Photos: Arsen Miletić, Frank Heuer, Lili Bašić, Petar Lupić
KVARNER – EUROPEAN REGION OF GASTRONOMY
Discover the three sides of Kvarner and experience a wealth of flavours in authentic dishes from the coastal, island and mountain cuisine as well as local wines made from indigenous grape varieties
Kvarner – where the mountains slope down towards the Adriatic coast, and the air is scented with the Mediterranean herbs and sea salt – is a region steeped in the history of tourism, whose origins were elegantly woven into the fabric of Opatija’s cityscape. But behind the façades of aristocratic villas and seaside promenades lies a deeper, more nuanced story – one of flavours that took centuries to shape through a unique blend of climate, landscape and tradition.
Kvarner has always been a place of superb cuisine and excellent wines, making it a favourite among lovers of authentic culinary experiences. On the crossroads of cultures and civilisations, where the sea, islands and mountains meet in harmony and maritime and continental climates converge, a rich range of distinctive local fare has developed. This culinary heritage continues to thrive and evolve today in the dishes of the coastal, island and mountain cuisines, complemented by wines made from indigenous grape varieties.
It is precisely because of these exceptional qualities, as well as the high standard of its culinary scene – which has earned Kvarner’s restaurants a place in international guides such as Michelin, Gault&Millau and JRE for many years – that Kvarner has become the only region in Croatia to be awarded the title of the European Region of Gastronomy for 2026.
The best way to find out why Kvarner is the one to have received this prestigious title is to savour the richness of its flavours in its three authentic cuisines – coastal, island and mountain.
The coastal cuisine (the Opatija Riviera, Rijeka and its surroundings, and the Crikvenica and Vinodol Riviera) has been shaped by the lives of people between the mountainous hinterland and the coast. Throughout history, this region has been a blend of various influences: the court cuisine of the Frankopan noble family, the middle-class cooking traditions of those with Austrian, Czech and Hungarian roots, and the traditional food made by fishermen and peasants. In the fertile valleys of the karst landscape, cereals, fruit, vegetables and grapevines have been cultivated. Dry-stone walling has been used to transform the steep slopes descending to the sea into terraced gardens, where crops have been cultivated at specific altitudes and arranged in a certain way. Next to the sea are olive groves and fig trees, then sweet chestnut and cherry orchards, followed by vineyards and vegetable plots with crops such as broskva (a type of winter leafy green, related to cabbage and kale) and the much-loved kapuz (cabbage). Higher up are pastures for sheep and wild horses. The entire coastline is blanketed in medicinal and aromatic herbs – thyme, sage, bay trees, rosemary, heather, common wormwood, wild garlic shoots and wild asparagus. Torrent waters from the mountains carry leaves and organic matter, causing deposits of ‘blue mud’ to form in the sea. It provides an ideal habitat for Kvarner scampi, which – prepared à la buzara or grilled – are considered one of the symbols of the coastal cuisine.
