Posts Tagged ‘ Food ’

Mushrooming knowledge

14/11/2017
Basket with Istrian wild mushroom selection

It’s truffle season and Istria is famous for its truffles, but this is only a tiny fraction of its fungi offering. In autumn, when conditions are right, Istria’s woods are full of wild mushrooms: the weird and the wonderful, the tiny and the tremendous, the delicious and the deadly. And as the fungi appear,...
Read More »

What’s in a bottle of wine? Go grape picking to find out

29/09/2017
Nicky empties bucket of gapes into trailer

My expat life in Istria takes me grape picking. In mid-September picking teams start to pop up in the Istrian vineyards, roads clog with tractors trailing mounds of grapes – and I get a phone call late one afternoon. It’s Marija: “Mico says, would you like to go grape picking tomorrow?” I’ve never been...
Read More »

Let’s go hunting … for Istrian asparagus!

08/04/2015
Maria-pokes-the-hedges

Istrians love food and in Spring that means asparagus, picked wild from fields and hedgerows. With pickers popping up everywhere around me, this seems a good time to revisit the very first article I wrote for Live Istria in 2010. Moving abroad, living in a new country, is all about discovery: discovering new things...
Read More »

Wrestling with risottos

12/05/2014
Mushroom & red pepper risotto

Thanks to the Italian influence, risottos are a real Istrian speciality. But my attempts at risotto had always been disastrous (because I was always too lazy to stand over them, constantly stirring in more liquid, as you are supposed to do). So I had more or less given up on them … but since...
Read More »

Istrian Maneštra

20/12/2013

A sort of pork and beans, this quintessential Istrian soup, is a meal in itself. Made in every Istrian restaurant and home, everyone has their own family recipe which varies according to what’s in season. Any restaurant’s recipes are a well-guarded secret. This isn’t quite Katica’s maneštra recipe but it’s very close. She says you...
Read More »

Sveti Nikola – slow-dining at its best?

06/11/2013
Sv Nikola, Porec, Istria

Situated on the seafront in Porec, facing its island namesake, Sv. Nikola is a wonderful restaurant, my favourite place for a treat. It’s where we go to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries (and when we need a touch of luxury), so it was one of the restaurants I was most looking forward to reviewing for...
Read More »

Fig scrumping

29/08/2013
Marija picking figs

Istria’s dotted with fig trees and  all summer long they’ve been steadily growing, soaking up the Istrian sun. Come early September, they’re fat and juicy and ready for harvest.  With none yet of my own, I went fig scrumping with Marija and we picked loads! (OK, I admit that in fact we had permission to...
Read More »

Monte Carlo – a dining gem in the making

07/08/2013
Monte Carlo's lovely terrace, Vrsar, Istria

For our third night at the Montraker rock festival, Natalija suggested we visit Monte Carlo. There’s been a Monte Carlo restaurant, on and off, for a long time – often of dubious quality – and the restaurant had been closed for several years. It re-opened this spring with a new dynamic team and Natalija’s...
Read More »

Srdela – the place for a fish feast

06/08/2013
lunch is ordered at Srdela, Vrsar, Istria

Vrsar is a seaside town with an active fishing port, so no visit would be complete without tasting the fruits of Istria’s sea – but where to go? “Srdela,” said local expert, Natalija. It was the second night of our visit to the Montraker rock festival (Director of Vrsar Tourism, Natalija, is one of...
Read More »

Fancita – Vrsar’s best kept culinary secret

05/08/2013
Lunch at Fancita, Vrsar, Istria

“Where should I eat in Vrsar?” I’d asked local, Natalija. “Fancita,” was the prompt reply. “They have a dynamic young chef, Paolo, and produce some of the best food in town. I’ll arrange you a table.” We were in town for the Montraker rock festival (Director of Vrsar Tourism, Natalija, is one of the...
Read More »

Getting a taste for Istria’s November festivals

26/11/2011
Chefs hard at work

November’s not a month you would automatically associate with festivals, but here in Istria, the feštas don’t stop just because the tourist season has ended. So long as the sun shines, most weekends you’ll find something happening somewhere in Istria. Pip went along to two festivals near Pula – one in Fažana, the other...
Read More »

Konoba Kaštel – a taste of real Istria

07/10/2011
Konoba Kastel

On holiday it’s always great to try something really local. For a slice of real Istrian cooking, try Konoba Kaštel in Žbandaj, just outside Porec. Open all year, it’s one of Istria’s leading konobas and offers a great variety of traditional konoba fare  Produced from fresh, locally-sourced produce, everything on the menu is ‘odlicno’...
Read More »

Wild mushroom delights

07/10/2011
Fireplace where the mushrooms get grilled

These are just two off-the-menu dishes available in Konoba Kaštel. I tried to get the exact quantities from owner, Alen, but that just confused him. “There are no exact quantities,” he said. “The quantity we use varies from time to time, depending on the available mushrooms, and your individual taste.” So, I’ve just given...
Read More »

Mare e Monti: fine dining by the sea

03/10/2011
Eating our dinner at Mare e Monti in Umag

If you love good food, Istria is a great place to come on holiday. It’s long had a strong reputation for the quality of it’s konoba food, but how about fine dining?  Most of our dining experiences here in Istria are of the local konoba variety – and excellent they’ve been too. But, as part of...
Read More »

Croatia Restaurant Week comes to Istria

03/10/2011
Croatian fine dining

Restaurant Week in the sun, what a great holiday idea! We’ve just had our first Restaurant Week here in Istria – and delicious it was too – why not come and try it yourself next time with a short-break holiday in Istria.   Following its successful launch in Zagreb last year, Croatia Restaurant Week...
Read More »

If you…

  • • Dream of escaping to the sun
  • • Want more Istrian holiday information
  • • Are thinking of buying abroad
  • • Wonder what it's like living here
  • • Need proven, practical advice
  • • Want to keep in touch with the 'old' country

...then LiveIstria is for you

To advertise

You can place your advert here!

Share, Ask, Promote

  • • Share your tale
  • • Ask your question
  • • Promote yourself
 

For more information

Click here




pishner.lizabeth@mailxu.com
WP Like Button Plugin by Free WordPress Templates