and cherry tomatoes
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Octopus, crab, bacalar, sardines, smoked salmon and cod patée
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Brancin (Adriatic sea bass) and breaded orata (sea bram)

Where to find great seafood

Wild asparagus

I visited Istria in the spring, just in time for the wild asparagus season.

That means many of the dishes contained asparagus, including soup, octopus salad and purée. I’m not an asparagus fan in general, and the sort we have in Denmark both tastes and looks different.

But Istrian asparagus? Keep them coming.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Wild asparagus soup with parmesan topping and olive oil

Truffles

My favorite food in Istria is truffles and I can’t get over how exquisite they taste.

Croatians add truffles to almost any dish and so far I’ve tasted cheese with truffle, pasta with truffle, scrambled eggs with truffle, chocolate, wine, beer, patée and sausage with truffle.

You name it, they add truffle.

Istria is truffle heaven and its capital is Buzet, which is the countryside. I’ve had the best truffle meals in this area (I’m looking at you, Motovun and Hum), probably because those dishes were home-cooked and local.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Black truffles
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Chicken liver pate and cod pate with truffles
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Cookies, honey and chocolate – all with truffles
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Cheese, sausage and patée with truffles
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Home cooked pasta and creamy polenta with truffles in a cheese basket
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Pork medallions with truffle, gnocchi with cottage cheese, zucchini and sesame ball, cauliflower purée and truffle sauce

Where to find truffles

Prsut

Prsut is another essential part of traditional Istrian cuisine. This home-cured, salted ham is cut in thin slices and served as an hors d’oeuvre. It usually comes with cheese, sausages, wine and olive oil.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Pancetta, carpaccio sea bass, octopus salad, cod patée, anchovies, pork and porklion
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Fried prsut
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Salty, dried prsut
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Prsut with truffle cheese, olives and pickles

Where to find great prsut

Cheese and polenta

On my first trip to Croatia, I noticed that cheese plays a major role in the cuisine. Just like truffles, cheese is added to most Istrian dishes. My favorite Istrian cheese is truffle cheese (obviously) and sheep’s cheese.

Another interesting Croatian side dish that I have discovered is polenta. It’s made from cornmeal and is used in many local Istrian dishes. I’m particularly taken with grilled polenta.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
From the left: young cow cheese, zminjski sir cheese, Istrian cheese, truffle cheese and full fat cheese
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Nadeva with wild asparagus and prosciutto
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Octopus stew with polenta

Where to get great cheese dishes

Fresh pasta

Ah, home cooked Adriatic pasta. Forget about calories and the low-nutritious stuff you buy at the store, because this pasta is amazing. It has a different consistency than the dry variety, and it’s more filling and substantial thanks to the texture.

Home-cooked Istrian pasta has a life of its own and you can easily eat it with just truffles or herbs, although it does taste heavenly with Istrian ox or shell-fish.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Pasta with meat and cheese
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Vegetarian pasta with garlic and parsley
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Pasta with Istrian ox, cheese and rucola
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Pasta with shrimp and scampi

Where to find great homemade pasta

Gnocci and risotto

Food in Istria is inspired by Italian cuisine so you’ll see plenty of gnocchi and risotto on the menu. A local variation of gnocchi is stew with meat, which I highly recommend.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Gnocchi with wild asparagus and cheese
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Tortellini with bacon and cheese sauce
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Meat stew with gnocchi (and probably cheese)
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Risotto with clams

Where to find great gnocchi and risotto

Local meats

Although seafood is the star of Istrian meat, there are some great alternatives, especially further inland. While poultry isn’t a major hit in Istria, there’s a wide range of pork, sausages and Istrian ox, also known as boskarin.

The sausages (the non-fried) are fat, well seasoned and flavored – they go well with wine and cheese!

