Tenka gibanica is an authentic dish from Prigorje region (the area around Croatian capital town of Zagreb, along the southern slope of Medvednica mountain to the river Sava), so if you like cheese you will definitely love this speciality
The process is more than a simple, and it takes around 4-5 minutes of preparation before baking. It is a very recognizable and popular dish, although some details of the ingredients and preparation procedure differ from a village to a village. The name itself is also different, and it can be colloquially called: kravajica, loparka, perica … Anyhow, the word ‘tenka’ in Croatian means ‘thin’, and ‘gibanica’ would represent a type of a ‘pie’.
Marija Herjavić Jerkić
All ingredients that almost every household used to have – flour, cottage cheese, eggs and cream – actually go into the tenka gibanica, and in past it would often be made from goods that could not be sold or which are short of duration. In old times, almost every day, it was baked in brick ovens, which further contributed to the quality and uniqueness of this dish. In the past, this speciality was obligatorily served as an appetizer for festive lunches, especially on holidays, and the weddings were unthinkable without it. In Prigorje region, tenka gibanica is still on the kitchen table during the days of fasting (days of the year when meat is not consumed). It can be served without or with sugar on top, as it is traditionally done – the hot gibanica is sprinkled with the crystal sugar.
Marija Herjavić Jerkić
Dough ingredients:
∙ 250 grams of smooth flour
∙ 200ml of lukewarm water
∙ a little bit of cooking (sunflower) oil
Ingredients for the filling:
∙ 500 grams of cottage (fresh) cheese
∙ 250ml sour cream (as much fat as possible)
∙ 2 eggs
∙ semolina to thicken it slightly
∙ amount of salt, as desired
Marija Herjavić Jerkić
Preparation procedure:
Knead the dough, preferably with the spiral mixer attachments, and leave until the filling is done. For the filling, mix all the mentioned ingredients. The dough will be a little bit sticky, which is fine. Transfer the dough to a well-floured greaseproof paper that you put in a shallow baking tray which is the size of an oven and then roll it out with your hands a little over the edge of the baking tray. Transfer and spread the filling on the stretched dough, and fold the edges of the dough a little over the filling. Coat the edges with a little cream and eggs that you separated from the stuffing. Bake it at 200°C degrees until it becomes a golden brown. Sprinkle the tenka gibanica with crystal sugar if desired.
Enjoy your meal!