Croatian fruits and vegetables
By Every city and every place in Croatia has its own market (we call it “tržnica” or “pazar”). Besides the large variety of fruits and vegetables, at the “pazar” we can find local products such as various cheeses, various bee products (propolis, honey, pollen, etc.), excellent olive oils, various flavors of grappa (travarica, orahovica, rogačuša, smokovača, mirta, naranča, medica, kadulja, koromač, limunčelo, borovnica, višnjevac, biska, ruža, viljamovka, jagoda, ribizla, kupina, šljivovica, lozovača, jabukovača, mandarina, mareličarka, šipak, dunjevača, žutuja, maraskino, etc.), different herbs and many products from the lavender and rosemary that protect against moths. Despite all of this, we can buy there all kinds of beautiful flowers. Well, back to the story of our colorful fruits and vegetables…
Each season has its fruits and vegetables. Summer season starts with these local fruits: cherries, strawberries, kiwis, apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums and cherries. We’ll also find beautiful wild berries such as blueberries, currant, raspberries, blackberries and cranberries. In the middle of summer, we can fresh up with watermelon and cantaloupe. Towards the end of summer, ripened figs and various kinds of delicious grapes. In the early fall, of fruit we can find is the juicy pomegranate. Then comes quince and dry carob from which flour are made very delicious cakes and tasty cookies. Also at that time are picking up chestnuts that are kept all winter and baked later at the streets. To start the winter when we need plenty of vitamin C, we will find rich tangerine. Local fruits that we can buy at the “pazar” throughout the whole year are apples, oranges, lemons, grapefruits and pears, and imported fruit that we can found throughout the year are banana, pineapple, mango, avocado and coconut. Walnut, almond and hazelnut is approachable at any time of year, sometimes are local, sometimes imported.
People are increasingly turning to healthy lifestyle and they produce domestic and ecological vegetables. So the summer season is rich with healthy green and red fruits such as green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, eggplants, artichokes, broad beans, peas, asparagus, broccoli and beetroot. In the yellow autumn we can eat tasty black and green olives, corn, pumpkins and gourds. Throughout the year we can buy and enjoy in the rest of a home-grown vegetables such as mangel, spinach, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsley, leek, onion, garlic, cauliflower, cabbage, fennel, radishes and many types of salads (locally named kristal, matovilac, putarica, rikula and endivija). On the Croatian markets throughout the year, we can find various types of fungi – mushrooms, truffles, porcini and oyster mushrooms.
In every case, “pazar“ is one of favorite places for every tourist, but also for local residents, younger and older. Because of all this patchwork on the “pazar”, definitely is worth to go there and surprise your palate with a variety of fresh and juicy fruits.
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