Culinary Traditions of Šibenik
The hinterland of Šibenik, and specifically the area of the Miljevac plateau, is an almost ideal climate with cold and windy winters, producing maybe the best proscuitto in the whole of Dalmatia. The local country households prepare it in the traditional way: smoked on holm oak and dried by the wind.
The national parks Kornati and Krka are not the only natural phenomenons to thrill the visitors of the Šibenik part of Dalmatia. As the Krka River, with a magnificent display of its rich waterfalls demonstrating the power and beauty of a karst river, enters the sea, the gastronomic delicacies of Šibenik's hinterland flow into the gastronomic wealth of the Šibenik archipelago, an area rich with white and blue fish, crabs, shells and molluscs. Lovers of good food cannot miss the harmonious mixture of the two, apparently different, cuisines, where the first one is dominated by typical continental features, and the second contains all the finesse of sea flavours and aromas. Jointly, they form the Mediterranean gastro-rhapsody in this area demonstrating an exchange of varied macro-climate and morphological diversity in a small area.
The hinterland of Šibenik, and specifically the area of the Miljevac plateau, is an almost ideal climate with cold and windy winters, producing maybe the best proscuitto in the whole of Dalmatia. The local country households prepare it in the traditional way: bacon (pancetta) along with all types of sausages and other meat products are smoked on holm-oak and dried by the wind. This combines all the advantages and specificities of this area and reveals a long tradition of ancient gastronomic customs.
The proscuitto is often eaten with another speciality typical of the Dalmatian hinterland - goat cheese from mišina (a bag made of animal leather), and bread under a clay or steel dish, prepared with various cereals ground in old mills.
Lovers of young lamb will be offered this speciality prepared in several different ways.
The most popular is lamb on a spit, which attracts visitors to Boraja. Equally delicious is barbecued lamb, lamb under a steel or clay dish, made with potatoes and vegetables, or lamb roasted with potatoes or on its own. Side dishes with cooked lamb are seasonal vegetables, cooked with the meat, but the most favourite combination is one of cabbage, collard greens or white cabbage. Gourmets, who love local specialities, should not miss lamb tripe, barbecued lamb liver or lamb stewed with onions. In late autumn, and during the winter months, the Šibenik hinterland offers beef or young beef with cabbage or collard greens, where meat and vegetables combine their tastes. A favourite dish is kaštradina, i.e. smoke-dried mutton combined with cabbage.
Traditional households will provide bread made under a clay or metal dish, with flour containing all types of cereals.
Pašticada (a stewed beef dish) with homemade gnocchi is the most favourite Dalmatian dish and a gastronomic speciality for all gourmets. Many are accustomed to discuss for hours whether prunes will be included in the pašticada, or of the original recipe will omit them.
One of the folk, traditional dishes is going through a true gastronomic revival: it is soparnik or soparnjak, which is a salty pie filled with chard and olives, prepared in a traditional manner. It is a culinary star, occupying an important place in ambitious menus. It is baked under a clay or metal dish, and this typical speciality is now frequently offered as an appetiser in prestigious restaurants.
The locals will usually prepare pasta-fažol, beans with smoke-dried beans and pasta, as well as paštašuta, stewed beef with homemade pasta.
The hinterland of Šibenik is famous for its excellent lamb, prepared in various ways, and also home-reared veal, turkey, and rooster. They are prepared by roasting in a bread oven.
Fans of sea specialities will be able to enjoy excellent white fish, and also oily fish, such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel and tuna, whose popularity is on the rise. Shellfish is prepared na buzaru (stewed), but also barbecued, and some gourmets will appreciate scallop shells au gratin (Jakove kapice), baked in the oven. The peak of gastronomic hedonism is enjoying fish specialities in any of the bays of the Kornati islands, which a poet described as the most beautiful fleet of ships ever to have anchored at a sea. These places offer fresh fish right out of the sea, in a wonderful ambience which sailors claim to be one of the most beautiful on the whole of the Mediterranean.
Lovers of fresh water river fish have a chance to taste mountain trout either grilled or baked with potatoes, of supreme quality and of memorable taste, coming from the beautiful karst Krka River.
The local grape brandy (loza) and travarica (herb brandy), with fresh figs in the summer, or dry figs in the winter, act as an excellent aperitif, an introduction into serious gastronomy and a good opportunity for endless discussion on different brandies and their aromatic additives.
