In a quiet fishing village in northern Croatia, a young chef is creating some of the most simple, divine fish dishes in Istria. He’s doing so in a small, modest tavern, cooking alongside his mother and mother-in-law, using the fish his father catches, and bringing the dishes to the tables himself. Sounds picture perfect to me.  Sort of like the streets of Burano, with their labyrinth of clean, cobblestoned streets, houses and boats splashed with a rainbow of vibrant colors. After leaving Venice and that charming island, I headed to Istria, the northernmost region in Croatia, about a 3 hour drive away. Some of you may recall a few highlights I shared last year, like my favorite port town Rovinj, zoo-like Brioni islands and a chocolate soufflé I have recreated here many times in Zürich. It worked out nicely that the chef’s chocolate of choice was Lindt – not too difficult to find here in Switzerland!

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Since the beginning of the Jewish New Year last weekend, when I made light, chewy fig and pistachio nougat, I haven’t stopped dipping apples in honey and even made a second batch of nougat.  The tradition is, we wish each other a sweet new year.  I think I’ve got that covered.  I put that extra batch of nougat in the freezer, as it was a bit soft, and eating it straight from there, I was quickly reminded of frozen Charleston Chew bars we used to have as kids.  Remember that candy bar, yellow wrapper and all? Takes me right back to my summer camp canteen.  Just wait until I dip those nougat squares into chocolate and put them back in the freezer, now that will be good! Furthermore, the official opening date for Ladurée in Zürich has been released – October 14th, in less than 3 weeks!  This coming year is sure to be sweet!  I have my usual line-up of adventures ahead, each one with a whole new set of pastry shops, chocolate shops and markets to visit, always fascinating people to meet and local customs to learn about.

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Coming back from Venice, I had a suitcase filled with nougat, biscotti and chocolate (unfortunately no gelato). Whenever I come back from France, it’s usually jams, Carambar, prunes from Agen and chocolate. From New York – bagels, soft brown sugar, Vermont maple syrup and chocolate. What does one bring back from Croatia? Well, if you want to get through customs without sweating, you probably won’t attempt to walk on by with dried hams or fresh truffles in your bag. Olive oil? I suppose you could risk the glass bottle breaking in your luggage (I did!) – not in your carry-on though, liquid’s a no no. Specialty shops in little villages throughout Istria had tons of products based on truffles and olive oil, pretty much everything imaginable made with one of the two.

So what did I bring back?  Chocolate.

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One thing is clear; I definitely want to return to Rovinj in Croatia’s Istria region. And when I do, I?ll be eating at the restaurant Blu again. I am just not sure whether I’ll be returning more for the view on the Adriatic, or for Chef Nikola Hrelja?s chocolate cake (bonus – I got his recipe, it’s below!). (more…)

In a few weeks, a much talked about beauty pageant will be taking place in Western Croatia.  Prizes will be awarded for most beautiful, most photogenic, best personality and all around best… goat.  Miss Goat Istria 2009!  The pageant was apparently started to make sure traditional goat farming did not disappear, and has now became a rather popular event!

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After the first taste of Croatia, I wasn’t quite sure what to share with you next.  So many beautiful destinations in Istria itself, such rich history and gastronomy; 1,000 photos to sort and numerous recipes to try… where to begin?  How about with my favorite town, Rovinj.  Think Italian Riviera, yet with a twist.  Street signs are in both Italian and Croatian, and people are speaking in either one of these 2 languages, if not in the Rovinj dialect, which would not be understood in any other region, as one local pointed out to me.  A colorful Mediterranean town, with a real Italian flavor, that still feels like an island of its own, even though the old town has been connected to the mainland since 1763.

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The C slot in my travel files was bursting with articles on Corsica, Copenhagen, Catalonia, California and last but not least, Croatia.  (Almost every letter of the alphabet has a bursting travel file!)  The latter was all about Croatia’s popular city, Dubrovnik. I hadn’t even heard of Istria, nor could I have placed it on a map.  So when I was selected for a travel blogger’s trip to Croatia last month, thanks to the Istrian Tourist Board, I knew it was going to be nonstop discovery.  And it was.  First thing’s first – quite simple to answer the map conundrum: all you have to do is draw a straight horizontal line across the Adriatic Sea from Venice and you’ll end up in the Northwestern most point of Istria and of Croatia.

Back to Zürich just filled to the brim with new stories to tell, friendships, 1,000 photos (literally!) and a belly full of olive oil, truffles, fresh Mediterranean fish and Istrian ox, it was a lot to digest.  And then I got awfully distracted by the market’s fresh rhubarb and Swiss army knives here in Switzerland!  But now it’s time to share my experiences in Croatia.  They were numerous, and it was truly an eye-opening and sensory-filled experience.  A region overflowing with history, culture, gorgeous landscapes and hello, it was just a food lover’s dream!  So here’s a little photographic preview of what’s to come… (more…)