Istra & Pula

G A S T R O N O M Y WINE - CULINARY ART - LOCAL CUISINE - HEALTHY FOOD - TRUFFLES
T H I S I S I S T R I A . . .
The navel of Europe. A coffer full of secrets, wisdom and the essence of the Old Continent. What about the key? You have it inside, you can comprehend Istria with your soul, your essence is hiding here. Immerse into this miniature planet and you will discover beauty and the truth about yourself. Istria is the largest Adriatic peninsula, heart-shaped red soil, ancient Europe’s closest Mediterranean, almost reaching to her hearth. Your nearest true South, right here, below the Alps, in Croatia. Here where civilizations and peoples meet, where cultures, customs and opinions are interwoven.
Searching for the Golden Fleece, mythical Argonauts followed the River Ister as far as the Adriatic Sea. Isn’t that our tiny River Mirna, while the Ister gave its name to our peninsula? Or was it named after the native Histrians? Stone ruins, the seven thousand year-old home of ancestors, are visible on the nearby hills. In the numerous towns you can gaze at 2000 years of history, you can scratch it with your nails: Roman amphitheater, triumphal arches, villas, Byzantine basilicas covered with gold mosaics, medieval towers and town walls, large and tiny churches, Romanesque buildings, luxurious Gothic and Baroque palaces, Austro-Hungarian fortifications... As if all European history had been sublimated in this region: Histrians, Romans, Byzantium, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks, Venice, Napoleon, Austria-Hungary. Every century and every invader engraved, destroyed and rebuilt a certain trait, certain feature, sanctuary, shrine, road, a certain seal of his age. There were armies and plagues, prosperity and inspiration. Some came to Istria to rule, some to enjoy the pastoral atmosphere, emperors and popes came here, Casanova to make love, philosophers, saints and hermits to search for the secrets of the Other World in the mundane repose. Roman poets and Renaissance troubadours praised Istria in their verses, Dante Alighieri described Istria in The Divine Comedy, Jules Verne led his hero Mathais Sandorf through the caves and underground streams of the Istrian underworld, James Joyce wrote here... Martial, the most famous Roman epigrammatist, praised his native Cordoba: ”...more fertile than oily Venafro and as perfect as Istrian oil in an amphora”.		Istria is the homeland of olives, figs, almonds and grapes the homeland of innumerable little wonders. Istria is a park luxuriously decorated with nature: fertile valleys, fields stretching as far as the sea, the mountain of Učka, more than 1,000 meters high, brooks, waterfalls rocks and sand, all together in this small region. A road may take you to a tiny church covered with multicolored frescoes and decorated with wooden statues of saints made by local craftsmen. Istrians worship Jesus from Nazareth, because one is closer to God and religion in this little church than in a magnificent cathedral. You will find another local feature in these churches. An unusual, own script, neither Latin nor Cyrillic, but the Glagolitic script. This ancient Croatian script, which existed only in this part of the world used throughout the centuries. Graffiti, prayers, church registers, as well as important documents were written in Glagolitic letters. Istria has its script! The second road leads you to a plain inn or tavern where the wine is considered to be the gift of gods. A modest, but delicious dish will be offered on a tray or on crockery. Another miracle - a truffle! A white truffle, a divine gastronomic speciality, an aphrodisiac, tuber-mushroom which grows under the ground. The third road will lead you to a village party, church or lay celebration: the ancient ”balun” dance on the square, archaic instruments - roženice, mih and duplice, and two-part harsh song. Red-hot sun immerses into the sea. The Istrian night is beckoning you. Artists rush to Istria, because this enchantress intoxicates them, seduces them and fornicates with them. Whoever comprehends Istria will always be faithful to her. Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus, an honourable gentleman and a senator, in the year 537 reduced all the words from this breviary into a single sentence: ”Patricians lead a divine life in Istria.”
		During its tumultuous history various nations met in Istria bringing along their culture, thus influencing the cuisine of the Peninsula. These diversities brought to a unique and original cuisine, namely, local Istrian cuisine. Among the seafood specialities we recommend the following menu: a couple of oysters from the Lim channel, octopus salad with potatoes and a little bit of garlic, seasoned with olive oil from Tar or Vodnjan, then noodles with seafood, and as a main dish one of the following fish: base, gold fish, sole or sea-bream. The other alternative could be: pilchard marinade, squid blackrisotto and as a main dish: the crown of seafood - fish, seashell, crab and squid brodetto. With both of these menus white wine - malvazija goes well.
Typical dish of continental Istria: as hors-d’ouvre - smoked ham ”pršut” (by far the best in the world, as we think it is), sheep-milk cheese, some olives, smoked fillet ”zarebnjak” and sausages grilled in the fireplace. As a main dish: pasta, gnocchi or ”fuži” with game stew, possibly garnished with cooked sauerkraut. Every Istrian meal calls for ”maneštra”, a vegetable stew, sometimes served at the beginning of the meal, but often being a main dish. This should be accompanied by teran. The crown of Istrian culinary art is the truffle - tuber which grows under the ground and which is collected by a specially trained dog. From times immemorial the truffle has been known as a famous aphrodisiac, the marvel of world gastronomy. Wild asparagus, various sorts of mushrooms should be added to this natural and healthy food, and among fruit: figs, grapes, almonds...

		Wine in Istria has the meaning of a spiritual sacred thing, necessity, love, culture of living, food and drink. Istrians are devoted to grapevine, making a cult of it, and no wonder that wine is woven into its culinary art tradition. In Istria wine has become an inevitable accompanying part of various homemade dishes - the crown of every ceremony, and pleasure at the table. Among the wines the synonyms of Istria are malvazija, red teran, but, however, typical varieties are white ad gray pinot, Chardonnay, Hrvatica - the autochthonous variety, fine rosé, borgonja, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and refošk. But there is also something called Muscat of Momjan, something to enjoy like the life itself.
. . . A N D T H I S I S P U L A

Situated at the southeast end of the Istrian peninsula, Pula has been in existence since 3 thousand years. It represents a very fine combination of the old and modern city where many famous writers and composers have found inspiration for their masterpieces. Many cultural and historical monuments dominate its panorama and represents today the unique setting of various cultural and artistic events. Tourist facilities are located outside the town in woods close to the sea. Beaches stretch along, 190 km of beautiful and indented coast.


Map of Pula (pula_map.gif 1.5 MB)

T H I S I S I S T R I A . . .