# What is worth buying at a Croatian supermarket or market, and what should you look for in Istrian and Dalmatian produce?

> Croatian supermarkets sell Vegeta, ajvar and Pag cheese. What to buy, what prsut is, and what the Christmas and olive harvest shelves look like.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-buy-at-a-grocery-store-in-croatia
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-03-20

Croatia has a dense supermarket network — **Konzum** is the biggest, with **Plodine**, **Tommy**, **Spar** and **Kaufland** filling in, plus small **Studenac** shops on every corner. What is distinctive is regional: Istria gives olive oil and truffles, Dalmatia gives pršut and fish, and the Neretva valley gives mandarins in winter. Buy produce at the market and the packaged goods at Konzum.

## Vegeta, ajvar and the pantry

**Vegeta** is the all-purpose seasoning mix, sold in every shop in blue and yellow packaging. It is MSG-based with dried vegetables, and it is genuinely used rather than a tourist item.

**Ajvar** is the roasted red pepper spread, and the Croatian version is often milder than the Serbian one. It is cheap, sealed and travels well.

**Pršut** is the cured ham, and **Njeguški pršut** from neighbouring Montenegro is the smoked version. Dalmatian pršut is air-dried rather than smoked, and sliced packets travel far better than a whole leg.

**Paški sir** is the hard sheep cheese from Pag, and it is the cheese worth buying.

## Oil, truffles and the Istrian shelf

**Istrian olive oil** is excellent and mostly sold locally rather than exported. Buy a bottle from a producer rather than the cheapest supermarket brand.

**Truffles** from the Motovun forest come in autumn, and the products range from real shaved truffle in oil to truffle-flavoured products with no truffle in them. Read the label.

**Rakija** is the fruit brandy, and **travarica** is the herb-infused version. Both are strong and both travel well.

## What is in season

**Summer** is the peak for tomatoes, figs, aubergine and stone fruit, and the coastal markets are at their best.

**Autumn** is grape harvest, then olive harvest from roughly October into November.

**Winter** brings mandarins from the Neretva valley, sold by the crate, and **bakalar** — dried cod — which is the Christmas Eve dish.

**Spring** is wild asparagus and the first greens.

## Practical notes

**Cards** are widely accepted in supermarkets, less so at market stalls and small Konzum branches.

**Markets** run in the morning and finish by early afternoon, and the coastal ones are seasonal — some close entirely outside summer.

**Konzum** is the chain you will find in the smallest towns, and its smaller formats stay open late.

Our [Balkans road trip guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/balkans-road-trip-itinerary-croatia-montenegro-albania) covers the regional route.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Vegeta?

An all-purpose seasoning mix of dried vegetables and MSG, sold everywhere in Croatia and used as a general-purpose stock and seasoning.

### What food should you bring back from Croatia?

Ajvar, Istrian olive oil, Pag cheese and rakija. Sliced pršut travels better than a whole leg.

### When is olive harvest in Istria?

Roughly October into November, which is also when fresh oil appears at markets and producers.

### What do Croatians eat on Christmas Eve?

Bakalar, dried cod, usually stewed with potatoes. Supermarkets stock the dried fish in the weeks before Christmas.