almatia 06 split
The people of spliT have a very simple but very convincing argument when claiming superiority for the beauties of their city and its surroundings: Emperor diocletian had the whole of the roman Empire from which to choose a place for his magnificent palace. the location he chose is today’s split, its very heart, and the r source of its urban character, the palace, remains to this day. ising behind Split are the mountain massifs of Mosor and Biokovo, their peaks often snow-swept, which nevertheless blunt the most fierce onslaughts of the bora. Lying in front of it are the islands of Braè, Šolta, Èiovo and, in the distance, Hvar and Vis, the sunniest of all the islands. A wise man was the Emperor. Nature presents itself here in all its splendour and generosity. Before him, the Greeks cultivated the grapevine and olives on the Dalmatian islands, while those who did not wish to work the land turned to hunting, gathering and fishing: fresh and sea water crabs and fish, frogs and shellfish, mushrooms, blackberries and a variety of other berries, wild-growing edible plants... The continuity of Dalmatian gastronomy is impressive even by the criteria of the demanding Mediterranean cuisine. And what Emperor Diocletian enjoyed in his time has been preserved for us to enjoy, except that this bounty has been still further enhanced by the best ideas of generations of chefs. Principles of what is known as Dalmatian minimalism are being strictly observed: top quality ingredients, first and foremost the best types of fish, are prepared in the shortest and the simplest of ways – boiled, grilled or fried – so as not to impair in any way the perfection of the natural flavours of dory, dentex, gilthead or red mullet. At the same time recipes were created, and endlessly TourisT Board of The CounTy of spliT - dalmaTia Prilaz braće kaliterna 10/i, p.p. 430, 21000 split tel.: +385 21 490 032; 490 033 fax: +385 21 490 032; 490 033 E-mail: info@dalmatia.hr www.dalmatia.hr modified and perfected, which required a slow process of preparation over several days, with complex mixtures of spices, such as, for instance, pašticada. p a Š t i c a d a In the hand-written cookery books of individual families in Split, which are handed down and added to from generation to generation, there can be found as many as 20 or so different recipes for one dish: pašticada. This is a meat dish the preparation of which takes, in accordance with old recipes, days of patient preparation even before it comes close to the stove. In the first phase, meat is marinated in wine vinegar flavoured with croatian <strong>Gastronomy</strong> 29