Pork Is All Around

It's no big secret, the food of Zagreb is very meat-friendly. And among all meats eaten, a special place is reserved for pork. Yes, the pig is the king of animals, as far as our traditional cuisine is concerned. Quite understandable, given the fact that in the old days, in the country, families held poultry for eggs, cows for dairy and pigs to feed them. Especially during winter, when fresh produce was scarce. There’s even an old saying to back this up: Nema tice do prasice. Or loosely translated: No bird can compare to the pig. The celebration of pig culminates in late autumn, when traditional slaughter known as kolinje takes place. Porky Pig wouldn’t last a day here in November! And it’s not just a technical process of slaughtering, processing and butchering the meat, but a social event, a family gathering. Although not as widespread anymore, kolinje is still a big deal in many rural areas. Of course, city folks gradually became estranged from it, but many Zagrebians have relatives in the country and some still partake in the custom, while others just enjoy the products of someone else’s hard work. What was once a necessity to survive the winter slowly becomes an exotic folk custom.

“The beauty of homemade cold cuts.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

This time-consuming and demanding activity starts early in the morning, with the inevitable shot of homemade rakija (brandy). Everybody chips in, but men usually take care of the bloody part, while women are in charge of support and cooking. Typical products of a successful kolinje operation are bacon, ham, salami, buncek (smoked pork knuckle)... True, these take time and are not meant be consumed immediately. Curing is necessary and it requires patience. This is where a pušnica (smoke house) comes in handy, to preserve pork delicacies and add some extra flavour. A product that everyone is looking forward to and can be ready soon enough is called čvarci. Čvarci, our version of scratchings, stands for diced pork rind and bacon cooked over open fire, with the addition of milk to give the irresistible golden crust. In the end you get salty, crispy all-round snacks. Fans are grouped according to the level of crispiness achieved. Some like their čvarci pressed, extra thin and crispy, others like them fat and soft.

“Čvarci, favourite wintertime snack.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

The abundant fat from the pig is transformed into lard, svinjska mast. With the rising popularity of natural saturated fats, lard is now once again a frequent ingredient in cooking. Our parents and grandparents remember it as their regular childhood snack, spread on bread, in the days before Nutella. Chunks and chunks of meat and some bacon will be used for sausages, either fresh or dry-cured. Češnjovke (with garlic and white wine) are quite popular in Zagreb and surroundings. Blood is also a precious and useful part of the pig - it goes into krvavice (blood sausages). Love them or hate them, but sauerkraut and blood sausages (especially when stuffed with barley or buckwheat) are the epitome of winter comfort food. Fresh meat like pork chops and loin roast is frozen for cold days to come, but part of it is used to prepare a filling meal for all participants at the end of the day, starting with the inevitable pork soup. Liver is also prepared on the same day, usually just fried with onion, but that’s only a quick lunch or snack to keep the kolinje crew going. The main rule is that nothing is left over, all parts of the pig have to be used. This is how some of the less popular products like hladetina (jellied pork feet, skin, ears, tail, tongue and similar leftovers) or prezvuršt (kind of head cheese, pressed sausage made of pork innards, skin and head)are created.

“Krvavice (blood sausages) and sauerkraut, one of winter’s little pleasures.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

So when you’re eating delicious homemade cold cuts during holiday season, or buying beautiful charcuterie products at one of Zagreb’s many food fairs in the same period, remember the effort and long tradition that is behind it. And be thankful to all those unsung kolinje masters around us.

Header image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author: Taste of Croatia