Croatian's and Their Love for Pure and Simple Food

My sister called me last week to tell me about an article in Saveur Magazine.  I ventured to the link online and ...WOW.....it was like being back in Croatia.  I could almost taste the garlic and parsley sauce.  I could almost smell the wood fired up for the grill.  Saveur Article

My trip in 2013 with my sister was a treat for the eyes, nose and taste buds.  Being on the Dalmatian coast, the climate is similar to the Central Valley and most everything grows well (but grazing animals have a bit of a challenge with the rocky hillsides so you are sometimes limited to fish and lamb!)

Blitva (which is Swiss chard) is available in EVERY restaurant on the coast.....no matter if it is on the menu or not.  In my house when I was growing up, it was a staple and is referred to as my sister's "Happy Food" (she could eat 2 to 3 pounds of the stuff at a sitting and we are not sure if it is the veggie she likes or the garlic and olive oil!)

We rented a car near our flat and went on a little road trip (me driving, my son texting, my sister warning me to slow down).  Our goal was to get up the coast, eating our way every few kilometers and boarding the car ferry south of Makarska to visit my father's relatives on the Island of Hvar.  It was a colorful trip with roadside fruit stands bursting with color and rich with the smell of ripened fruit.  It also was stocked full of homemade "hooch" and questionable juices (nothing to be said about the bottling measures....Good grief!) My sister, ever the brave one, bought a big bottle of sok (juice) and proceeded mixing it with mineral water as we drove down the windy roads.  Such an adventure. Thank you Saveur for the above two photos......my son was too busy texting to take photos of our bounty.

Happily, we found our family in good health and spirits.  We spent the afternoon munching on juicy ripe peaches in the afternoon shade ......Summer at its finest (in the lazy village of Zastrazisce!)