Istria

Istria’s full-immersion lager beer experience

Istria’s full-immersion lager beer experience

Posted on by Pat and David
Halfway through Saturday afternoons when David was growing up, his classical musician father often betrayed his Appalachian country boy roots by launching into a spirited rendition of ‶Rye Whiskey.″ He was particularly fond of the verse (as sung in Louisa, Kentucky at the source of the Big Sandy river) that referenced some of the local wildlife. ‶If the river was whiskey and I was a duck,″ the tune went, ‶I'd dive to the bottom and drink myself up.″ That memory came flooding back when we booked a stay at the San Servolo Resort & Beer Spa in Buje, Croatia, just south of the Slovenian border. We went directly from the truffle fair, with a stopover in the picturesque fortified mountain village of Grožnjan, known since...Read More
Reviving Istria’s ancient winemaking tradition

Reviving Istria’s ancient winemaking tradition

Posted on by Pat and David
Greek traders brought wine grapes to Istria roughly 2,900 years ago, yet quality modern winemaking in the area didn't really start until after the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991. Politics always seemed to get in the way of making premium wines in this crossroads region on the northeast coast of the Adriatic. ‶My grandfather was born in Austria,″ pioneer winemaker Ivica Matošević (pronounced ee VEET sa - ma TOE she vitch) told us. ‶My father was born in Italy and I was born in Yugoslavia. My children were born in Croatia.″ He pauses for effect. ‶And the family has never moved.″ Matošević is one of a handful of visionaries who put Istria on the viticultural map in the 1990s, releasing his first imitation of a...Read More
Pandemic or not, the truffle fair must go on

Pandemic or not, the truffle fair must go on

Posted on by Pat and David
New England agricultural fairs are all about livestock, crafts, and local crops. The highlight is often the weigh-in for the giant pumpkin contest. The prized squash generally tops the scales around a thousand pounds. The chief gastronomic fair of Istria is a little different—and the prize edible rarely weighs even a thousand grams. Taking place over nine weekends from mid-September through mid-November, Zigante Truffle Days (trufflefair.com) in Livade celebrates the overlap of seasons of black and white truffles. Despite the absence of three-legged races and tractor pulls, there's plenty of excitement to go around. With the relaxation of border restrictions as Croatia moves toward becoming a member of Europe's passport-free zone, travelers from across Europe flood into little Livade to sniff and buy truffles—and eat...Read More
Truffle season brings gastronomic joy to Istria

Truffle season brings gastronomic joy to Istria

Posted on by Pat and David
From a foodie perspective, Istria is a marvelously complicated place. Every conquering nation that's passed through has left culinary traces behind. Long part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, then a corner of Yugoslavia, these days the region largely belongs to Croatia. It's the thumb-like peninsula that juts down into the Adriatic just south of the currently Italian city of Trieste and a tiny strip of Slovenia. Parts of Istria bleed into Slovenia and over the border into the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Out of tradition and perhaps necessity, people speak a whole basket of languages. But American food lovers need to know just one thing about Istria. Lidia Bastianich hails from Istria, which speaks volumes about the food. Just before the pandemic, we spent...Read More