Peklenica is known for its natural source of crude oil known to local population since at least the Middle Ages. The toponym, first recorded in 1391, is derived from words "paklina" or "pekel", which is how the locals called the greasy substance they used for lubrication of horse-drawn carriages as well as for medicinal purposes. According to Ottoman explorer Evliya Çelebi's writings, the town of Szigetvár was burnt during the 1566 siege using oil from Peklenica.