It's extremly hard to keep it short when talking about Istrian gastronomy. The flavours you're going to experience in Istria will stay locked in your tasting buds for a long time because this is how the food should taste. Blue Istria (coastline area) brings plenty of fresh seafood dishes on the table. Green Istria (hinterland) provides a harmonic combination of pasta, meat & wild plants. It's almost impossible to put all of these fine, authentic dishes here in writing. The best way to get to know Istrian gastronomy is to visit it's restaurants and konobas (authenitc inns). Here below are just few shining stars of Istrian cuisine.

Istrian prosciutto

The prosciutto in Istria is the exquisite top of gastronomy. To produce Istrian prosciutto means to follow strict production rules. Approach that allows zero nitrities, nitrates or smoke makes this cured meat one of healthiest in this part of the Europe.

Truffles

The ultimate king of Istrian gastronomy is the Istrian truffle. It has a intense scent and people usually love it or hate it. But you definitely need to try it and define on which truffle side are you. If you like what you taste you can be sure you'll be able to enjoy it in all shapes. As a part of a tasty pasta meal, in a salad, or even in an ice-cream. Among all these delicacies there are two things you can't avoid in Istrian cuisine. Extra virgin olive oil and wine. There is aways a small bottle of extra virgin olive oil and a glass of wine on the table.

Wine

The people of Istria have been historically linked to wine making since ancient times and today it is an undetachable part of istrian culture. On the coast and in the hinterland you'll find amazing vineyards and wine cellars that will make you istrian wine journey unforgettable. Indigenous istrain wines are Malvasia - white wine and Teran and Refosco – red wine. The most famous is definitely Malvasia, lighter white wine taht goes great wit seafood dishes. With meat dishes Teran and Refosco are both great companions.

Extra virgin olive oil

The tradition of olive growing also dates back to ancient Rome. Today this liquid gold is one of the most significant agriculture products and people in Istria are extremly proud of it. And there is more than pride to it. In 2021 Istria is again, for 6th year in a row, the best olive oil region in the world for the extra virgin olive oils. This news is of great importance since the olive oils from all over the world are included in the publication, i.e. from 54 olive oil regions, and Istrian olive producers make 14% of the total number of 500 best world olive oil producers. So, if somebody offers you to taste some olive oil in Istria (although it can sound a bit strange to taste oil) give it try you'll probably experience some of the wolrd's greatest.

Seafood

Summer evokes the sea like no other season, and Istria’s pristine Adriatic coastline offers a bounty of delicacies. Along with the renowned red fish, giltheads, sea bass and St. Peter's fish, our waters provide an abundance of lobster, scampi, crab, scallops, oysters, clams and mussels. If you like seafood, there's hardly a better place where you should be. Enjoy!

Restaurants

It would be frivolous to not reccommend a few restaurants where you can enjoy all that amazing food we just talked about. These are good choices, at least by our standards: