Kudos to ham and prosciutto, but kulen is our most precious
cured meat.

It is Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem that instantly pop up in our minds the mention of the word kulen or kulin, a delicacy unique in the world. There are many similar meat products in Croatia and globally, but the authentic eastern Croatian kulen is one of a kind.

And, as it turns out, this delicacy only deserves the honorable name kulen or kulin when made of local pork – smoked, dried and matured in Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem.

It sits at the very top of the scale, hands down the best of pork. Kudos to ham and prosciutto, but kulen is our most precious cured meat. And it’s made of such simple ingredients... and so few. First, the best quality meat of mature, you could say, fat pigs. Salt, hot and sweet paprika, and garlic are added to the minced meat. The mixture is then stuffed and pressed into a bag made of pork intestine (appendix), after which it undergoes the process of smoking and drying or maturing. This is a traditional, seemingly simple recipe. However, top-quality kulen is only made from ingredients that are of exceptional quality, especially the meat and paprika. And only with the most careful care during drying and maturing, which takes at least six months.

In a report from Slavonia from the late nineties, Croatian journalist and writer Ante Tomić joked in a somewhat dark manner that the biggest dream of every Slavonian pig must be to one day end up as kulen.

The Famous Farmer

Pig farming is, of course, the foundation of the entire kulen story. There are several dozen pig farms in eastern Croatia. However, the story of pig farming in the small village of Cret Viljevski near Donji Miholjac deserves to be told because it is truly a noble investment. Specifically, Croatian national football player Domagoj Vida, along with his school friends Dimitrije and Dragan Simonović and Luka Mandić, began investing their football earnings from abroad into the company "Sin ravnice" ( www.sinravnice.com ) about ten years ago. More precisely, they invested in a farm where they raise the black Slavonian pig. To date, they have expanded production to over 1300 pigs and also keep about a hundred heads of Slavonian-Srijem podolac cattle. It's worth mentioning that the animals on the "Sin ravnice" farm have excellent conditions both indoors and outdoors as they are practically free-range. Although their primary business is the production of premium meat, which "Sin ravnice" supplies to the best restaurants, the company also markets cured meat products under the brand Oink. Naturally, this includes kulen. Their cured meat products can also be purchased through their web shop at www.sinravnice.com/pages/kupi-uzivaj.

The Awards

The Đakovo company Balkan Lov is one of the biggest producers of black Slavonian pigs. The company's farm is located on the beautiful slopes of Krndija, near Lake Borovik. The pigs graze freely on 200 hectares of pasture and forest. Balkan Lov is, of course, also a producer of kulen and other meat products marketed under the name Đakovačke Delikatese (https://djakovacke- delikatese.hr/). Furthermore, about sixty kulen producers are gathered in the Culinary Association Đakovački Kulin (https://kulin-djakovo.com/) in Đakovo. Its president is top producer Vladimir Ćorić.

On the road from Osijek to Valpovo, Zlatko Birovljević's OPG ( www.facebook.com/opg.birovljevic) in Petrijevci (Strossmayerova 6) is a worthy stop, as it has been a top producer of Slavonian delicacies for years. OPG Barić in Nard, located on the right bank of the river Drava near Valpovo, has been producing some top- quality kulen for years as well. Zvonko Barić won quite a few gold medals at several kulen competitions. You can have a taste and buy his kulen on the spot, in Nard, at Valpovačka 111.

OPG Barišić in Valpovo (Ivana Goran Kovačića 34), also produces award-winning kulen. Nikola Barišić's family has been doing so for more than 20 years.

And perhaps the most awarded producer of kulen hides a little down the road from Valpovo, on the way to Donji Miholjac, in the small village of Gat. Meet Kulen Novosel (https://kulennovosel.com/). The Novosel family manage their own pig farm and the cured meat produced in their processing plant is all made of their own pork. Kulen Novosel has received more than 200 awards for its products in the last few years.

The kulen of Baranja, finally, is a story on its own, to be explored in the next issue. The largest producers of kulen there, including Belje Plus, Kuća Baranjskog Kulena, and other makers of this fine delicacy deserve this, as they are the ones to raise Baranja’s tourism to ever higher levels. 200 awards for Kulen Novosel, likely the most decorated kulen producer.

4 ingredients for 5 stars

1. meat
2. salt
3. ground paprika
4. garlic

Written by: Igor Mikulić