Valamar Blog

Today I have decided to write about the two “golden” liquids in Istria: perhaps you already know what I’m talking about; olive oil and wine, of course. Olive oil makes an excellent addition to various dishes; it is the most valuable type of fat in human nutrition, a product for body care, a medicine curing various problems, actually, an elixir of life as many find it, a divine product, liquid gold! Olive is the plant which has characterized Istria over thousands of yeas. We owe the first written accounts related to our peninsula to the olive, i.e. olive oil, which date back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Istrian oil was the synonym for the best oil during those past times and it was of the quality to which all other oils were compared.

When it comes to the second golden liquid, our old ones would say: “You need wheat to live and wine is the myth; bread is for the body and wine is for the soul”. Istrian malvasia has been the most famous and the most present wine sort on our peninsula for over one hundred years. It goes very well with an entire range of seafood dishes. The Istrian counterbalance to the white malvasia is the black “teran”. “Teran” and its sub-sort “refosk” are the old and indigenous Istrian wine sorts. They are of intense dark ruby color, live fruit aromas and a recognizable taste. They go perfectly with high-calorie meals, homemade stews and sauces and game. Many Istrian wine experts would put the Istrian “muskat” or “Momjan muskat” on the first place, due to its golden colour, intensive wild carnation scent and exceptional aroma. “Muskat” goes well with pastry, but other profound dishes as well.

While writing about olive oil and wine, we mustn’t forget good fish which you can taste here and combine everything together. As the old saying goes: a fish swims three times – in the sea, wine and olive oil.