Valamar Blog

Istria, also well-known under the name ”Terra magica”, is truly magical when we speak about gastronomical offer. While writing this post, my mind swirls with prsut (smoked ham), fuzi (a simple, triangular domestic paste), njoki (dumplings or gnocchi), krafi (so-called ”wedding pillows”, a type of pasta dish), domestic zgvacet (or zvacet, a type of meal with lamb ham or chicken) manestra (a type of very dense domestic soup), fish, olive oil, fine domestic wine, krostule (a type of roasted, elongated cookie), fritule (a type of small, aromatic dunky with raisins and cinnamon bark), and, considering that my break-time is nearing, I can hear a real gastrosymphony ”playing” in my mind.

During the visit to Rabac and Labin, which were made for new gastronomic challanges and explorations, but also for the affirmation of already well-known tastes and flavours, do not, by any means, miss our specialties.

I will enumerate some other specialties, my personal favourites, and it is up to you to discover by yourselves your Istrian Gourmet-story. So, along with the specialties from the beginning of our gastro-story, I also recommend scampi, risotto with seafood, pasta with truffles, sausages, and ombolo (a meaty part of pork cutlet). To those who want to try to prepare meals by themselves, we give you a recipe for a very convenient Istrian hors-d’ouvre.

Manestra od bobici (A very dense soup with young corn)

Ingridients for 4 persons.

6 decagrammes of young corn (decagramme=one-third of an ounce)
25 decagrammes of beans
2 potatoes
20 decagrammes of streaked bacon
6 slices of garlic
1 string of parsley
Smoked ham bone
Salt and pepper

Dip the beans during night, drain and pour over with cold water. Cook for ten minutes, drain, pour over with hot water, add smoked ham bone, and than start to cook. When the beans soften, add potato sliced to cubes and young corn. Add ”pest” (made of streaked bacon and garlic cut up small into pieces). Streaked bacon, garlic and parsley should be cut up small into pieces and well stirred. When all ingredients are cooked, take out the smoked ham bone, separate the meat from the bone, and then place it back into the soup. Add salt and pepper.

Bon appetit!