EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Other destinations / Europe / Croatia
Are burgers popular in Croatia?
Burgers are like hot-dogs. I guess, almost everywhere you could find them. Depending on the region and culinary preferences and what is where available, they may vary from place to place, but a general rule will be kept. You might expect a bun with a meat, fish or a vegetable cutlet, plus vegetables and sauces. That is the most general description of a burger. At the beginning, MacDonald’s and Burger King were the one that were defining how the ‘real’ burger should look like. However, with time being, the new wave appeared. Burgers evaluated and became more sophisticated. Now, you can observe a trend, in which burgers’ status has changed from the basic food to something really interesting and giving much more pleasure from eating them, than just satiating one’s stomach.
Given that, not only a cheap or a regular minced meat will be in it. Nor would it be a simple soya cutlet or any fish. It is much more popular to find burgers with pulled pork, marinated meat, a good cheese or with seafood.
Specially designed serving trays, steak knives, industrial or rustic cutlery holders, wood elements and a nice garnish, make it all so different from what you knew from train station bars or fast-food stalls.
Now, the culture of eating burgers diametrically has changed and put burgers on the higher level of the culinary ladder.
We have already tried their upgraded versions in other countries, so now it was turn for Croatia. The first thing that hit us, was the fact that there was not as many burger bars as in other European countries. That suggested us, that probably, that kind of a food was not the most favorite one. And that is true. Croatia has its own substitutes, that I must admit, do not stay behind burgers. Here I mean Pljeskavica and Ćevapčići. But, coming back to burgers.
The most popular form of serving them is as you might know it from years ago. A simple set of ingredients, nothing special about them. Minced meat cutlet, some fresh veggies and sauce. Here comes ketchup and mayo, that are the most popular.
That kind of burgers are widely available. Bar, snack-stores, street food-stalls etc. In bigger cities you might find burger bars serving nothing more than burgers. In that case the selection is wider. More cutlet variations might appear, and the extra ingredients would also be of a better quality and different. You might expect soya burgers, grilled vegetables or mixed salads instead of getting a couple of cucumber slices, some onion rings and one or two ice salad leaves. Even in some places you might be able to select a lactose-free or gluten-free burger version. Usually that change means additional costs.
Very often you will be able to get a burger box with extra fries or drinks. That is then more treated as a set or a meal to be taken with you. Most of the burger bars do not offer any sitting place, except from the one that is previewed for all those waiting for their order. So do not expect any relaxing place. Just order, pick and go for a walk.
Another place where you might get burgers, are local festivals or events. In that case served burgers would be probably completely different from these from fast-food bars. Food-trucks or stalls would serve really good ones. Here you might find exotic burger versions. Exotic is maybe too much said, but you might find Mexican-style burgers, burgers with seafood, with pulled pork, marinated meat and different kind of non-meat burgers, including four cheeses, red bean or soya cutlets. Grilled onions, pepper, eggplant or cabbage is also popular. Fresh, mixed salads, cucumber slices and tomato would definitively appear there too. The selection of sauces would be wider too. Garlic, Thousand-Island, mustard or BBQ sauces would be served depending on the burger’s type and ingredients’ composition.
However, these food-trucks with burgers are really rare. A good option is, as I mentioned before, go to a local festival, do not escape wine festivals or events, as these burger trucks appear too. What is more, burgers there are really good. Remember, wine is not the cheapest drink and is something to be tasted and enjoyed with good food. Cheese board, Mediterranean appetizers or good-quality burgers are what you might try. And you won’t be disappointed!
But, if coming to Croatia, you believe to be able to grab a burger almost everywhere, that is not like that. My advice is – skip all basic ones and leave place in your stomach for these really good. Although more expensive and more difficult to be found, but worth it. In the meantime, enjoy local food including local staples like Ćevapčići or Pljeskavica or any kind of a seafood meal.
If you are interested in other burgers, find out more about Hungarian burgers in the post Burgers and Hungarian local street food - you must try it!
