Taste the Mediterranean festival presented at the European Parliament in Brussels
A gastronomic event
Following the invitation of Željna Zovko, Vice-President of the EPP Group and member of the Committee on Culture and Education, the organisers of the Taste the Mediterranean (TTM) festival and top Croatian chefs were present at the European Parliament in Brussels. The presentation of this international gastronomic event, which will be held for the tenth time in Split from 4 to 9 October 2022, was followed by a tasting of Croatian specialities at a dinner at the Maison d’Itrie restaurant. Zovko and his guests also took part in the programme “From the Heart of Europe”.
The conference was attended by Ingrid Badurina Danielsson, Director of TTM and Gault&Millau Croatia, Dubravka Tomeković Aralica, Executive Director of TTM and G&M Croatia, Matea Dorcic, Head of Maritime Affairs and Tourism of Split-Dalmatia County, as well as award-winning chefs Vesna Miletic, Fabricio Vežnaver and Zlatko Marinović.
In her presentation, Željna Zovko pointed that Taste the Mediterranean festival has become one of the most important gastronomic events in the Republic of Croatia.
“Taste the Mediterranean festival has become in almost 10 years a leading gastronomic event that brings together local and foreign chefs crowned with Gault & Millau trophies or even Michelin stars, producers, winemakers, the restaurant industry, the media and every lovers of the living Mediterranean culture in Croatia,” Zovko said at the conference, adding that it was excellent news that Split was chosen as the permanent centre of this international culinary event.
Taste the Mediterranean and Gault&Millau Croatia Festival Director Ingrid Badurina Danielsson and Taste the Mediterranean and Gault&Millau Croatia Executive Director Dubravka Tomeković Aralica spoke about the content and importance of this Festival for the promotion of the Croatian gastronomic scene, culture and tourism. Many renowned chefs from Zagreb, Istria and Dalmatia received the Gault&Millau Croatia trophies: Vesna Miletic and Tač restaurants (Chef of Traditional Cuisine 2019), Fabricio Vežnaver from Pergola restaurant (Chef of the Year 2021) and Zlatko Marinović – Noštromo (Chef of New Traditional Cuisine 2021) were able to share their experiences in gastronomy and hospitality with the conference participants. Matea Dorcic, Head of the County Administrative Department for Tourism and Maritime Affairs, spoke about the offer of Split and Dalmatia as well as the brand image of Split-Dalmatia or Split-Dalmatia County as an excellent tourist destination.
Mediterranean gastronomy in the spotlight
“The Mediterranean style is not just food, it is a cultural heritage and a way of life that links our widely known hospitality, intercultural dialogue and creativity with the use of fresh food prepared in an authentic way,” said Željna Zovko.
The guests of the European Parliament also saw this at a dinner held at the restaurant “La Maison d’Istrie” in the centre of Brussels. The partner of the dinner and the Taste the Mediterranean festival, the company “Tommy” delivered fresh ingredients from its premium programme from Croatia for the occasion, and the dinner was prepared together by guest chefs from Croatia and chefs from the Istrian restaurant in the centre of Brussels. Guests were delighted with fish and meat delicacies: tuna tartare, sea bass carpaccio, octopus salad, black cuttlefish risotto, fish fillet with chard, lamb with peas and traditional Dalmatian desserts – crocant, berries and mandula.
The dishes were accompanied by wines from Bačić vineyards from the island of Korcula and Crvik from the Dubrovnik region.
Deputy Zovko and the organisers of the Taste the Mediterranean festival at the conference in the European Parliament stressed in particular that the Croatian Mediterranean diet is also recognised by UNESCO and is on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. All those present at the conference, as well as the dinner guests, were invited to visit Split and Dalmatia during the Festival, immediately experiencing the tastes, smells and atmosphere of the Mediterranean.
“The festival is an opportunity to exchange experiences of leading foreign and domestic chefs and to educate the younger generation, who have the opportunity to learn about culinary trends. Taste the Mediterranean represents Dalmatia and Croatia as an attractive Mediterranean food and wine destination, and this year the Festival will announce October as the month of gastronomy in Split,” says Ingrid Badurina Danielsson.
