grubtrotting: Croatia

For our first Grubtrotting event we decided on Croatia. As we began discussing it over dinner Nathaniel first proposed Japan. I said, "Oh thanks, start with an easy one -- how about something else!" He then offered Germany, to which I responded that we try something with which we were less familiar. His third idea was Croatia, which we all thought sounded fine. To my suggestion that we all learn something to share about Croatian culture, history, etc. he said, "Croatia lost to Turkey in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup. There, I'm done". Smartypants. Well, ha! That was Euro 2008, not World Cup.

I've now done a fair bit of reading online about Croatian cuisine. We missed Croatia Fest at Seattle Center back in October, which would have been fun. I decided that I was going to need a seasoning blend called Vegeta but didn't have any luck tracking down a Croatian market in Seattle and with shipping it would have been outrageous to buy it from Amazon. I broadened my thinking a bit and discovered Balkan Market Ltd, just five miles away. Looks like we'll find any specialty item we could possibly need there, including beers and wines.

There is no shortage of history in the region, obviously, and lots of food choices both familiar and not. Looks like a good first choice!

Update: The Grubtrotting: Croatia report.