Cultural Slideshow of Croatia
Using the cultural universal model to put together this slideshow of the culture in Croatia there are specific things that I looked for. Among these things are: art/aesthetics, economics, education, politics/public life, religion, belief system, and social arrangements. I have compiled 20 photos to represent these categories and in order to organize them and make my ideas more clear there is a chart below that is in the same order as the photos and organizes them by description, cultural element, and the URL that they were found.
Food
There are many different cultures and different countries that have food based on their religion traditions. Croatia is unique in the way that it is known as the "cuisine of regions." This is because Croatia's food is based on its history with the different regions that have inhabited it like the Slavic people and also based on the food of the surrounding regions like Hungarian, Austrian, and Turkish. The Croatians use lard for cooking and spices like black pepper, paprika, and garlic. Coastal regions of Croatia have influences that are more Greek, Roman, French and Italian. With all of these different places influencing their food Croatia is a big melting pot, or diffusion, of different types of food which I thought was very interesting. However, all of the different food that is made can be found throughout most of Croatia and they still have a few famous dishes of their own.
I also think that it is very interesting that most of the food that Croatia serves and makes is grown locally and their menus are based on the items that are in season. There are many famers markets to get food and going out to eat is a privilege. It is also interesting to note that there are specific food items that are present at the celebrations in Croatia, food is an important factor in these celebrations. One of these food is Pasticada.
Retrieved information from: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/cuisine/croatian
Pasticada
This is a traditional meat from Dalmatia. Beef is the main ingredient a d before the actual cooking, which lasts a few hours. It is marinated for 24 hours in red wine, garlic, and various herbs like rosemary and sage.During the cooking it's enriched with dry plums, carrots, onions, cloves and nutmeg so the resulting sauce is thick, dark, and rich in flavors. It is traditionally served with homemade potato gnocchi.
I also think that it is very interesting that most of the food that Croatia serves and makes is grown locally and their menus are based on the items that are in season. There are many famers markets to get food and going out to eat is a privilege. It is also interesting to note that there are specific food items that are present at the celebrations in Croatia, food is an important factor in these celebrations. One of these food is Pasticada.
Retrieved information from: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/cuisine/croatian
Pasticada
This is a traditional meat from Dalmatia. Beef is the main ingredient a d before the actual cooking, which lasts a few hours. It is marinated for 24 hours in red wine, garlic, and various herbs like rosemary and sage.During the cooking it's enriched with dry plums, carrots, onions, cloves and nutmeg so the resulting sauce is thick, dark, and rich in flavors. It is traditionally served with homemade potato gnocchi.
Ingredients:
-1 kg beef, top round
-750 ml red wine (1 standard size 750 ml/25oz bottle)
-1 cup prosek dessert wine
-1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
-80 g dried plums or 80 g prunes, without pits
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 bay leaf
-3 -4 cloves
-salt and pepper, to taste
-3 tablespoons of cut rosemary
-4 garlic cloves, sliced into thin sticks
-3 onions, sliced
-3 -4 large carrots
Directions:
1 In a large pot or crock pot/slow cooker, marinate the beef, in one piece, overnight (or up to two days, depending on your tastes!) in 1 bottle of red wine. Add onions and rosemary.
2 Remove the beef, and every inch cut a small hole and insert one or two of the garlic "sticks", around the whole piece of beef. Save the marinade and put on the stove on medium heat. This will now be made into your sauce.
3 Brown the beef on all sides in a pan with your olive oil, on medium-high heat.
4 While browning the beef add the can of tomato paste to the marinade and mix well. As the marinade starts to boil, return the beef to the sauce and add the carrots. Boil for 15 minutes, stirring often.
5 Lower the heat to a simmer and add the remaining ingredients. Slow cook until the meat softens, about 3 hours. Stir occaisionally and add water as needed or if needed, to keep the meat covered and moist.
6 When the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened, your pasticada is ready! Serve in slices, topped with the sauce, with gnocchi or mashed potatoes.
Enjoy!
Recipe from: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/dalmatian-pot-roast-pasticada-437374?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/dalmatian-pot-roast-pasticada-437374?oc=linkback</a>
-1 kg beef, top round
-750 ml red wine (1 standard size 750 ml/25oz bottle)
-1 cup prosek dessert wine
-1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
-80 g dried plums or 80 g prunes, without pits
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 bay leaf
-3 -4 cloves
-salt and pepper, to taste
-3 tablespoons of cut rosemary
-4 garlic cloves, sliced into thin sticks
-3 onions, sliced
-3 -4 large carrots
Directions:
1 In a large pot or crock pot/slow cooker, marinate the beef, in one piece, overnight (or up to two days, depending on your tastes!) in 1 bottle of red wine. Add onions and rosemary.
2 Remove the beef, and every inch cut a small hole and insert one or two of the garlic "sticks", around the whole piece of beef. Save the marinade and put on the stove on medium heat. This will now be made into your sauce.
3 Brown the beef on all sides in a pan with your olive oil, on medium-high heat.
4 While browning the beef add the can of tomato paste to the marinade and mix well. As the marinade starts to boil, return the beef to the sauce and add the carrots. Boil for 15 minutes, stirring often.
