{"id":17908,"date":"2026-01-26T10:09:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T09:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitslavoniabaranja.com\/okusi-destinaciju\/valpovacka-skola-kulena-drze-do-tradicije-i-nesebicno-dijele-znanje\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T10:21:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T09:21:38","slug":"valpovacka-skola-kulena-drze-do-tradicije-i-nesebicno-dijele-znanje","status":"publish","type":"okusi-destinaciju","link":"https:\/\/visitslavoniabaranja.com\/en\/okusi-destinaciju\/valpovacka-skola-kulena-drze-do-tradicije-i-nesebicno-dijele-znanje\/","title":{"rendered":"THE VALPOVO SCHOOL OF KULEN Guardians of tradition, happy to share their know-how"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Petrijevci to Veli\u0161kovci and Gat, on a stretch of just 20 kilometres, you\u2019ll find a concentration of some of the finest kulen producers in Croatia. \u201cValpovo\u2019s kulen makers give each piece their full attention. Before it matures, it passes through their hands several times,\u201d praises Prof. Goran Ku\u0161ec.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a secret recipe for the best kulen<\/em> (or kulin<\/em>)? Do the great masters of this Slavonia, Baranja, and Syrmia delicacy keep their little, closely guarded secrets? That\u2019s a question many lovers of kulen would love to have answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know that making kulen<\/em> starts with top-quality pork from mature pigs. The meat is minced and mixed with salt, hot and sweet paprika, and garlic, then packed into pork casings. The filled sausage, at this stage still a semi-finished product, is gently smoked and left to age for several months. Only then does it earn the name kulen<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stacking up the awards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds simple, yet this most prized of pork products hides countless details that determine whether a kulen will be decorated with the epithet good, very good, excellent, or truly exceptional. These aren\u2019t exactly trade secrets: most producers are happy to share their know-how with anyone eager to learn. Still, even the greatest masters will tell you \u2013 just as top winemakers do \u2013 that a perfect kulen, like a perfect wine, simply doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, according to the country\u2019s leading tasting competitions over the past two decades, there is an area in the east of Croatia where the best kulen is consistently produced year after year,. This region is known as Valpov\u0161tina. From Petrijevci to Veli\u0161kovci and Gat, within a mere 20-kilometre radius, you\u2019ll find around ten of the most awarded producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heading east toward Valpovo, the first stop is Gat, home to perhaps the most decorated producer of them all, Sla\u0111an Novosel<\/a>. The Novosel family has earned over 200 awards at various competitions. Their advantage lies in a fully integrated process: they raise their own pigs and grow their own feed. So when a Kulen Novosel leaves their modern aging chamber, it\u2019s truly a \u201cfield-to-table\u201d product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Valpovo itself, top-quality producers include Josip Gazdi\u0107, Nikola Bari\u0161i\u0107, and Ivica Brki\u0107, while nearby Vlatko \u0160ovagovi\u0107 and Damir Perak from Ladimirevci, Zvonko Bari\u0107 from Nard, and Zlatko Birovljevi\u0107<\/a> from Petrijevci complete this elite circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all about the people<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Prof. Goran Ku\u0161ec, PhD, one of Croatia\u2019s leading kulen experts, consultant, and head of judging panels at national kulen competitions, the real secret lies in the people themselves. \u201cI believe the key to successful production is the people,\u201d he says. \u201cI know the kulen makers of Valpov\u0161tina, they work with incredible love and attention. They possess great knowledge and experience, often built over generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They understand that every small detail matters, and they give each kulen personal care. Before it\u2019s fully cured, it passes through their hands several times. Today, there are almost no secrets left in production, and what\u2019s remarkable is how openly these producers share their knowledge with others. They are also deeply rooted in tradition,\u201d explains Prof. Ku\u0161ec, a former student of the late Professors Antun Petri\u010devi\u0107 and Krsto Ben\u010devi\u0107, two of the greatest authorities on kulen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Valpovo school of kulen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikola Bari\u0161i\u0107, a kulen producer for over 20 years and mentor for the next generation, speaks of a true \u201cValpovo school of kulen\u201d in \u017deljko Garmaz\u2019s<\/a> book Kulen \u2013 Croatia\u2019s Finest Meat Delicacy. The founders of this \u201cschool,\u201d Josip Gazdi\u0107 and \u017deljko \u0160vajhofer, laid its foundations decades ago within the former Valpovo meat industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the alumni of this Valpovo school of kulen, clustered within a 20-kilometre radius, are the driving force behind one of Slavonia\u2019s strongest brands. Kulen remains the most valuable product made from pork and the very pinnacle of traditional meat craftsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by: Igor Mikuli\u0107<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Petrijevci to Veli\u0161kovci and Gat, on a stretch of just 20 kilometres, you\u2019ll find a concentration of some of the finest kulen producers in Croatia. \u201cValpovo\u2019s kulen makers give each piece their full attention. Before it matures, it passes through their hands several times,\u201d praises Prof. Goran Ku\u0161ec. Is there a secret recipe for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":17897,"template":"","categories":[111,105],"tags":[671,728,302,300,296,729],"class_list":["post-17908","okusi-destinaciju","type-okusi-destinaciju","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buy-local","category-taste-the-destination","tag-delicatessen","tag-delikatese-en","tag-food","tag-kulen-en","tag-slavonija-en","tag-valpovo-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTHE VALPOVO SCHOOL OF KULEN Guardians of tradition, happy to share their know-how - Turisti\u010dka zajednica Osje\u010dko-baranjske \u017eupanije<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visitslavoniabaranja.com\/en\/okusi-destinaciju\/valpovacka-skola-kulena-drze-do-tradicije-i-nesebicno-dijele-znanje\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"THE VALPOVO SCHOOL OF KULEN Guardians of tradition, happy to share their know-how - Turisti\u010dka zajednica Osje\u010dko-baranjske \u017eupanije\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From Petrijevci to Veli\u0161kovci and Gat, on a stretch of just 20 kilometres, you\u2019ll find a concentration of some of the finest kulen producers in Croatia. \u201cValpovo\u2019s kulen makers give each piece their full attention. 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