Food

Since they were true gourmets, the residents of the Lika Region have always changed their traditional cuisine to suit the seasons. They ate spicy, fatty dishes in the winter and lighter ones in the summer since they were accustomed to the quality of particular foods from an early age. One of Lika's favorite specialties are police – potato halves. They are prepared from autochthonous Lika potatoes, which are of special quality and have a protected designation of geographical origin. Are you wondering what these potato halves are? It's actually very simple: unpeeled potatoes cut in half and baked in the oven - easy and so delicious. A little bacon and sauerkraut used to be eaten with the them, and today various cured meats and cheeses are eaten with them.

Cheese is indispensable in the traditional dishes of this region, among which the most famous is definitely cheese škripavac. In addition to it, soft, hard and semi-hard cheeses are also produced in Lika, usually from cow's milk.

You must have heard of Lika lamb, but did you know that special breed of sheep called Lika curly (pramenka), just like Lika potatoes, is registered as Protected geographical indication? The tradition of sheep farming has remained in this area even today, and lamb is still a favorite and always in demand dish. In addition to lamb, other specialties have remained on the menus, such as rotisserie pig roast, sauerkraut and cooked smoked meat, game stew served with polenta, cured meat products and baked trout served with salted potatoes sprinkled with parsley.

What would a meal be without dessert at the end? The most famous and oldest cake, which is still a favorite in the area of ​​Otočac and Gacka, is masnica. It used to be eaten as a snack or dessert, and most often women prepared it for their husbands for brunch in the field. In addition to masnica, "Miliprot" was also made, i.e. kuglof, cake with jam, apple or cheese pie. The queen among foods here is the plum, from which jam was made, but they also cooked plum dumplings.

Speaking of sweets, we can't help but mention that bees have always been raised in Otočac, and more and more residents produce honey, which, thanks to the, diligent work of both bees and beekeepers, is ranked as a high-quality ecological product. If you are a fan of this healthy and sweet delicacy, visit the "Honey Trail of Gacka", which consists of 12 honey spots.

We saved our plum brandy, or šljivovica, until last even though an aperitif is typically consumed before a meal. Our specialty is making šljivovica, which is still produced in Lika in the same manner as in the past, although in considerably smaller amounts. In addition to plums, Cornelian cherry dogwood and juniper are also used to make brandy. Rakija is an integral part of life here, it is toasted, mourned and rejoiced with.

In our catering facilities, you can try most of these traditional foods prepared in an original traditional or modern way, and modern twist of classic specialties are certainly waiting for you.

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