5 Lower the heat to a simmer and add the remaining ingredients. Slow cook until the meat softens, about 3 hours. Stir occaisionally and add water as needed or if needed, to keep the meat covered and moist.
6 When the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened, your pasticada is ready! Serve in slices, topped with the sauce, with gnocchi or mashed potatoes.
Enjoy!
Recipe from: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/dalmatian-pot-roast-pasticada-437374?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/dalmatian-pot-roast-pasticada-437374?oc=linkback</a>
Religion
Christianity flourished in Illyria, Dalmatia, and other provinces before being introduced to the Croats. Croatian immigrants were first known to be Heathens, it was not until the seventh century that they accepted Christianity and were baptized by priests of the Roman Church (Krmpotic, 1908). There was one time in history that religious expression was discouraged, this was during the communist period (1945–91) ("Religion in croatia," 2010). However, religious freedom is now guaranteed under the Croatian constitution and because 90% of the Croatian population is Catholic, religion surrounds the country and has an immense influence in the people of Croatia.
Catholicism surrounds the lives of Croatians. Many people go to mass every week and the services are always almost completely full, the holidays that are present in Croatia are based on the church and its customs and traditions. Some of the most notable religions include the day before Lent begins where the Croatians celebrate by dressing up in costumes and making special doughnuts, Easter is celebrated by decorating eggs and going to church services, on Saints’ Day the people visit cemeteries and place chrysanthemums on graves of their loved ones, and Christmas Eve is celebrated by decorating the tree, attending midnight mass, and exchanging gifts (Ifković, 2014). Many of these holidays are also celebrated in America but in Croatia each holiday is a huge celebration that everyone takes part of as a community.
Many people visit Croatia as part of a religious experience. Croatians celebrate holidays in huge ways and they have many beautiful churches to visit. One of their most famous churches in Dubrovnik is the Church of St. Blasius that is named after their city’s patron. Other churches include the Church of St. Ignatius, the Serbian Orthodox Church, St. Saviour's Church which also has the beautiful Onofrio Fountain in front of it, and there is also the Dominican Monastery. These are all very famous places for tourists to visit and help show the history of Croatia and show how it has grown.
The government plays a big role in the religion in Croatia. Once Croatia was free from communism they were quick to revive and restore practice of their overt religious identity – such as the celebration of religious ceremonies. Because they have been so faithful in following their religion the Pope has visited Croatia many times ("Religion in croatia," 2010). When the Pope does pay Croatia a visit there is a huge celebration and many people make the trip to see him. The religious freedom in Croatia has resulted in a huge surge in religious practices and an incredible growth in all media that is related to religion.
I think that the way that Croatians present their religion is beautiful. I feel that they come together as a community and share their religion and celebrate together. I know that food is a very social component in their country and during festivals and celebrations many families invite others over to be a part of they celebration. I personally hope to be able to go to Croatia at a time of year where they are celebrating a traditional holiday so that I may see their customs and the way that they believe. I feel that it will be inspiring and an event where everyone and anyone would be welcome.
Economic Map of Croatia
This is a map that shows the different economic activity that goes on in Croatia ad where exactly it happens. These are some of the different ways that Croatia makes its money and it was interesting for me to notice that the Tourism is highly located along the coast which makes sense.
www.dlhoffman.com
How has Croatia changed?
Figure 1:
This figure shows a fact from the society, it shows the change in life expectancy in the passed 20 years. Croatia had a big jump in life expectancy it went from about 35, the lowest countries, all the way up to over 75.
Figure 2:
This next graph shows a health factor in Croatia; it shows the change in child mortality in the passed 200 years. The bigger the circle, the higher the child mortality. This figure shows that Croatia was a country with one of the highest child mortality rates (0-5years) and that in the passed 200 years the rate has gone way down and is now matched with most of the other countries.
Figure 3:
This figure shows the population effect in Croatia from the passed 200 years. It goes from 1.36 billion in 1800 to 4.39 billion in 2012.
These figures that were found in gapminder show changes that have occurred in Croatia in the passed 200 years. Figure 1 shows the change in life expectancy going from about 35 to about 75, this is an extra 40 years that Croatians have to live on average. This is a huge jump in Croatia and is probably due to some major health advances. The next figure shows changes in child mortality; 200 years ago child mortality was almost common and as the years passed it become less and less prevalent. Now, Croatian child mortality is about the same as all other countries and no where near where it was 200 years ago. The last figure shows the change in population; population has increased from 1.36 billion in 1800 to 4.39 billion in 2012. All of these work together in the fact that health advances have allowed a longer life expectancies and less child deaths which allows for more people to live and a higher population as shown in figure 3.
Statistics about Croatia
Additional Resources
Below is a link to a website that has many cultural customs that can be found in Croatia, this website will tell you how the polite way to greet people, it will give you good table manners, and it will introduce you to many of the traditional customs in Croatia.
http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Croatian-Americans.html#b |
This website is a webpage that is based out of Croatia, it gives the news about what is going on in Croatia and much of the writing is written in Croatia. This webpage gives you a feel as to what Croatians write about, what they are interested in, who is popular in their culture, and the way that they view different things.
http://www.croatia.org/crown/ |