Grocery shopping abroad is always fun! What is it like to shop in supermarkets in Croatia? Yes, if you visit the biggest supermarkets you will find most things, but there is still a lot that differs from Sweden ... By the way, look carefully at the top picture in the post and find an "error"!
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This is in abundance
Paprika, paprika, paprika! In Croatian supermarkets, paprika seasoning is sold in one-kilo bags and the shelves of ajvar (paprika sauce) and pickled peppers are low. In addition, you can buy all sorts of products already flavoured with paprika: chips, cheese, liver paste... and of course the domestic paprika-spiced minced meat dish pljeskavica.
This is missing
We have found that large Konzum stores in Croatia are really good. Here we also find rare products like broccoli, avocado, saffron, crème fraiche, garlic sauce and Asian products like sambal oelek and wok sauce. If we are missing something, it is shellfish - so far we have only found prawns. Other things that we can't find (ready-made potato salad, chèvre, noodles and white beans in tomato sauce) we can perhaps live without.
This is tricky to understand
Everything is tricky to understand when you don't know the language. Does the jar at the milk counter contain cream, crème fraiche or cottage cheese? Not easy to know... Meat is also cut differently, so it is difficult to recognise the cuts in the meat counters. But occasionally, unexpectedly, it says ... in Swedish!
Here's what we like
Fresh tuna fillet is really cheap. You can't order it in a restaurant, because they ruin it by frying it into a dry and boring shoe. But you can buy it and cook it yourself! We also like all the little packs of chicken paste - mild and tasty! And no, ajvar isn't that bad either!
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Maggan and Ingemar says:
01 October 2015 - 23:04
Mr Steve says:
It's exciting to shop in unfamiliar stores, even if it's a bit like buying a "pig in a poke" sometimes.
Well, you don't seem to be in any trouble.
Wishing you tasty meals whatever ends up on your plate!
01 October 2015 - 23:18
BP says:
Can't help but laugh:-))))
The error in the first one is clearly - chicken paste in Swedish. Bingo, at least you know what was in the jar;- ) Love EU and the organisation's "mistakes":-)
I actually love Pljeskavica. Can recommend a place near you - well, when you are home again;-)
Oh ready-made potato salad and white beans in tomato sauce and that Sultan's soup you can definitely live without, but not chèvre and noodles.
Glad the tuna is affordable! Oh it should look just like your picture!
01 October 2015 - 23:30
Frankie & Co says:
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=1602&artikel=1860898
But there are probably more sultan soups than the eccentric Swedish Sten Broman's version!
02 October 2015 - 7:50
Camilla says:
02 October 2015 - 8:32
admin says:
Steve, it's a bit of a "pig in a poke" sometimes. Sometimes we've bought a product that we really didn't like and had to throw away, but that's rare. Most of what we have bought has tasted good - even if it has sometimes been something else than we intended. (This morning, for example, we opened a salmon paste that we thought would be spreadable, but it was more like a sliceable sausage... haha ;)).
Frankie & Co, haha interesting to know! We haven't tried the soup yet, bought it a while ago. Understood that it would be some kind of vegetable soup... (Most of the powder soups here are pasta soups and it's not my favourite, but there are others if you look a little).
02 October 2015 - 10:11
Ama de casa says:
Pljeskavica is soooo good! Haven't eaten it in a long time though.
02 October 2015 - 10:34
Only British says:
BP, this has nothing to do with the EU's mistake at all. It is the companies that design their own covers (it has nothing to do with tables of contents) and this is because the product is sold in Sweden. Take a look at Citygross.
My guess is that restaurants overcook fish because there is some local tort law if they don't heat it up enough to kill any worms. Or that it is simply a tradition to grill them a lot for that reason. Often fish is frozen and thawed before it is sold as food even in Sweden for that reason.
02 October 2015 - 10:56
Marina says:
02 October 2015 - 11:10
Ditte says:
I see in the picture that the one on the right says "chicken pie". Guess that's it...
It's nice to get some extra information about the selection in the food stores because I also like to browse in them when I'm abroad. And you can get some surprises. I remember that this happened quite often in China, where you didn't have a clue what was on the packaging. I made many mistakes when buying flour to bake bread... Rice flour is not very good for that.
Understand that you may miss seafood, wondering why it is not available. And what about the fish selection?
But from what I can tell, you are doing well in terms of food.
02 October 2015 - 12:53
Annika says:
So fun and exciting to shop in stores where you do not have real control. Always fun to check out grocery stores in other countries, and you have to visit them to get food in your stomach, hihi!!!!
FUN with the chicken paste and soup. Surprising, haha!
Wishing you a great weekend!
02 October 2015 - 14:42
admin says:
Only British, interesting to hear that Citygross sells that paste! I don't usually shop there, so I didn't recognise it... Maybe it could be something like that when it comes to fish, but tuna gets really boring when you fry it straight through. But you mean that freezing beforehand helps? If so, maybe that's a good method? We have several times frozen the tuna beforehand, and it has tasted just as good as completely fresh.
02 October 2015 - 15:29
Maria says:
02 October 2015 - 16:09
admin says:
02 October 2015 - 17:43
Veiken says:
02 October 2015 - 18:00
JoY says:
That it is written in Swedish in the middle of everything else hahaha Good thing you are not allergic to peppers then, my brother's girlfriend would have problems with it.
There's an abundance of milk, yoghurt, cream, etc. and it's just as exciting what you've actually brought home!
Hugs
02 October 2015 - 18:56
admin says:
Boy, can it be an adventure! Of course, when you don't know the alphabet, it's even more difficult. (But we have actually learnt the Russian alphabet - at least somewhat - and that helps in some countries anyway ;))
JoY, if you're allergic to peppers here, you might want to watch out in the shops and restaurants - it's really their favourite spice! (Although of course there are other spices as well).
02 October 2015 - 23:00