Historically free merchant city from the medieval times, Samobor is city of great heritage. everywhere there are monuments, ruins, documents evoking the memories of unprecedented continuity. History speaks about origins and culture, and the best way might be the dining table. Ingredients so specific to Samobor are truly the brands of this lovely city. Hand-written cookbooks are kept through generations, and passed on to the owners of inns and restaurants.
Soups were always part of the Samobor table, be it freshwater fish soup or mushrooms soup. Soups are always appetizers, and mushroom soup is very authentic to the Samobor table. No wonder, as the lush forests surrounding the city are full of mushrooms, especially chanterelles. Cut mushrooms are cooked in water with chopped onion, while the potatoes are added when the soup boils. Addition of finely chopped onion, fried flour and red pepper gives specific aroma. Another famous soup is štrukle soup, usually eaten for dinner. Štrukle are cooked, and not baked, while the onion, flour and red pepper are prepared for the soup’s basis.
Meat dishes are Samobor’s favourite. Generations cannot imagine their childhood days (and indeed the rest of their life) without Samobor salami and češnjofka sausage. For almost 30 years, Samobor salami has its own festival, held in early spring. It was always known in Samobor who produces the best salami and best češnjofka, according to the old recipes.
Samobor salami is the real pride of the town. Some claim it has French roots, but historical records show that South Eastern part of the Samobor main square is place where butcher shops were, known for dried meat. Sausages are signature dish here, especially češnjofka, a garlic sausage, which is the town’s favourite. Throughout the year one can find also kettle of various kinds of pork and sausages, served with sauerkraut (kotlovina).
For the main course, however, Samobor cutlet stands out. There are different recipes and ways of preparing them, but Samobor cutlet differs in one important detail – its traditional garlic sauce. The way the meat is prepared has changed a little over time, but what distinguishes it from all the other cutlets is the sauce, which has remained unchanged. As with other specialties, its recipe is carefully preserved in Samobor restaurants, and kitchen chefs’ methods of preparing the meat and preserving its juices differ in details. In any case, the end result is a dish we can hardly resist and which draws people to come and eat in Samobor and its surroundings.
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