Dalmatian Peka | Croatian Recipes

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Home » Dalmatia

Dalmatian Peka | Croatian Recipes

Submitted by Croatia Expert on Sunday, 17 January 201019 Comments

After living here 5 years, we have come to love some of the local dishes, so I thought I wanted to start sharing some of them with my blog readers.

One of my absolute favourite dishes is the Dalmatian Peka, So what is a Peka, well a Peka is a Baked dish with meat and vegetables made in a pot or a tray, the pot is put into the embers of a fireplace, in many houses here in Dalmatia, especially on the country side, you have a special place in the barn or at the ground floor of the house for preparing the Peka.

Peka is an absolute top dish in the area, something which is put on the table when there is guest in the house, we as “semi” natives often have had the privilege to taste a real home cooked Peka, and I can tell you it is delicious. My personal favourite is the Veal Peak the meat gets so soft that you can literally chew it with your eyebrows!

One of the interesting things about Peka is that you can make with any kind of meat you like, also in restaurants you normally have option to choose between several kinds of meet like, Veal, chicken, lamb and octopus, my colleague has been so kind to reveal, how she is preparing the Peka, so if you are up for trying to make you own Peka here is how it goes.

How it is made:

Dishes under the lid are some of the top gastronomic offers in the Dalmatian cuisine, perhaps I am a little subjective because I am a big fan of food prepared under cripnja (this is Dalmatian term for the special bell shaped lid, which is put over the pot/tray, for cooking the Peka). The food is easy to prepare, only you have to catch the “hand” for the right mix of ingredients … and success is guaranteed. For the food prepared in the embers of a fireplace, we can use all types of meat, octopus, fish, squid … here I will post the recipe for preparing Veal and octopus under the bell.

Veal Peka:

Ingredients:

1-1.5 kg beef,
2 dl olive oil
0.8-1kg potatoes
2 zucchini
1 onion
4-5 carrots
2 peppers
1 dl white wine
Salt
Pepper
Sprig fresh rosemary

Preparation:

All the ingredients except the wine to put in a flat round tray and put under cripnja (iron bell in fireplace), and left an hour under the embers. After an hour of baking stir the meat and vegetables and add a decilitre white wine, cover the cripnja again, and let it bake on the embers for another half hour.

Octopus Peka – Octopus under the bell

Ingredients:

1.5-2 kg octopus
0,8-1 kg potatoes
4 cloves garlic
2 dl olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Sprig fresh rosemary
(If desired you can add more vegetables)
1 dl white wine

Preparation:

All the ingredients except the wine to put in a flat round tray and put under cripnja (iron bell fireplace), and left an hour under the embers. After an hour of baking, stir the octopus and potatoes and add a decilitre white wine, cover the cripnja again, and let it bake on the embers for another half hour.

Additional advice for the preparation of the octopus: If you have a fresh octopus it is best to freeze for a day, because then the octopus will be softer. Serve the Peka preferably with homemade bread, and typical dessert prepared in Dalmatian the rožata. Enjoy!

Where to eat Peka:

Peka is one the menu in more or less all traditional Dalmatian restaurant, so this is for sure something you can try during a vacation here in Croatia, be aware that Peka has to be ordered up front (If you have lots of patients you can of course also order when you come to the restaurant) as it takes more than an hour to prepare.

The Price for a portion of Peka in restaurant is normally about 60-80 kuna depending on which meat you choose, to our experience we normally only have to order 3 portions to have a enough for 2 adults and two kids with a great appetite.

The Peka is normally served on in the Iron pot on the table, so watch out for the smaller kids, as the pot is usually very hot.

Popularity: 15%

19 Comments »

jodi said:

Konoba Julia on Zirje has an amazing Octopus Peka! Tell Neno that Jodi from across the road sent you!

- 18 January 2010 at 22:11

Croatia Expert (author) said:

Hi Jodi

thanks for the tip

Morten

- 18 January 2010 at 22:20

Dan Stevens said:

Hi Morten,

I like your website very much, but was wondering what theme you use, as I really like the layout. Is it one of your own?

Im learning more and more about Croatia, and have to re-visit some time soon, great blog.

