Located on the crossroads of various civilisations, in a region which has for millennia seen the intertwining of the Slavic, Romanesque and Germanic cultural heritages and where the Alpine influence mingles with the Mediterranean; a distinctive gastronomy has developed based on traditional specialties that offer exquisite pleasure to your taste buds whether consuming food or beverages. A special quality of the Istrian cuisine lies in its abundant use of seasonal fruits and vegetables, so that the gastronomical experience offered in Istria is different from season to season.

If you come to Istria we recommend that you must try:

	Istrian pršut – dried ham produced according to a centuries old traditional manner. Pršut is produced in all countries of the Mediterranean, however in Istria this specialty is dried without being smoked and without its skin, it is exclusively dried by the
Istrian Bora (Bura – Adriatic wind) and it is left to mature for a full year. The result is an exceptional delicacy whose production is protected by law and it is registered as an autochthonous Croatian product with geographical origin.

Ombolo and sausages – are traditional seasonal products made from pork meat. They are best after being smoked for a few days then grilled or cooked in wine with a serving of cooked sauerkraut.

Maneštra – the most well known Istrian dish “eaten with a spoon”. Maneštra is a type of vegetable stew or thick soup, whose main ingredients are vegetables and smoked meat. There are many different varieties: maneštra with sweet corn is particularly charming with its kernels of young corn, maneštra with beans and barley, whose main ingredients, as the name implies, is barley, white maneštra is made without meat, jota is a maneštra made with sauerkraut or pickled turnips and there are many more combinations depending on the seasonal traditions or nature’s offerings.

Olive oil in Istria is of an exceptional quality and has proven medicinal qualities. It was highly valued in the time of the Roman Empire as Istria is among the northern most regions in Europe where Olive trees still actually grow. Istrian olive oil is used as a
base or is added to nearly all dishes of Istrian cuisine.

Wild asparagus more precisely their young shoots are in spring a famed Istrian specialty and are usually prepared na fritaju that is with eggs or are added to various other dishes.

Pasta or pašte in the Istrian cuisine are a result of centuries old imagination but also the practicality of Istrian housewives. Various types of pasta are eaten with sauces, truffles, stews, toppings or simply, with grated cheese; as a warm entrée, main meal, as additions to soups or maneštra and even as a dessert. The most common type of Istrian pasta are fuži (short bows of dough), gnocchi (small dumplings made from potato dough), raviolli (half circle

shaped dough filled with cheese or some other filling), pljukanci or frkanci (spindle-shaped dough), lasagne or taglietalle (wide noodles), gomoljice (thin noodles for soup), pasutice (rectangle pasta) and many others.

Desserts of the traditional Istrian cuisine appear quite modest and simple at first glance, however they are a perfect finale to an exceptional Istrian meal. Fritule are fried donuts made from batter, a special favourite in winter; kroštule are original fried

cakes, of plaited dough; povetica is an excellent strudel made from puff pastry filled with apples and walnuts; pandešpanja is an exquisitely light, almost ethereal shortcake which melts in your mouth. Other original Istrian deserts include sweet ravioli (cooked or fried), followed by desserts which combine the red wine teran with fruit and ricotta cheese and then there’s pinca which is a sweet bread prepared during the Easter season.

Istrian wines – just by looking down from the Motovun hill towards the surrounding vineyards, one becomes aware that they are in a wine region with a time honoured tradition. The best Istrian wines are malvasia and muscatine, in more recent times wine producers are producing excellent chardonnays, pinot and other varieties. Among the red wines, teran stands apart with its medicinal qualities, followed by merlot, borgonja, cabernet and the autochthonous but less well known, hrvatica.

Rakija (type of brandy) - is also the result of the rich imagination and the refined taste of Istrian wine producers. The authentic Istrian rakija komovica is often enriched with aromas of other gifts of nature, namely herbs, thus assuming the relaxing or medicinal qualities of these rare herbs. The most renowned Istrian rakija’s are biska (a rakija with the aroma of mistletoe leaves); medicinal (rakija with honey), ruda (with the medicinal herb of the same name) and many varieties of herb-flavoured brandy.

Truffles which we have purposely left till the end of this short “abc” of Istrian cuisine, is an underground mushroom with a distinct aroma
and unique taste. The Motovun forest, more precisely, the Mirna valley is the main habitat of the white and black Istrian truffles. Given that this specialty is so exceptional (it’s called the king of gastronomy) it deserves its own page.