Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without tradition, and in Croatia, this means badnjak, bakalar and fritule – along with the familiar lights and baubles, of course.
While those still working on the morning of December 24 gather for a farewell drink with friends and colleagues before heading off to their loved ones, back home, families are decorating the tree, adding a few tempting, dangling sweets to the decorations.
Christmas Eve is badnjak, specifically the word for the Yule log. These days, this is usually more symbolic, but in the countryside, homes are still warmed by a flaming log.
This is also when presents are exchanged and families gather around the table for the Christmas meal, typically but not exclusively salted cod, bakalar. This may vary but usually fish takes centre stage, often in the form of soup.
Eager diners may have already been nibbling at little cakes and biscuits, ceremonially placed on the dining table. Other seasonal goodies are fritule, deep-fried dough balls sprinkled with sugar or irresistible chocolate sauce.
After dinner, some families head off to midnight mass, sharing Christmas with their fellow locals in the congregation.
Christmas Day is more relaxed affair but this doesn’t cause a halt to the feasting. Roast turkey is accompanied by mlinci, thin strips of flatbread stewed in the juices of the roast meat. The extended family often visit, some perhaps saving the socialising for the day after.
Out come more cakes, drinks flow and relaxation stretches into December 26.
Happy Christmas! Sretan Božić!