(Usage advisory: do not read this post if you are hungry.) In my last post I started to write about
Croatian cuisine and what to taste while staying in our beautiful villas in Istria or villas in Dalmatia. Besides those terrific dishes, there are also many other gastronomic delights! This time I’ll give you an
overview of the ones typical for Central Istria. Let our motif remain homemade! ;) And by that I mean that you should try local food in typical
restaurants called konoba (which can be also found all over the coast) and agro-tourism establishments. When you walk into a
konoba, hopefully there will be someone to greet you with a warm smile, and escort you to your table. And when you get the menu, the following information from these posts might be useful.
Central Istria is partly a mountains region so of course this reflects the gastronomic offer which is a bit different than the Mediterranean one. And one of the
highlights of the Central Istrian cuisine is the truffle! You can read more about this unique specialty in this guide. So, my dear, are you ready to order? :)
Today we serve mainly good food, so it could be a tough decision:
- Prsut (prosciutto), sausages, streaked bacon, local sheep or goat cheese and homemade bread with touch of olive oil for the appetizer. Mmmmmm… yummy!
- Ombolo/zarebnjak –boneless pork thick neck which is salted and spiced with ground pepper and laurel leaves and then left to dry for a few weeks. Istrian omelette – try out the one with seasonal wild asparagus or truffle! Although it sounds quite humble, trust me, you will enjoy it!
- Pasta – of course homemade, in different shapes – pljukanci, fuzi, gnocchi, or stuffed – ravioli, all served with a variety of sauces.
- Meat of the boskarin, white-grey long horned Istrian cattle, a symbol of the region is a must!
- Manestra – thick Istrian soup made of beans, vegetables and cooked with dried meat. Quite famous is the one with corn.
- Zgvacet – traditional Istrian goulash made with beef or chicken, usually served with above mentioned pasta or polenta.
- Meat prepared in a pot which is put into the embers of a fireplace (in Croatian peka).
- For desert do not miss the traditional Istrian pastries such as fritule, krostule, cukerancici or homemade cookies.
Or do you maybe prefer something from my last post? No matter what you order, I truly believe you will not stay hungry among delicious variety of choices while staying in one of our beautiful villas in Central Istria, villas in Buzet and villas in Motovun. And pretty soon you will get familiar with what you could order to drink! ;) Until next time – dobar tek! Zivjeli! :)
Nikolina Mladic
31.8.2017
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