The wine range is dominated by two varieties: red (babić, characteristic of the Šibenik part of Dalmatia) and rosé (locally called opolo), with a long tradition in this region.
Šibenik and its surroundings have many good restaurants: Pelegrini in Šibenik, Cantinetta (in Skardin), Zlatna ribica (gold fish) in Brodarica, Tik Tak (in Murter), Opat and Zakan in the Kornati Islands and many others.
When touring the cultural and historic monuments of Šibenik, especially the Cathedral of Sv. Jakov (St. Jacob), a masterpiece of Juraj the Dalmatian from the 15th century and a monument of culture protected by UNESCO, many will conclude that the area with such a rich cultural tradition and an extremely valuable spiritual heritage, must have a rich gastronomic legacy too. And they would be right.
The gastro culture of the Šibenk area comes down from the hinterland to the coast, resembling the falls of the Krka River, creating a unique national gastro-park, where the traditional and the contemporary gastronomic heritage are united and which has spread from rural karst clearings to hidden island bays. Nature has rewarded its inhabitants, and they take what is best from nature, offering it to those who want to join them in the enjoyment of unsurpassed attractions of the Šibenik area of Dalmatia.
Health Benefits of Šibenik's Natural Environment
This is an area where the sea and a river come together, and where the smell of ozone is felt for miles, feeling salt particles arising from the sea.
The falls of the Krka River and its water nurturing rich vegetation and providing relaxation are appreciated by all who experience them.
The heavenly ambience of the National Park Krka is confirmed by 1267 plant species of which 72 are native to the area. This distinction is also in the soil, which is actually the humus, and this area offers an abundance of food from biological cultivation and from wild mountainous fruits.
The Šibenik archipelago is ideal for oily fish with the level of salt in the water, but also its temperature. Sardines from the sea reach their optimal size, but also have an agreeable mixture of fish oils, which gives them a specific taste. Tuna fish, octopus, mackerel and other fish, contribute to the gastronomy of the coastal area and on the islands. Considering the fact that this is the area where a river joins the sea, the large amount of date shells and other shell fish is no. Heavenly scenery and and tastes from the gods.
Local Ingredients and Seafood in Šibenik
- Date shell
- Conger eel
- Sardine
- Monkfish
- Jujube
- Jakovska kapica (sea shells)
- Smoke-dried ham
d i s h e s
- Conger eel bouillabaisse
- Limpet pasta
- Sardines grilled over old vines
- Braised beef with dumplings/
- gnocchi
- Fillets of anchovy in lemon
- juice
Wine Production in Šibenik
Šibenik area has always been related to the grape-vine, and this industry makes a significant contribution to the economy even now. The first glimpse of the landscape reveals an interesting area for wine-growing; there are many slopes and karst fields, and the closeness of the sea, the Krka River and the Prokljansko lake are favourable for the climate.
The growing of the grape-vine in the Šibenik area started more than two thousand years ago, and the Romans, as in other areas, brought a renaissance to this industry. As well as probably bringing varieties and technique of growing, they are also responsible for growing in the hinterland. Unlike the Greek colonists, who stayed in the islands and the coast, the Romans spread the grape-vine into the countryside and cultivation started in Drniš and Knin, and all other areas where the conditions were favourable.
Besides very favourable natural conditions for production, the wine was traditionally used in everyday nutrition, and it is no wonder that large attention is paid to wine in the area of Šibenik. Many documents bear this out and about a hundred years ago prošek (prosecco, traditional Dalmatian dessert wine, made of dried grapes) was sold as a medicine in the pharmacies of Šibenik.
Natural Conditions for Winemaking
The area of Šibenik includes a part of the Dalmatian coast around the town of Šibenik - from Pirovac and Skradin to Trogir and the area around the towns of Drniš and Knin. The Rulebook on vineyard areas in Croatia states that this area belongs to the region of northern Dalmatia and consists of six wine growing areas: Pirovac - Skradin, Knin, Promina, Drniš, Šibenik and Primošten. Due to climatic features, this area is quite diverse and produces a number of different wines. In the countryside, the vineyards are mostly grown in karst areas, on deeper soil and there is a significant impact from the colder, continental climate on the traditional growing of white varieties. The coastal area and islands dominate with red varieties, usually on appropriate vineyard positions. Often stated as an example of that is the Primošten wine growing area, where the grape-wine is grown on raised, sloping, stone terraces, and the famous Primošten čipka (lace) is an example of the excellent harmony between the vineyards and landscape. This image is often shown as a monument to the hardwork and dedication of the local population to the grape-vine. The largest areas of vineyards are found today in the area of Primošten and Promine, as well as Drniš (Petrovo Polje).
