The first cookbook of Croatian desserts in English released

by croatiaweek
November 5, 2019
in Food & Wine

Andrea Pisac with her Croatian dessert cookbook (Photo credit: Ivan Teskera)

Last year Andrea Pisac published Croatian Desserts: 50 authentic recipes to make at home as an e-book. The book was an instant success and many of her followers expressed a desire to have it available in print. So, this year Andrea delighted her readers with the glossy hard copy.

This first cookbook of Croatian desserts in English features 50 easy-to-make recipes. All the ingredients are expressed both in grams and cups so the Croatian sweets can easily travel across the globe.

The electronic version of the cookbook stood out with its super detailed step-by-step method and the hard copy delivers the same experience. There are 500+ full colour images accompanying detailed instruction. Novice or experienced baker, you won’t have any difficulties recreating Croatian cakes. Andrea even gives suggestions on how to substitute many of the ingredients that are locally specific.

(Photo credit: Ivan Teskera)

Expect to find desserts from all around Croatia: Dalmatia (including the inland and the islands), Istria, Slavonia, Baranja, Zagorje, Međimurje and the rest of the continental Croatia. As a doctor of anthropology, Andrea meticulously gathered the recipes from the locals and researched the historical background of each dessert. She then recreated them in her own kitchen because she wanted to send the message that everyone can try their hand at baking.

(Photo credit: Ivan Teskera)

The cookbook has 224 pages and is divided into chapters: Lazy Morning, Sunday Sweets, Special Occasions, Cakes, Christmas Sweets and Easter Sweets. Each dessert is introduced with an engaging culinary biography where Andrea gives us details about its origin, when it is usually prepared and how it is eaten.

(Photo credit: Ivan Teskera)

Whoever is looking to reconnect with their Croatian heritage by baking the classics from their Gran’s cookbook won’t be disappointed. The usual suspects are all here: walnut and poppy seed roll (potica, povitica or orehnjača), fritule, štrukli, peppery biscuits (paprenjaci), Međimurje layered cake (međimurska gibanica), kremšnite, mađarica… But the cookbook also pays homage to the sweets that were once famous and that needed to be rediscovered. Think stonska torta made with pasta (cake from Ston) or Kaiserschmarrn that was once as popular as pancakes.

(Photo credit: Ivan Teskera)

Even if you’re not ready to take up baking, Croatian Desserts cookbook makes a wonderful gift. It’s a perfect souvenir which will always keep your Croatian memories alive.