Gastronomy – Republic of Croatia

The 2025 BSEC Month of Culture is launching “Cultural Bridges”, a new feature through which each MoC will include posts about the cultural heritage of countries beyond the BSEC region. This year's Special Cultural Reference will be Croatia, a participating country to the EU co-funded project TOURAL*.

We start this new feature with a delicious savoury snack!

Varaždinski klipič is a traditional food from the city of Varaždin that dates back to the 18^th century when the city was the capital of Croatia.

Consisting of flour, milk, oil, yeast, sugar and salt, these bread rolls have a milky and slightly sour flavour. Klipiči can be bought from numerous bakeries in Varaždin, and are commonly served with morning coffee at most cafés in the city.

Varaždinski klipič has been designated a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which recognises the distinct qualities, reputation, or other characteristics of this product linked to its geographical origin.

Recipe Time!

• To make the dough, mix the yeast, 200 ml of warm milk, sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour together in a bowl. Leave to rise for about 10 minutes.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the salt and oil, then add the risen yeast and enough of the remaining warm milk to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for 10–15 minutes. Cover the dough with a cloth and leave to rise for 90 minutes.
• Knead the risen dough, then divide it into 25 balls. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
• Roll each ball out to about 20 cm long. Starting from the bottom, roll up the dough and stretch it lengthwise as you go, so that the loaves are 23–25 cm long. Arrange the loaves on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and leave to rise again for 20–30 minutes.
• Grease the buns. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Beat the egg and brush it onto the buns. Sprinkle with cumin, if desired.
• Place them in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!

Sources: Marija Dušević (ZADRA NOVA), https://www.tasteatlas.com/varazdinski-klipic, https://www.tasteatlas.com/pgi

Photograph taken from: https://www.kuhaona.com/en/2014/05/pastry-rolls-from-varazdin/

#ICBSS #MoC2025 #CultureBSEC #Croatia #Gastronomy

* The project TOURAL, co-funded under Horizon Europe, proposes a model to support the touristic development of participating rural regions, balancing the growth of their urban clusters with the untapped growth potential of their remote and rural grid cells. More information: https://toural-project.eu/