The next week’s Festival Taste the Mediterranean in Split brings the timeless taste of the Mediterranean
The taste of the sea, the taste of tradition, the taste of the changes. All this is brought by Taste the Mediterranean, the most prestigious festival of Mediterranean cuisine in Croatia, that starts next week in Split. More than 30 top local and international chefs will cook in the city’s restaurants, with a special emphasis
The taste of the sea, the taste of tradition, the taste of the changes. All this is brought by Taste the Mediterranean, the most prestigious festival of Mediterranean cuisine in Croatia, that starts next week in Split. More than 30 top local and international chefs will cook in the city’s restaurants, with a special emphasis on sustainability and the preservation of the Mediterranean cultural heritage.
From October 23 to 27, Split will host the most prestigious festival of Mediterranean cuisine in Croatia, Taste the Mediterranean (TTM). A press conference was held in Hrvatski dom Split, a beautiful small concert hall where the opening ceremony of the Festival will take place on Wednesday 23 October. On the programme there will be a concert by the multiple award-winning women’s Klapa (a cappella group of singers) Neverin, from Kaštel Lukšić, while the reception will be prepared by the future chefs from Aspira culinary academy. This year’s edition of the Festival Taste the Mediterranean festival will present the synergy of the Mediterranean diet and the Klapa singing, both included in the UNESCO list of world intangible cultural heritage
The 12th edition of Taste the Mediterranean will gather more than 30 top guest and local chefs, awarded Michelin stars, Gault&Millau toques and other important culinary prizes who will turn Split into the centre of the Mediterranean gastronomy for 4 days. In addition to two exclusive dinners at the town’s Fish Market, as many as 16 Split’s restaurants will offer unique Mediterranean menus and some of them will host renowned world chefs. Visitors will be able to choose from restaurants:
Boutique restaurant Bome, Brasserie on 7, Corto Maltese, Dujkin dvor, Dvor, Kadena, K.užina, Mokosh, Nostromo, Tinel, Zinfandel Food&Wine Bistro, ZOI, Zora bila, Zrno Soli, and Il Ponte, in the beautiful city of Trogir, while the wine tastings will be held in Bottiglia wine & deli, a well known wine bar in Split. “From the beginning the mission of the Festival Taste the Mediterranean is the international promotion of Croatian gastronomy, with a special emphasis on the sustainability and preservation of the Mediterranean cultural heritage. I am especially happy that we were joined by some younger generations of chefs who fight every day for survival on the local gastronomic scene, which is often dominated by poor quality food and greed for quick money,” said Ingrid Badurina Danielsson, the Festival’s director.
Vanesa Kleva, director of the Hrvatski dom Split, specifically addressed the topic of intangible cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO: “We are pleased to host the 12th edition of the Festival Taste the Mediterranean on the 45th anniversary of the inclusion of Split on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and to promote two very important heritages for all of us – the Mediterranean diet and the Klapa singing”.
In addition to special Mediterranean menus at promotional prices, prepared only for the TTM Festival by the chefs of the leading restaurants in Split, there will be 6 four hands attractive dinners, prepared together by the guest chefs from all over the world and the local hosts. What is new this year are the two unique dinners at the town’s Fish Market. On Friday, October 25, the “Mediterranean on a plate” dinner will be prepared by a seven-member team of chefs from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Morocco, Japan and France, and each of them will present a typical dish from their national cuisine. The day after, on Saturday October 26, the “Dalmatia on a plate” dinner will be prepared by an even bigger team of nine Croatian chefs that will be served with wines from the Agrolaguna and Belje wineries. At both dinners, guests will be able to enjoy the excellent cocktails performed by the cocktail masters of the Raise the Bar team, the Coca Cola Academy for Improving Quality in Hospitality.
“Meštrović plate at Dujkin Dvor”, an original culinary project of the tavern Dujkin dvor and the Ivan Meštrović Museum, was presented at the press conference. During the Festival the guests will be able to taste the dishes that Olga Meštrović, the wife of one of the greatest Croatian artists of all time, used to prepare for her family and whose recipes are published in a booklet edited by the Museum of Ivan Meštrović. The Meštović menu will be sereved at Dujkin dvor from October 25 to November 3.
“We entered this project with the aim of bringing Meštrović’s creativity and way of life closer to the inhabitants of Split, the city he loved the most, and an interesting coincidence is that in our restaurant, starting with the chef, we have as many as three people with the same name Meštrović, so we felt this project as a kind of duty”, concluded Jelena Tabak, the owner of the tavern Dujkin dvor and the president of the Hospitality Association by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.
On Thursday and Friday morning, in the culinary school Oliva Allegra, the guest chefs will hold eight masterclass workshops for the students of the school, the professional chefs and also for cuisine amateurs who want to discover the secrets of top chefs. Panel discussions on tourism and gastronomy, and the challenges faced by the traditional Mediterranean culture are part of the Festival’s programme. The minister of tourism and sport of Croatia, Mr Tonči Glavina, will be the key speaker of the panel dedicated to the future of sustainable tourism. The participants are experts from various sectors, from gastronomy to economy, One of the special guests of the festival is Dr. Estelle Dinh, doctor in Luxury Business Management, specialized in sustainable luxury tourism, and included in the Monaco Forbes list “40 under 40”.
Exclusive wine workshops will take place in the famous wine bar Bottiglia, wine & deli. “A glass of wine, and a piece of cheese” – the wines, presented by the sommelier team from Vino.Like will be accompanied by a selection of the best President cheeses.
“These kinds of manifestations are important for the progress of gastronomy, but also for the entire tourist offer of Split. This event is a special motive for visiting the city and it helps to extend the tourist season” said Alijana Vukšić, director of the Split Tourist Board.
The director of the Split-Dalmatia County, Ivana Vladović, presented the project of the rebranding of the Marenda, a traditional Dalmatian meal (sort of brunch), whose life style philosophy attracts more and more devotees.
“In Dalmatia we celebrate food every day, and the marenda is the crown of Dalmatian gastronomy. This festival promotes authenticity, and its international character enables us to present our typical food to the whole world” said Ivana Vladović.
The Festival Taste the Mediterranean is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Split-Dalmatia County, the Tourist Board of Split-Dalmatia County, the City of Split, the Tourist Board of the City of Split and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.
Photo: Jadran Babić for TTM