Climate varies considerably and the temperature in Šibenik is of average >15 °C annually, while in Drniš it is about 13 °C. On the other hand, rainfall is higher inland (>1000 mm) than on the coast (less than 800 mm). The soil is also different and, as in other Dalmatian areas, we find deep brown and red soil in the fields, and shallower, poor soil in the coastal area with a lot of rocks. Nevertheless a large part of this area is suitable for the grapevine, and the differences in the environmental conditions contribute positively to the characteristics of the wine.
Wine Varieties and Producers in Šibenik
Babić is surely the most important Šibenik variety today, often associated with this area. The reason for this is the exceptional wines and varieties from the terraces of Primošten; the area from which the superior quality of Babić is obtained. These are intensively coloured red wines, of full and strong taste, with beautiful aromas of matured fruit. Several producers of the supreme Babić continue this long tradition, while the contemporary technology and the expert approach in the development of the vineyards along with the efforts of the local community contribute to the preservation of this landscape, and point to a brighter future for these wines. We can say that the Maraština (malvasia del Chianti), is the most important white variety in Šibenik, although it used to be even more visible in the past than it is today. It produced famous wines, especially dessert ones, but it needs sites with extraordinary features, of which less and less are available today, and they usually host red varieties. There are not many producers of pure variety wines, and they are usually blends encouraging improvement in the quality of other varieties. Debit is the most widespread white variety, giving usually medium quality wine, but some producers, with low yield and modern technology in the cellars, achieve significant results with this variety. It is mostly present in the Prominsko wine growing area, but has spread out to the whole region in recent years. Among other white varieties, we can find trebbiano toscano (ugni blanc, a variety introduced some thirty years ago), rkaciteli (a type introduced from Georgia during the 70's of the last century), and trbljan (kuč), but they are usually not produced individually, but come with blends.
As with the neighbouring Zadar regions, pošip has recently being planted as an indigenous variety from Korčula, along with the world famous chardonnay whose first results were in accordance with its high expectations. The second most important red variety after babić is plavina, which gives soft, easy and medium strength wines, mostly being a blend variety, but there are several variety wines also available on the market. Lasina belongs to the group of forgotten and rediscovered autochthonous varieties, taking quite a small portion of the assortment. It is much appreciated and close interest in the wine produced from it is growing, causing intensive planting. A few variety wines of lasina can be found today. Merlot is one of those varieties which fully justified its expectation, so we find several wines of this variety, with excellent characteristics and it has found its place both in the hinterland and on the coast. When it comes to other red wines, there are Cabernet sauvignon and Syrah, which make an integral part for any assortment and which have also met expectations. Plavac mali used to be only occasionally present in this area, but today it is found grown in large areas, and it is expected to show its exellence in the Šibenik area, as well.
When it comes to the producers, there are two large ones (Vinoplod from Šibenik and Dalmacijavino from Drniš), and a number of medium and small family-run cellars, which started production about a decade ago. Vinoplod Inc. from Šibenik is surely the most famous with its supreme Babić, but offers also other, cheaper wines. There are Merlot and Cabernet sauvignon, and Plavina, in addition to several other table or cheap wines, they produce a very good brandy - Komovica, Lozovača and Travarica. Dalmacijavino Inc., the wine cellar in Drniš, produces a very good Merlot, Debit and Plavina. Using modern technologies, the winery Bibich produces an excellent Debit, and it is important to emphasise a few red wines, and the dessert prosecco Ambra, a sweet wine produced with traditional technology from debit and maraština. Several other small producers must be mentioned who are present in the market, such as Duvančić and Džapo (Debit, Maraština and Lasina) in the wine growing area of Promina, and Piližota, Gracin and Gašperov (Babić) in the Primošten wine growing area.
A long tradition of growing grapevines, many varieties and favourable natural conditions, result in the production of excellent and very diverse wine, and the Šibenik region nowadays represents a very important area. Still, in view of its potential, it is certain that it is going to play an even more important role in Croatian vinegrowing and wine-production in the future.
Since the era of Diocletian until now the gastronomy of the Split area of Dalmatia has been one of the best in the Mediterranean.