Regards, Dan

- 22 January 2010 at 12:22

Croatia Expert (author) said:

Hi Dan, i am glad you like, the Theme is use is called Arthemia Premium and it is from colorlabsproject http://colorlabsproject.com/themes/arthemia-premium/ as i run about 30 blogs on this theme i got the developers version.

I signed up for your RSS and will try to follow

Morten

- 22 January 2010 at 12:54

Dragana Kvesić said:

If you want tray good dalmatia peka you must came in restoran “Konoba Duboković” in island Hvar and tray also anather recept like pašorate,frustule,medenjake,Pitovska cake.Resoran is locate in small but beatiful place Pitve(between Jelsa and Zavala).

- 28 January 2010 at 20:36

Croatia Expert (author) said:

Hi Dragana, i had lots of good Peka, in different places here in Dalmatian, also i tried lots of other dishes, but i always seam to for get the name of the dish (:

- 28 January 2010 at 21:58

Dragana Kvesić said:

You can”t know because this food from island and in italian language.People who live in island speak difrent languange .Pašorate is like fritule,brudet is brudet,hrostule,paprenjaci,cviti,rožada and Pitovska cake that tradicinal island cake.

- 28 January 2010 at 23:14

Croatia Expert (author) said:

I love Fritule, it is excellent dessert -:)

- 29 January 2010 at 09:41

Gabriella said:

Hi,
I have a peka question! I bought a cast iron peka pan (it has a bottom part and a big lid on the top where you put the coals). The bottom of the pan is made of a rough cast iron…and here is my question: do you put the food directly into the bottom part of the pan, or are you supposed to buy a stainless steel pan, put your food in the stainless steel pan, and then put the stainless steel pan inside the cast iron peka?

Thanks for your help!
Gabriella

- 19 February 2010 at 15:48

Croatia Expert (author) said:

Hi Gabriella

In terms of peka pan used for the fireplace I only know the version which comes in two parts, a peka pan and the lid for covering it up, so I would assume that your peka pan set is complete, try out and see what happens (-:

Morten

- 19 February 2010 at 17:19

Gabriella said:

I’ll give it a try once the weather warms up!

thanks

Gabriella

- 19 February 2010 at 17:21

Dragana Kvesić said:

Dear Gabriela for peka you must have pan with a big lid .Lid is in the form bell-shaped ,hard and must covers pan .Yours pan is good.Food with spices˙(pepper,salt,olive oil,onion,carrot) put directly in the pan like you burn in the stove .You must have a lot ember because ember put down the pan and on the lid .After 40 minut look and mix ,and burn as late as 1 haurs and 40 minut(dipendent abut meet what you put in the pan)and after that you and your company can enjoy in yours culinary.

- 23 February 2010 at 01:35

Gabriella said:

Thanks for the advice Dragana…I can’t wait to try this!

- 23 February 2010 at 09:50

Erna said:

I’m deserately looking for a recipe for the cream to fill Oblate…please help me!

- 6 May 2010 at 16:47

Croatia Expert (author) said:

Hi Erna, i will ask my colleagues about that one, i have now experience with that cream my selves

Brgds, Morten

- 6 May 2010 at 22:28

Andrew said:

Any idea where to buy a Peka pan and lid?
Ilive in Australia

- 18 June 2010 at 01:31

Croatia Expert (author) said:

Sorry Andrew, have absolutely no idea about that (-:

Hope you find one somewhere, Peka is excellent dish.

Morten

- 18 June 2010 at 08:51

Josh said:

We visited Croatia last year (and we’ll be probably coming again this year) and I must say: the food in Croatia is one of the best things about it (and it’s a beautiful country with friendly people, so it’s not the only good thing there). Dalmatian peka is amazing, and I simply love their desserts…one could say that Croatia is a gourmand’s mecca!

- 18 June 2010 at 21:55

Dragana Kvesić said:

Dear Andrew if you don”t come in Croatia you ask Croatia people to bring you lid and pan(people from Dalmatia),but if you visit Croatia good dish for peka you can buy in Imotski.

- 28 June 2010 at 15:37