"Zagreb's cottage cheese pastry, baked under sour cream until the top forms a bubbling golden crust, holds EU geographical protection. The baked version is what winter food is supposed to taste like."
About Strukli
Zagreb's most beloved comfort dish: thin dough sheets filled with fresh cottage cheese (skuta), egg and sour cream, then either boiled (kuhani) or baked (pečeni) under a lake of sour cream until the top forms a burnished, bubbling crust; the baked version is Zagreb's greatest gift to winter; it has been granted EU protected geographical status.
Strukli, a staple of Croatia's cuisine
Zagreb's Comfort
Strukli is the comfort food of Zagreb and the surrounding Zagorje region: thin sheets of dough filled with fresh cottage cheese, egg and sour cream, then either boiled or baked. The baked version, smothered in sour cream until the top forms a burnished, bubbling crust, is the city's great cold-weather dish. It is simple, dairy-rich and deeply satisfying.
Boiled or Baked
Strukli comes two ways. The boiled version, kuhani, is lighter, the parcels poached and served in their cooking liquid, suited to summer. The baked version, peceni, is richer, the parcels covered in sour cream and baked until golden. Each has its season and its devotees.
A Protected Dish
Strukli holds protected geographical status for the Zagreb and Zagorje area, recognition of a dish tied closely to that corner of northern Croatia. The protection reflects both the recipe and its regional roots. It is among the foods that define continental, rather than coastal, Croatian cooking.
The Filling
The heart of strukli is the cheese, a fresh, slightly tangy curd cheese bound with egg and sour cream. If the curd is too fresh and bland the filling falls flat, so a little acidity is wanted. Baked under its blanket of cream, it turns soft and warm beneath a crisp, golden top, exactly what winter food should be.
What to Expect
The baked štrukli arrives in a small clay dish, the sour cream crust golden and slightly puffed at the edges. Breaking through to the cheese filling below reveals a soft, slightly tangy and warm interior.
Why Try It
Štrukli reveals the nature of Zagreb cooking: unfussy, dairy-rich and deeply comforting. This dish is what visitors remember when they think of the city.
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Insider Tips
Restoran Štrukli on Skalinska Street in Zagreb is the most celebrated address.
Order the baked version (pečeni) in autumn and winter, the boiled version (kuhani) in summer.
The skuta (cottage cheese) filling should be slightly tangy, if it tastes flat, the cheese was too fresh.
