What you need to try at the first Croatian pizza festival
- by croatiaweek
- in Food & Wine
The first Croatian pizza festival opened last week in the capital Zagreb and we headed out to Dr Franjo Tuđman Square, where the festival is happening until 3 July, to check it out.
One tip, turn up hungry as you will want to try as many of the delicious 15 different pizzas flavours on offer as possible. Here are our recommendations.
Picnic
Run by a team from Zadar on the Dalmatian coast, Picnic’s motto is to do things different and tell a story through their food and they certainly have achieved that with their pizza flavours at the festival.
Prepared with the best local and Italian ingredients, they offer six different flavours: Furešta, Paška, Talijanka, Margherita, Istrijanka, and Dalmatinka. Their delicious dough is crafted by Kroštula and is rolled on corn to create an extra crunchy effect.
All are finger-licking good, but our favourite is definitely their variant with fresh fish “na savur” style with pickled onions and pickled motar.
Picnic’s three trucks will be touring Croatia during summer so make sure to follow them on FB https://www.facebook.com/picnic.mingle.fun/
Pizz’ arin by Rougemarin
Popular Croatian chef Marin Medak has prepared variations of pizza Siciliana with catchy names like – Palermo, Capo di tutti Capi, Cosa Nostra, Racket Pizzo, and La Famiglia.
Our favourites were the Palermo with anchovies and onion relish and La Famiglia with mozzarella and ham, marinated oyster mushrooms and olives and cherry tomatoes.
The Pizza Institute
The team of Ivan Badžek, pizzaiolo Eric from Belgium and the creative mind of Tomislav have come up five fantastic pizza flavours at The Pizza Institute stand.
With dough fermented for 72 hours, The Pizza Institute’s pizza’s are irresistible. You can’t go past their classic MaMargherite, and Pepperoni – a spicy variation with two kinds of sausages and chilli.
Beg’s Plant Based
Another interesting stand at the festival is Beg’s Plant Based. They are offering 3 original flavours with exclusively plant-based ingredients – pizza with plant based minced meat in reduced vermouth with dried figs, a four cheeses pizza – with plant based mozzarella, gorgonzola, gouda and cheddar and a plant based salmon option.
Beg’s Plant Based also has a selection of biodynamic wines from all over Europe on offer.
To top it all off with something sweet, head to Le Kolač where maestro Robert Hromalić has a selection of unique ice cream flavours, cakes and an interesting toasted ice cream. If cheesecake is your thing, then you must try their version as it will melt in your mouth.
You want go thirsty either, with Wine Bar, Gingle Bells and Rakijarnica offering wines, spirits and cocktails. Beer and soft drinks are also available. DJs provide entertainment each day with the festival open from 12 pm – 2 am until 3 July.
Entry is free and there is plenty of parking right next to the park.
You can follow the Pizza Festival on FB: https://web.facebook.com/