Gastronomy in Istria

Istrian cuisine will enchant you with its variety and balance. Sometimes you will experience the Mediterranean side of Istrian cuisine; at other times, its continental side. Adapting readily to the seasons of the year, it always uses the best olive oils and a variety of excellent wines. No matter what time of year you visit Istria, you will find istrian food and gastronomy to be equally strong, passionate and intense. Treat your senses with tastes and smells of the Mediterranean and enjoy the the extraodinary Croatian food prepared just for you.

Green Istrian Superfood

A delicacy of the vegetable world, asparagus is an exceptional ingredient, jam-packed with vitamins and minerals, that can be found in many parts of Istria. The very healthy lifestyle that asparagus promotes begins from the root, right at the harvesting point of wild asparagus. The secret to finding these tasty plants is to hunt for them in the fall, when the air turns crisp and leaves begin to change color. Once you spot the little yellow sprigs sticking out from the ground, you’ll know exactly where to find them when spring rolls ...

Tags : Istria , Regional Delicacies , Food & Wine

How to catch squid

Walking along the coast these days, you might spot a distant light on a boats shining into the sea cold from Bura (northern wind on the Adriatic). You're watching traditional squid fishing. Fishers bait the hooks, chuck them overboard and let them sink to the bottom, then pull them, yanking the line to make the bait seem alive. If the squid "bites", they pull them up quickly, or they'll end up with nothing more than a squirt of ink, maybe a spare tentacle as the squid sinks back into the dark.

Tags : Food & Wine

In search of the shellfish of northwestern Istria

Shellfish are one of the most popular seafood delicacies in northwestern Istria. They are caught year-round, but they are most flavourful in February and March, when local restaurants design special menus as part of the Shellfish Days festival. The most prized local shellfish is the scallop, while mussels, oysters, ...

Michelin recognitions of restaurants in northwestern Istria

It’s been a long time coming. In 2017, thirteen restaurants in Istria were hand-selected to be included in the prestigious culinary handbook, Michelin Guide 2017. Of the thirteen restaurants chosen from the heart-shaped Croatian peninsula, six of them are located in our Northwestern province, a hub for traditional ...

Small glossary of Istrian dishes

You are a passionate gourmand and you want to get to know Istria in your own way? This is where you will find an overview of delicious and traditional dishes which you must taste. As the Istrian tradition orders, the emphasis is exclusively on natural ingredients, meat and fish, self-grown plants, aromatic spices and ...

Boskarin - true delicacy from Istrian traditional cattle

Boskarin is the white grey long horned cattle in Istria, a symbol the region. It was used in agriculture, to plow the fields, for towing the stones for building the houses while its meat and milk were used by farmers as food. But when modernization took pace, the first tractors that were introduced to speed up the ...

Gastro Tour through Northwestern Istria

On the plate, you can find out everything about the area where you travel. All about tastes and scents, about the people and their way of living, about historical and cultural heritage. How to get to know Istria when you don't have much time? Sit and dine at the first location that gets on your way. Luckily, you can ...

Kapešante of Novigrad

True gourmets consider the pilgrim scallop of Novigrad, or kapešante as it is called locally, to be one of the tastiest shellfish in the world, because it grows in the Novigrad marine area where salty seawater mixes with fresh river water. A gourmet festival entitled “Kapešante of Novigrad” is held each year in honour ...

Northwest Istria - an Oasis for Gourmet Pleasure

Regular events are held in nortwest Istria to celebrate the regions growing talent for providing gourmet cooking using local sourced ingredients. Specially themed events include 'Shellfish Days', 'Asparagus Days', 'Sole Fish Days' and 'Days of Adriatic Squid' during which local restaurants and taverns provide guests ...

Wine roads in Northwest Istria

Istria’s wine roads lead to the very heart of the Istrian way of life, which has cultivated a special link with wines and vines since time immemorial. In many ways, the contemporary story of Istria and wine originated in the peninsula’s northwestern region, where new ideas began to emerge some 15 years ago. Those ...

Precious Gault&Millau chef hats

Gault&Millau, one of the most influential French restaurant guides, founded as early as 1965. In the world of restaurants just as important as the more familiar Michelin, evaluates only food, on a scale from 1 to 20, while the information on atmosphere and service are given separately. Restaurants must earn at least ...

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