Lamb Peka from Croatia

Lamb Peka from Croatia – designed for cooking in an oven. This Croatian lamb peka recipe is meant for cooking in an oven. This is not the traditional method of cooking under the bell with hot embers. This way, you can enjoy the flavors of this Croatian national dish in your own home.

Croatian Lamb Peka is a traditional Dalmatian dish. In this dish, lamb, potatoes, and vegetables are slow‑cooked under a heavy, bell‑shaped lid. The lid is covered with hot embers. This unique method combines roasting and steaming, producing tender meat and richly flavored vegetables infused with herbs, garlic, and olive oil

Melt-in-your-mouth lamb shoulder, cooked together with potatoes, vegetables, garlic, herbs, oil, and white wine for 2 hours. This one-pot recipe is Croatian food at its best. Lamb meat is mixed with potatoes and vegetables. It is drizzled with olive oil and wine. Everything is placed in a cast-iron or earthenware pot. It is put over a fire and covered with a dome-shaped lid, known in Croatia as ‘ispod čripnje’.

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🍲 What Makes Lamb Peka Special

• Cooking method: The peka is both the name of the dish and the iron dome lid. Food is placed in a shallow tray, covered with the lid, and buried under glowing embers.
• Flavor profile: Lamb becomes melt‑in‑your‑mouth tender, while potatoes and vegetables soak up juices, wine, and herbs.
• Communal tradition: Often prepared outdoors, peka is a social meal—families gather while it cooks for 2–3 hours.
• Regional pride: Especially popular along the Dalmatian coast, but found throughout Croatia.

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🥘 Typical Ingredients

• Lamb shoulder
• Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, carrots
• Garlic, rosemary, sage, THYME, olive oil, white wine
• Salt, pepper, lard, or butter

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🥘 How to make Lamb Peka

• First, make the marinade
• Next, layer the vegetables in a large pot
• Add the meat and marinade, along with herb sprigs and white wine
• Cook for 90 minutes, add olive oil and cook another 20-30 minutes.
• Serve with warm, crusty bread

🥘 Make the marinade for the Lamb Peka

• 1/3 cup of Olive oil in a bowl
• Mix with 1 tbsp of garlic, 1 tablespoon of sundried tomato puree, and salt & pepper.
• Whisk together and set aside

🥘 Prepare the Lamb Peka for the oven

• Add Potatoes and all the vegetables, including the zucchini, Carrots, Green Pepper, eggplant, and onion, to a large pot..
• Place diced lamb on top of the vegetables,
• Pour the marinade and 1 cup of White wine over the top.
• Add the Thyme, rosemary, and sage; keep the herbs on top.
• Place the lid on the casserole dish and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes
• After 90 minutes, remove from the oven, take the lid off, and remove the herb stems.
• Stir in 2 tbsp of olive oil.
• Cook for a further 20-30 minutes

🧭 Cultural Notes

• The word peka comes from peći (“to bake/roast”).
• It’s considered one of Croatia’s national dishes, often served at family gatherings or rustic taverns (konoba).
• Traditionally paired with homemade bread and a glass of Dalmatian white wine.

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👉 Lamb peka is more than food. It’s a ritual of patience and community. Simple ingredients transform into a feast through time and fire.

🧭 Tips for Authentic Flavor

• Low & slow: The magic of peka is patience—don’t rush the cooking.
• Herbs matter: Rosemary and bay leaf are essential for that Dalmatian aroma.
• Communal style: Serve family‑style at the table, just like in a Croatian konoba.

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👉 This oven method won’t give you the smoky ember flavor. But it does capture the tender, juicy essence of peka beautifully.

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If you like this recipe, Lamb Peka, you will also enjoy trying another one. It is our recipe for Vietnamese Egg Rolls.

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