February - The Sweetest Month in Zagreb
True, it’s not a particularly nice month: the winter mode is still on, it’s cold, grey and Zagreb can even get quite drab. Cats are howling all around and everyone is waiting for the first signs of spring, still too far away. But if you have a sweet tooth, there’s much to look forward to.
February marks the Carnival season and it's perfectly alright to get crazy. The Lent is yet to come and there’s no need to restrain from enjoying life's little pleasures for a while. Especially when it comes to sweets, because Carnival brings a dessert called pokladnica. Even the name suggests its connection with the Christian tradition - poklade is another word for Carnival. Basically, pokladnica is our local version of a doughnut, a round deep-fried sweet filled with jam (mostly apricot, strawberry or plum) and sprinkled with icing sugar, part of our Austro-Hungarian heritage. It is available all year round, but then it's simply called krafna. While you can mess around with the regular krafna - for instance fill it with unconventional chocolate or vanilla, thus shocking the doughnut traditionalists - pokladnica is strictly defined and reserved for Carnival only. Shop windows and counters of bakeries, pastry shops and groceries are under siege by all kinds of pokladnica snacks during this period. Whose pokladnica is the best? It's yours to decide. Selection is certainly wide and diverse, from mass-produced ones to artisan treats by top pastry chefs. Although, sometimes it’s enough just to have an old aunt or granny who still makes them at whom the old-school way.
February also stands for St. Valentine’s Day. Yes, it’s an imported and over-commercialized holiday for which nobody here really knew 20-something years ago, but don’t underestimate its power. It’s probably the day with the highest sales of chocolate boxes. They don’t necessarily have to be all red and heart-shaped. When you say “chocolate box” to Zagrebians, most of them will picture the icon of our confectionery industry: Bajadera, produced by Kraš. It’s a creamy and rich chocolate nougat blended with almonds and hazelnuts, with a very recognizable flavour and more than 50 years of tradition.From my personal experience, foreigners quickly fall in love with it and it’s one of the best edible souvenirs you can bring from Croatia, even without a loud marketing campaign. For generations of locals, it has been the most reliable and best-selling gift in various occasions. The fact that the package has changed very little over the years tells a lot about how beloved and popular this product is. While you can find it in literally all supermarkets, even at newsstands, maybe the best place to meet Bajadera is the delicious Kraš Choco Bar in Ilica 15, the company’s showcase chocolate boutique.
And to top it all with some more sweets, February is the month of Zagreb’s Coffee & Choco Fest (February 12 - 15, 2015). This is only the fourth edition of the festival dedicated to the irresistible and addictive combination of coffee and chocolate, but it has already won the hearts of Zagrebians and their guests. Lots of exhibitors from all parts of Croatia, tastings and workshops featuring all things chocolate guarantee good times for chocoholics.
Image credit: Zagreb Coffe & Choco Fest
So even though spring is not yet here, there’s a lot of comfort to be found. Forget about counting calories and surrender yourself to all the temptations of sweet February in Zagreb.
Header image source: Zagreb Coffe & Choco Fest
Author: Taste of Croatia