Damn Manestra How I Love You!

THE SPOON STILL RULES ISTRIAN CUISINE - In times like these, when people wrongly abandon their traditional cuisine and, in particular, abandon the spoon in favor of the fork, Istrians are still tied to the good old spoon and prefer soupy meals, and that means, first of all, maneštra (thick vegetable soup). Around here we used to say: The spoon still rules the cuisine, or the spoon is for the soul, the fork is for the body. If it is true that "singing keeps you going" then it is also certainly true that maneštra is what nourished us. Our legendary singer and songwriter Franci Blašković, in one of his songs sings: Damn Maneštra, how I love you!

Damn Manestra How I Love You!, Drago Orlić 23-2008 (PDF 82 kb)

His Majesty the Istrian Truffle

THE TOURISM BOARD OF ISTRIA HAS DEDICATED A SERIES OF ENO-GASTRONOMIC EVENTS TO THE TUBER MAGNATUM PICO - All aboard, it's truffle time. A series of fairs, expositions and eno-gastronomic festivals are now underway dedicated to these white ''jewels,” combining real pleasure (because of their delightfulness) and pain (because of their high price). Thanks to a rainy summer, this year’s truffle season has gotten off to a promising start, all to the general joy and happiness of restaurateurs who are able to offer to their clients a series of delicacies based on the legendary ''Tuber Magnatum Pico'' at ''affordable'' prices.

His Majesty the Istrian Truffle, Giuseppe Casagrande 23-2008 (PDF 414 kb)

Cuisine is culture

THE RICHNESS OF THE POOR MAN’S CUISINE - Actually, the title here shouldn't be taken for granted, because this article was written by someone who is, after all, not just a born connoisseur and “foodie” but also a spoiled, committed gourmet, an organizer of culinary events, and, worse yet, a self-declared food addict -- until the last bite. And this “bite” is taken from my grandma’s philosophy of life: “Anything you give to your husband or your pig isn’t wasted.’’ It’s been a long time since my body weight went above one hundred kilograms. Writing, but also marketing and promotion, is what I normally do, meaning that you shouldn’t believe me much. So much for honesty up front!

Cuisine is culture, Drago Orlić 23-2008 (PDF 554 kb)

Tasty Istria on two wheels

THE REGIONAL DEPARTMENT FOR TOURISM PROMOTES AN INNOVATIVE WAY TO SPEND A VACATION - We descend quickly through narrow, tortuous paths, breaking through the light air that comes up from the port, mixing with the intense scent of pines. The old man sitting on his home stairway was enclosing a glass vessel into wicker. He greets us with a friendly nod, which we respond to. In fact, riding a bike through the narrow streets of Rovinj makes us feel like home, as though we’ve lived here all along and pass through these streets every day, in summer and in winter...

Tasty Istria on two wheels, Marta Camillo 22-2008 (PDF 242 kb)

Feast of spiny spider crabs

IN PREMANTURA TO REVIVE A DELICIOUS TRADITION - After a break of 45 years, the third Saturday in May has been proposed as a gastronomic feast dedicated to the indigenous spiny spider crabs found at Pješčana uvala (Sandy Bay) south from Pula, just few kilometres from Premantura, where this culinary legend was born. It was spectacular event: one group of persons prepared a big fire made out of driftwood and brush scattered along the coast while another docked with boats full of live crabs caught from the sea...

Feast of spiny spider crabs, Drago Orlić 22-2008 (PDF 73 kb)

Hum - The town of biska

IN ISTRIA'S INTERIOR, AN HERBALIST-PRIEST INVENTS MEDICINAL RAKIJA (BRANDY) - Welcome to Hum, a town that based on its size (100m X 30m) and population (17), lays claim to being the world's smallest. It is a picturesque town that, once a year, on the second Sunday in June, elects its župan (mayor). This is truly Croatia or, to put it better, the heartland of Istria. In antiquity called ''Castrum,'' Hum was by the Middle Ages promoted to the status of a town...

Hum - The town of biska, Giuseppe Casagrande 21-2008 (PDF 460 kb)

Hotel San Rocco - A peaceful oasis

A GREAT 4-STARS HOTEL SURROUNDED BY OLIVE TREES AND VINEYARDS - The sea air still teases our skin when we walk along the narrow, stony streets of Brtonigla. The coast is just 5 km away and the dark hills, ready for the first harvest of hay, seem to be extensions of the blue-green Adriatic. Brtonigla (Veteneglio/Ortonegro in Italian) comes from the Latin, Hortus niger, meaning Black soil garden. This tiny town with fewer than one thousand inhabitants is one of the most important wine-producing centres of Istria – a member of the Italian national association “Città del vino”...

Hotel San Rocco - A peaceful oasis, Marta Camillo, 21-2008 (PDF 462 kb)

Istrian malvasia - The new Istrian challenge

Malvasia has been Istria’s most important wine variety for more than a century. Before that, red varieties, such as Teran or Refošk, were the dominant local grapes. Changing tastes in Prague and Vienna, the traditional markets for Istrian wines, played a role but so did changes in the characteristics of Istrian Malvasia. Istrian Malvasia belongs to the great family of Malvasias, but Istrians consider it to be autochthon, due to the fact that over the centuries it has adapted to the Istrian climate, creating a unique terroir...

Istrian malvasia - The new Istrian challenge, Daniela Kramarić 21-2008 (PDF 41 kb)

Istrian cuisine - Simple, authentic and genuine

White, green and red: these are the colours of the Istrian landscape. But they are also are the colours of Istria’s cuisine. These intense colours are set against the crystal blue of the sea. Immersed in the Adriatic, the Istrian peninsula is a series of bays and rocks washed by the clear, transparent sea. But Istria is not just the sea. It’s also a series of hilltop walled towns and villages, each having its own particular charm that reveals authentic treasures...

Istrian cuisine - Simple, authentic and genuine, Denis Ivošević 21-2008 (PDF 208 kb)

Restaurant Čok Novigrad - Simplicity as a value

VILJAN JUGOVAC - This wine is grown by a family of real professionals – father Sergio has worked for a long time in the catering industry as maitre d’ and sommelier, mother is father’s diligent assistant in the kitchen – and, since he was a kid, Viljan has shown an innate propensity towards the culinary art, which he strengthens, first by attending the catering school in Poreč, and later by working in nearby restaurants. Viljan then further improved his skills by becoming a fisherman, which allowed him to develop a strong sense for recognizing the best local fish...

Restaurant Čok Novigrad - Simplicity as a value, Franco Favaretto 21-2008 (PDF 47 kb)