North Croatian dietary habits in the 17^th century (Varaždin and Cernik)

The region of Northern Croatia was influenced by the cultural traditions of central Europe, Balkan and Asia Minor.

Here is the example of a menu from 17^th century Varaždin, a butcher’s guild feast, to demonstrate the abundance and the variety of the foods consumed: chicken noodle soup, cooked beef, and cooked hen with soured horseradish, roasted ducks, geese, hens, chicken and pigeons with red beet, cooked and baked “štrukli”, birds, snails, sausages, ox’s tongue, roasted turkey and veal, pork, salads, deer and hares with dumplings, and finally dessert: apples, pears, gingerbreads and wine. 

Another example is from contemporary Cernik, showing the content of a festive dinner at St.Peter and paul’s day: rakija šljivovica, chicken noodle soup, cooked meat in dill sauce, deer stew, fried chicken and potatoes, cabbage salad, lettuce and cucumber salad, roasted pork, biscuits and wine.

Christmas menu in Cernik: beef soup, fried or roasted poultry, red beet or bean salad, cakes: gingerbread, other small Christmas biscuits. There were also different kind of nuts, prunes, apples and pears. People drank wine and rakija.