It can be really hard finding gluten-free desserts while travelling. But that’s not the case in Korčula.
One of the most famous Korčulan traditional producers of sweets, Cukarin, located very close to the centre of the Korčula town, is known for their dedication for keeping with the tradition and making sweets the traditional way. Luckily for those suffering from celiac disease, or just wanting to avoid gluten for whatever other reason, the traditional way in Korčula doesn’t always include flour, or any other sources of gluten.
If you’re not into chocolate, your best gluten-free bet in Cukarin is Amareta, a secret-recipe globe of pure joy, made with almonds, often speculated to have been sweetened with honey and dried figs (only the owner knows if that’s the truth!), flavoured with orange zest and lemon flavour, it does not contain any flour and it’s very safe for anyone who needs to avoid gluten. It’s also one of the most popular sweets in the store, so don’t avoid it even if you otherwise enjoy some flour, you won’t miss it here – it’s just perfect without it!
If you enjoy chocolate, the only piece of chocolaty goodness in Cukarin can also safely be consumed by those who avoid gluten: The Marko Polo Bombica (little bomb), a creative, modern interpretation of a traditional dessert. It’s rich, creamy inside, covered first in walnuts and then in a thick layer of excellent chocolate. Obviously, it’s not for those who are calorie-conscious, as it does contain the richest of the rich ingredients, but it’s 100% gluten free. And maybe you can eat just a half of it and leave the other half for tomorrow. If you have the will power of a Navy Seal trainee, maybe you’ll be able to eat just the one half.
In addition to those sweets, you can find other, smaller desserts, almost like dessert-finger-food in Cukarin, that you also shouldn’t miss. In the photo below, you can see (starting from the top, and then going clock-wise):
– arancini (that’s what orange succade is called in Croatian, not to be confused with other food that has the same name in English)
– dried fig dessert
– quince pebbles – traditional sweet made in these parts of the world with quince, in Croatian called kotonjata or “kitenkez” – obviously horiffic translation of the German term Quitten-Käse
– roasted almonds – those can be found in two variants, dark like this or in a “white” version.
So, if you’re celiac or gluten-intolerant for any other reason, there’s no need to avoid the sweet, sweet wonders of Cukarin in Korčula!
