Traditional Recipes from Biograd na Moru: Picipaje, Kroštule, St. Blaise Cake and Makaruni Priko Prsta

HR: Autohtoni recepti iz Biograda na Moru: picipaje, kroštule, kolač sv. Blaža i makaruni priko prsta

DE: Traditionelle Rezepte aus Biograd na Moru: Picipaje, Kroštule, St.-Blasius-Ringkuchen und Makaruni priko prsta

Biograd na Moru is known for its rich history, maritime heritage, and warm hospitality, but also for its simple and authentic cuisine based on local ingredients and long-standing family recipes. Many of these dishes have been passed down through generations, preserving the flavours that shaped everyday life and festive occasions in this Dalmatian coastal town.

Below you will find several traditional recipes from Biograd, including kroštule (crispy deep-fried pastry ribbons dusted with powdered sugar), picipaje (small pieces of sweet fried dough, similar to fritters), St. Blaise Cake (a traditional festive sponge cake associated with the feast of St. Blaise), and the well-known homemade pasta makaruni priko prsta (literally “macaroni over the finger”, a hand-rolled tube-shaped pasta traditionally prepared during the Carnival season).

Picipaje

Traditional fried yeast dough flatbreads

Ingredients

• 600 g all-purpose flour
• 1–2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 packets dry yeast
• about 300 ml warm water
• oil for frying

Preparation

Add 100 ml of warm water to the yeast and stir until dissolved. Add the sugar and sprinkle with a little flour. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let it stand for about 15 minutes to activate the yeast.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the activated yeast and gradually add the remaining water while kneading the dough by hand.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a cloth, and let it rise for about one hour.

Once the dough has risen, tear off pieces and shape them into small flatbreads on a floured surface.

Heat at least 2–3 cm of oil in a deep pan. Fry the dough pieces for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Serve warm, ideally with a dusting of sugar or alongside savoury dishes.

Kroštule

Crispy fried pastries dusted with powdered sugar

Kroštule are a traditional dessert from Biograd. Over the years, local homemakers have developed their own variations of the recipe, adding ingredients that make them even crispier and more flavourful. One of the key ingredients is alcohol, which prevents the dough from absorbing too much oil during frying. Traditionally, a few tablespoons of brandy are used; in this recipe, however, prošek – a traditional Croatian dessert wine made from dried grapes – is added.

Ingredients

• 1 kg flour
• 6 eggs
• 100 g sugar
• 150 g margarine
• 1 small glass of prošek
• lemon zest, vanilla or a little rum for flavour
• oil for frying
• powdered sugar

Preparation

Cream the margarine, then add the flour, eggs, lemon zest, and a small glass of prošek. Mix well and knead into a firm, smooth dough. Let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into several smaller pieces and roll each piece as thinly as possible on a floured surface.

Using a fluted pastry wheel, cut strips about 2 cm wide. Shape them into knots, bows, or other forms as desired.

Heat the oil in a deep pot. The oil is ready when small bubbles form around a test piece of dough.

Fry several kroštule at a time for about one minute per side, until lightly golden. Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

St. Blaise Cake

On the feast day of St. Blaise, the patron saint of throat illnesses, a traditional cake bearing his name is prepared in Biograd. Because of its ring shape, it is often called “sailor’s bread.” According to local tradition, sailors in the age of sailing ships would thread these cakes onto a rope and tie them to a beam on the ship so they would not break while the vessel rocked at sea.

(Source: Biograjski.com)

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 120 g sugar
• 1 teaspoons lard (traditional) or 150 g butter
• 1 cube fresh yeast
• 500–600 g flour
• flavourings as desired: brandy, prošek or rum, vanilla sugar, orange or lemon zest

Preparation

Knead all ingredients into a smooth dough. If necessary, add a little more flour so the dough remains soft but firm.

Let the dough rest at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes.

Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each piece into a long rope. Shape each rope into a ring.

Place the rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 150 °C for about 40 minutes, until lightly golden.

Makaruni Priko Prsta

Makaruni priko prsta are a traditional homemade pasta with a distinctive shape. In Biograd they are most often prepared on Carnival Tuesday and can be served with a variety of sauces, most commonly a rich meat sauce.

Ingredients

• 5 whole eggs (preferably free-range)
• 500 g flour

Preparation

Knead the eggs and flour into a smooth, firm dough. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a smooth surface to a thickness of about 2 mm.

Cut the rolled dough into squares approximately 3 cm in size. Join two opposite corners of each square over your finger to create the characteristic shape of the makaruni.

Cook in salted water for 6–7 minutes, until tender.

Meat Sauce for Makaruni Priko Prsta

Ingredients

• 500 g beef (stew cut)
• 2 onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 2–3 carrots
• 200 g strained tomatoes
• salt, pepper, seasoning mix
• fresh parsley
• olive oil or sunflower oil

Preparation

Cut the meat and vegetables into small cubes.

Heat olive or sunflower oil in a pot and first sauté the onion, carrot and garlic. Then add the meat.

Once the meat is lightly browned, add the strained tomatoes and a little warm water.

Cook over medium heat for about one hour, stirring occasionally, until the meat becomes tender and the sauce thickens.

Season to taste and finish with chopped parsley. Serve with cooked makaruni priko prsta.