“Fifteen lakes and pools, up to thirty larger and smaller waterfalls, four streams, one river, a whole lot of hills and mounds with gentle valleys and frightening precipices, ancient forests and lush greenery, and above all, drinking water fit for the gods, adorn this aquatic perpetual motion machine that is fairly unknown in the homeland, and even less so abroad.” …”
This is how in 1860, author Adolfo Veber Tkalčević described his impression of the area in his travelogue Put to Plitvice (Journey to Plitvice), the area that would become a world-famous destination a century later. In this colder period, one of the most visited locations in Croatia is getting an autumnal makeover, revealing all the colours of the pearl of the mountain region of Croatia. Only two hours away from Zagreb, the Plitvice Lakes National Park offers, on top of pristine nature, beautiful lakes and waterfalls, an irresistible gastronomic experience.
GASTRONOMIC PEARL WITH THE MOTTO “LESS IS MORE”
The iconic Lička kuća Restaurant located in the Plitvice Lakes National Park is a place of long-standing and rich tradition. Built back in 1972, it has been offering authentic ambiance paired with the aromas and flavours of traditional and innovatively prepared Lika dishes for decades. Surrounded by thick forest on one side and the Plitvice Lakes on the other, Lička kuća Restaurant is situated in the idyllic landscape that invites you to take long walks and explore the enchanted surroundings. Since fresh Lika air is known to work up an appetite, after a walk in nature, highly nutritious and flavourful home-made food is sure to hit the spot.
Try closing your eyes and inhaling the Plitvice Lakes mountain air and you will instantly experience a moment of bliss and realise that you don’t need much to experience true joy – the hum of water, the freshness of the sky and the smell of pure mountain soil. The Lička kuća Restaurant is guided by the same principle, rightfully taking pride in their menu which consists only of products grown and produced in the area of Lika, without the use of any additives or artificial ingredients. The chef of Lička kuća knows very well what riches the traditional food of this region holds, skilfully fusing the traditional gastronomic accomplishments with the latest achievements of modern cuisine.
It is therefore no wonder that the majority of dishes are based on local products bearing the designation Lika Quality. Lika Quality designates products that are produced in the area of Lika in accordance with all legal regulations, characterised by the highest level of quality and sustainable production anchored in tradition.
The entire restaurant is decorated in the finest tradition of Lika country houses, using old crafts and craftsmanship that only a few have mastered today. Curious eyes will instantly notice that the interior takes on the value of an ethnographic museum, with the warmest and most welcoming homey atmosphere possible. Even today, Lika can’t escape the signs reminding us of the once difficult life of highlanders, but new age demands are easily met in these spaces, so even those details speak volumes about the resilience of the inhabitants. Despite this difficult environment, the people of Lika remain excellent hosts who will warm every traveller by the fire, feed them real home-made food and invigorate them with fragrant šljivovica or travarica (plum or herb brandy), which is said to have many healing properties.
SELECT INGREDIENTS TURNED INTO A LUXURY CULINARY EXPERIENCE
Lika is known for hard soil and harsh winters, but the people of Lika have never allowed their dinner spreads to reflect scarcity. Just the opposite – if you are familiar with the relationship of the people of Lika towards food, you know that it’s brimming with passion, a special kind of creativity and skill, as well as joy and proper feasts.
It’s therefore not surprising that this restaurant, like the mythical Black Queen who was prompted by the drought to give the people of Lika magical lakes, extracts the best from the rarest and most select ingredients. This is how it achieves the quality of traditional cuisine that can stand stand side by side to the best restaurants in the world!
Of course, food grown, preserved and prepared under the most demanding conditions always offers the most and does not disappoint even the most demanding gourmets. Barley is one example, a grain that has always endured the fierce Lika cold, but many people today have forgotten how beneficial this ancient grain is. Barley has been used in food since old times as a grain that invigorates, warms and benefits the health. Therefore, barley was rightly chosen to crown several dishes on the menu of the Lička kuća Restaurant.
The traditional version of risotto, the Lamb Orzotto, definitely takes the forefront – and it will leave you speechless. Barley, as an indigenous grain, replaces rice in the reduction of dark Velebitsko beer and beef bone stock with stewed lamb. All the flavours in this dish blend into a perfect combination that won’t leave you indifferent. Or hungry.
Speaking of the meat menu in any Lika restaurant, there is no going around lamb. The same kind that fed biblical prophets and ancient Greek heroes, great men of Medieval times, Viking warriors and Mediterranean builders, stretching from the European north to the Mediterranean. The Lika lamb has its own dedicated place in this mosaic of history and gastronomy.
Apart from lamb roasted in a traditional bell-shaped dish called peka, you can also order lamb prepared using different modern techniques.
The “Lika bundle” is one of those dishes where you can’t go wrong. Vegetables and Lika potatoes are baked in baking paper together with lamb marinated in home-made šljivovica (plum brandy). This dish will invigorate you with both healthy ingredients and unique aromas, thanks to home-grown lamb. What distinguishes Lika lamb from lamb from other parts of Croatia is the fact that in Lika, over 50 different types of plants grow in one square meter, a quarter of which are medicinal. All of those aromas and medicinal ingredients can be found in the meat served here.
THE PRIMEVAL FIRE AND THE TRESURE OF BREAD
Along with all the aromas that the previously mentioned dishes offer, one primeval smell is especially important in the full experience of Lika. It’s the smell of the hearth, accompanied by the sound of a crackling fire, the kind of smell that hints at a food item that was a staple ingredient in meals for thousands of years.
The food in question is bread, the true treasure of humankind, made out of flour. Home-made bread is baked daily in the Lička kuća Restaurant, filling the room with smells that bring back ancient hearths where bread was the staple. The skills of the Lička kuća Restaurant baker won’t leave you disappointed. Apart from the baker, the Lička kuća Restaurant also has its butcher who processes meat for all the dishes on the menu, so it can be said without doubt that the Lička kuća Restaurant has an unique, meticulous and professional approach to food.
The finale of each visit to the Lička kuća Restaurant is the sweetest, but also very traditional and special. A modern dessert with a rustic twist. Although it’s reminiscent of a classic cheesecake, it is actually a cake made with basa, a traditional Lika soft cheese and home-made plum jam.
Lička kuća won’t only provide indulgence in unparalleled natural beauty, but also in healthy, aromatic and skilfully prepared dishes, making for an unforgettable experience. Cherry on top, the gastronomic experience provided by a visit to this top of the crop Lika destination will be complemented by numerous historic and cultural treasures. And that’s why, with such a high-quality restaurant, Lika is no longer just a stopover on the way to the coast – it’s a must-visit place where you can taste this flavour rhapsody and invigorate your body and soul.
