My father-in-law is one of the coolest guys I have ever met and certainly a man who deserves the utmost respect. A man of the soil and one of ten children raised in relative poverty, he managed to build a four-storey house in Jelsa and put four children through university. And still be happy. As I said, respect.
One of the most entertaining moments with extended family is when his younger brother Barba Jure comes from Ljubuski on a surprise visit, as happened today on my return from midday cold ones.
Barba Jure is a very successful international businessman, with interests in several countries, but he too is a man of the soil.
Soil and olive oil.
With olive groves near the family heritage in Brusje and elsewhere, Barba Jure has built up quite a business with his oil, which is organic and very, very good.
It was a very Dalmatian occasion, and a reminder of how lucky I am to have found myself as part of such a lovely family in one of the few true paradises left on Earth. Out came the bread, cheese and proscuitto, and those dangerous bottles. Barba Jure is an expert on many things, including home-made brews, and a couple of bottles were brought out for his perusal. A quick glance, a sniff – this one is for gout (oo, save me a litre…), this one for throat infections. It was wonderful to be a useless foreigner in the background.
Meanwhile his wife, sensing my detachedness, passed me her phone. A new website, what did I think? Barba Jure’s olive oil, available online for the world.
The website is called Hvar Gourmet. The olive oil is fabulous. Check out last year’s harvest in the video below. And if you ever get a chance to meet Barba Jure, he is a very special man. Learn more about Hvar Gourmet here.