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Boskarin – it tastes like roast beef and is SO delicious
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Pork sausage and pork chop with wild ridiccio

Where to find local meet dishes

Desserts and sweets

Somehow after four dishes, there was always room for desert. Can you blame me? ↓

Aside from a great variety of classic Western desserts such as millefoglie and chocolate cake, Istria has it going on in the sweets department! You know how I said that olive oil is a big part of their cuisine? Well, in Istria they serve ice cream…. with olive oil. Naturally, I was skeptic, but seriously guys, it turned out to be a major foodgasm!

Also, Croatians like to add cheese (no surprise there) to ice cream and cakes. Again, I was reserved, but quickly turned over. What a treat.

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Chocolate lava cake with pistachio
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Krostule (deep fried pastry)
The best food in Istria, Croatia
The best tiramisu I’ve ever had
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Chocolate fudge cake
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Cute Istrian cookies
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Ice cream with polenta and local honey
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Cottage cheese cake, dark chocolate with apple, creme brulee with caramel and honey with nuts
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Millefoglie cake (a million layers)

Where to get the best dessert

Istrian olive oil

Did you know that Istrian olive oil is often awarded as being one of the best olive oils in the world?

I can honestly say that after tasting it, I bought three bottles. There’s something about the taste; it tastes like freshly cut grass and has a peppery finish.

Istrian food and wine
Olive oil tasting at Brist

The best olive oil producers in Istria

  • Brist is my favorite. I’ve visited Paul and Lena’s shop in Vodnjan twice already and their extra virgin olive oil is top quality
  • Olea BB

Croatian wine and drinks

Just as the food in Istria is amazing, so is the wine. And the perfect way to discover new wines is to visit one of the many wineries.

The local wine is high quality, particularly Malvasia, a white wine in both an aged version and a fruity style, and Teran, a rich, earthy red. I prefer sweet white wine and was pleased to discover muscat wine, which has a sweet floral aroma.

Wine, olive oil and amazing food – this week has been absolutely amazing and I’m not one bit upset about the extra weight I put on during my stay. In Istria, food equals relaxation, comfort and enjoyment. It’s a gourmet getaway, and I’m already excited to return.

Great Wineries and Distilleries

The best food in Istria, Croatia
Wine tasting at Trapan
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Cheers – Salute – Skål – Zivjeli!
The best food in Istria, Croatia
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Liquor tastings at Aura Distillery
The best food in Istria, Croatia
Liquor with truffle

Many thanks to Visit Istria for hosting me in Croatia. Whenever I travel, there will always be full disclosure about whether my stay was hosted by a tourism board. And even if I’m on a press trip, my view will never be swayed one way or the other.

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Istria is best known for its olive oil, wine and truffles, but it has much more to offer! From deliciously fresh seafood, wild asparagus, homemade pasta and prsut to the tastiest and most mouth-watering desserts: Here's a guide to the best gourmet food in Istria, Croatia.

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12 Comments

    1. It’s actually really delicious 🙂 It doesn’t have much taste, but when it’s seasoned and comes with garlic, rucola and tomatoes, it’s SUPER great. You should try it.

  1. Oh my God! So much food and wine! :):) I would love to try nadeva with wild asparagus and prosciutto – sounds and looks absolutely amazing!

    1. I know, haha. I can’t believe I ate all this food in just one week 😀 The nadeva was SO delicious and it was a local recipe which only made it more special. Croatian food is so good.

  2. Hi Miriam,

    My name is Chelsea and I am an American who recently married a Croatian, moved to istria and quit my 9-5 job. I have been traveling to istria back and fourth from the US for 4 years now and have fallen in love with the food. I stumbled across your blog while doing research for my own blog (I plan on starting to help bring more Americans to istria). I have many suggestions for restaurants to try if you ever return! I have been to most of the ones on your list all great recommendations! I look forward to trying the ones I haven’t been to yet. Please feel free to find me on instagram: trufflelata or contact me directly if you ever find yourself in the area again! I currently live in Porec.

    1. Thanks, Chelsea. I adore Croatian food, Istrian in particular! I’m always looking for great new restaurants or dishes so I’d love your recommendations when I return.

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