Croatia may not immediately spring to mind as a hotspot for fresh seasonal produce and a rich traditional cuisine. But those in the know have been savouring the food of this spectacular country for years. Istria, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic sea, was to be my culinary playground on a recent visit to Croatia.
Green Market, in the centre of Pula, one of the main towns in the region, made the perfect starting point for my introduction to Croatian cuisine. Lost in a sea of stalls, heavy with a bounty of plums, peaches and plump tomatoes, it was easy to see the Croatians took food seriously. The next stop on my Istrian food adventure was a fishing trip with David Skoko, a local chef and fisherman who caught my attention when he promised me some of Croatia's finest … sashimi.
Spending a morning gliding through the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic sea on a small fishing boat with David, his father, and crew of waiters from Batelina, his seafood restaurant, it was clear these men meant business.
Crabs, lobster, bonito and scorpion fish were hauled onto the deck and carefully sorted and stored, while other members of the crew gutted catfish for a speciality of the restaurant, a catfish pâté, using the liver of the fish.
When we made it back to shore, Skoko treated me to his Croatian sashimi, prepared on the rocks close to the boat. Armed only with a razor sharp knife and a chopping board precariously balanced on his knees, he expertly carved thin slices from a fillet of freshly caught bonito.
He dressed the slices with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and the buds of samphire growing on the rock face. Enjoyed with a cold glass of sparkling dry Malvasia wine, it was perfection.
Goran Zgrablic, a local food expert invited me to his home and olive grove on one of the final evenings of my stay.
Goran vowed to give me a true taste of the peninsula, and as the sun set, he and his friends taught me to make fuzi, a typical pasta of the region. Served with zgvacet, a traditional, goulash-style dish of chicken, braised with tomatoes and local wine, which we savoured with plenty of wine, late into the evening.
As culinary adventures go, Croatia, and Istria in particular, provided me with a new and exciting view on a cuisine which I had completely overlooked.
