Holiday menus

Christmas 2026

The meatless Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch: salt cod, sarma, turkey with mlinci, walnut and poppy seed rolls.

Friday, December 25, 2026

How many guests?

Menu

Swap any dish for another traditional one or one of our recipes.

Christmas Eve dinner

Thursday, December 24 · A fasting meal, without meat.

  • Main course · Traditional

    Salt cod with potatoes (bakalar na bijelo)

    Dried salt cod with potato, garlic, parsley and olive oil: the meatless Christmas Eve dinner.

    120 min

  • Side · Traditional

    Savoy cabbage with potatoes

    Boiled savoy cabbage and potato with oil and garlic, a winter fasting side.

    40 min

  • Salad · Traditional

    Sauerkraut salad

    Shredded sauerkraut with oil, black pepper and a little paprika.

    10 min

  • Dessert · Traditional

    Fritule (Croatian doughnut drops)

    Small fried balls of yeast dough with lemon zest, dusted with icing sugar.

    90 min

Christmas lunch

Friday, December 25

  • Soup · Traditional

    Beef broth with noodles

    A clear beef broth with root vegetables and fine noodles.

    200 min

  • Main course · Traditional

    Sarma (stuffed sauerkraut rolls)

    Sauerkraut leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice, simmered for hours with smoked meat.

    210 min

  • Roast · Traditional

    Roast turkey with mlinci

    Roast turkey, with mlinci soaked in its juices: the Zagorje Christmas lunch.

    240 min

  • Salad · Traditional

    Red cabbage salad

    Finely sliced red cabbage with vinegar and oil.

    15 min

  • Dessert · Traditional

    Walnut roll (orahnjača)

    Yeast dough rolled round a filling of ground walnuts and honey.

    150 min

Cooking plan

What to make on which day, so the holiday itself is only warming up and serving.

  1. 4 days before · Monday, December 21

    • Salt cod with potatoes (bakalar na bijelo) · Christmas Eve dinner

      Soak the salt cod in cold water; change the water twice a day.

  2. 2 days before · Wednesday, December 23

    • Salt cod with potatoes (bakalar na bijelo) · Christmas Eve dinner

      Boil the cod and potatoes, flake the fish and mix with garlic, parsley and oil. The flavours settle overnight.

    • Sarma (stuffed sauerkraut rolls) · Christmas lunch

      Roll the sarma and simmer them three hours with the smoked meat and the rest of the sauerkraut.

    • Walnut roll (orahnjača) · Christmas lunch

      Bake the walnut roll: knead, prove, roll out, spread the filling, roll up and bake about 45 minutes. It keeps a week.

  3. The day before · Thursday, December 24

    • Salt cod with potatoes (bakalar na bijelo) · Christmas Eve dinner

      Warm gently, or serve lukewarm.

    • Savoy cabbage with potatoes · Christmas Eve dinner

      Boil the cabbage and potato in salted water, drain, and dress with garlic oil.

    • Sauerkraut salad · Christmas Eve dinner

      Rinse the sauerkraut if it is too salty, dress it and leave it half an hour before serving.

    • Fritule (Croatian doughnut drops) · Christmas Eve dinner

      Mix a loose dough, let it rise for an hour, then drop spoonfuls into hot oil.

    • Beef broth with noodles · Christmas lunch

      Simmer the meat and vegetables for three hours and strain the broth.

    • Roast turkey with mlinci · Christmas lunch

      Salt the turkey inside and out and leave it overnight somewhere cold.

    • Red cabbage salad · Christmas lunch

      Slice and salt the cabbage and dress it; it softens by tomorrow.

  4. On the day · Friday, December 25

    • Beef broth with noodles · Christmas lunch

      Heat the broth and cook the noodles in it.

    • Sarma (stuffed sauerkraut rolls) · Christmas lunch

      Reheat slowly; sarma gets better every time it is warmed.

    • Roast turkey with mlinci · Christmas lunch

      Roast at 180 °C for about 40 minutes a kilogram, basting with its juices. Scald the mlinci, drain them and turn them in the roasting juices.

Questions

What is eaten on Christmas Eve in Croatia?
Christmas Eve is a fasting day, so dinner has no meat: salt cod with potatoes, or fish stew in Slavonia, with savoy cabbage or sauerkraut salad, and fritule or walnut roll to finish.
How many days ahead can sarma be made?
Two days ahead: sarma is better reheated, and on Christmas Day it only needs warming.
How much turkey per person?
About 300 g with the bone per person when sarma is on the table too; on its own, plan 400 to 500 g.
Plodovi
Address:
Drniška ulica 9, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
FacebookInstagramLinkedInYouTube
Get the app:
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Plodovi
is a platform and a sustainable supply system that connects Croatian food producers with customers, delivering fresh, locally grown products straight from the field to your table within 24-48 hours. We also offer personalised catering (cold catering, a local-produce bar, cakes) and venue decoration, with the emphasis always on 100% locally produced food. 

We also specialise in technology built specifically for short supply chains. Get in touch if that is something you need! 
© 2026 Reducos Software j.d.o.o. All rights reserved.

Accessibility

text_fields Text size

format_line_spacing Text spacing

visibility Visual effects

menu_book Reading help

animation Animations