Visual inspiration from Croatia

I was lucky enough to be invited to Croatia for a wedding over the first weekend in June. It was amazing! Southern Croatia and the Dalmatian islands are much more well known for sailing, beaches and sunshine. Where I was in the north is spectacular; a place called Lovran on the Istrian peninsula. 

It is on the Opatija Riviera, which is a promenade that goes for about 10 kilometres along the Adriatic. It was a fashionable vacation spot for the Austro-Hungarian nobility and is an interesting mix of Italian and Austro-Hungarian, having belonged to both places at one point or more. It is littered with beautiful old villas and gardens and Lovran itself has a medieval core.

The town is sandwiched between the sea and a mountain and has a great climate for growing things, in particular asparagus (in spring), cherries (in early summer)  and chestnuts (in fall). 

Here are some of the photos of the amazing things I ate:

A representative sample of the pre-wedding buffet (a lovely tradition which means the wedding party gets to meet, eat and drink pre-service) on my lap, including:

• spicy salami-like sausage - dry, not too hard and just the right level of spicy hotness
• wheat bread - very soft, and to be honest I prefer my bread with hard crusts
• cod pâté - a fishy pate that was subtler than expected, not as overpowering as some
• beef tartare - rich and full of pickled things like chopped gherkins and capers
• French salad - very mayonnaise-y :-) and more pickled things
• cherries fresh from the tree - one of my favourite things in the world! 
• a soft and surprisingly dry nutty cake (with a bite missing) :-)

Of those my two favourites were:

The cherries were growing everywhere: by side of the road, by the mechanics, and throughout the groom's family's farm. I stood under the trees, and picked and ate them by the handful. My only regret is that I left right before the cherry festival started. Apparently it culminates in the cutting of a 10 meter long cherry strudel. Yummmmmm....

I could have eaten the pâté by the spoonful! It was made by the groom's father and SERIOUSLY good.

All washed down with a homemade and bottled red wine: