December 16, 2019 – The third Gastroadvent Sunday was held on December 15, 2019, at Andrea Nirs restaurant just outside of the center of Split. This time, rosemary, goat cheese, wine from Brac, Scottish desserts and whisky, and TV journalists were in the Advent spotlight.
Gastroadvent is a unique manifestation that fuses nutrition, gastronomy, and tourism while highlighting some of Split’s favorite restaurants on the less busy days of December. For the past ten years, the event has promoted the Mediterranean diet and has left a mark through its work on Mediterranean ingredients.
Thus, every Sunday of December, valuable hosts, patrons, partners and journalists gather to honor not only the light they bring to Split, but also to recognize the integral ingredients found in the Mediterranean region.
And this year, the central ingredient of Gastroadvent is invaluable to the city of Split.
Namely, rosemary is a fundamental part of the Mediterranean diet. It is originally from Europe and has been used since ancient times when students decorated their heads with rosemary wreaths, thinking that it has a beneficial effect on memory. Rosemary leaves and the essential oil obtained by distilling leaves are officially medicinal according to European regulations. Rosemary leaf contains natural phenolic compounds and is therefore considered medicine and a spice. By its antioxidant properties, it is the most potent food. It grows on rocky soil, withstands salt and high temperatures, and its habitat is carbonate rocks.
Rosemary could not exist without its home, stone. The same stone that Diocletian’s Palace is made of, which was protected 40 years ago by UNESCO. This year’s Gastroadvent wreath is made of stone and was crafted by the students of the Stonemasonry School in Pucisca, Brac, which boasts 120 years of existence.
Furthermore, goat cheese is higher in nutrients than all other cheeses. Last year, archaeological excavations near Šibenik revealed that Dalmatia is the home of goat cheese. Namely, according to the American scientists who analyzed and found the DNA of fats in vessels during the excavation, goat cheese was produced in Dalmatia some 7,200 years ago!
For the third Gastroadvent Sunday, the delectable table was the work of the Andrea Nirs restaurant staff – and this specialty this time was the traditional Scottish recipes by Kenneth Armstong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=UHW3WiolPV0
All guests were greeted with a welcome drink ‘Ginto rosemari’, which was followed by stuffed mushrooms with avocado and goat cheese, zucchini strips stuffed with goat cheese, aubergine and eggplant in a salad flavored with aromatic herbs, anchovies, red onions, bay leaves, rosemary, olive oil, garlic, bakalar, bread with potatoes and rosemary, and a beautiful focaccia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=Esoy5gELd0o
For the warm appetizers, guests enjoyed pork medallions with aromatic butter, potatoes, pumpkin, onion, bacon, and rosemary, ‘frikando’ stuffed with carrots, scallions and bacon in a spicy sauce with rosemary and homemade gnocchi, and chicken rolls stuffed with vegetables and bacon in an aromatic sauce.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=zLUIfvw8k-s
Traditional Scottish desserts and whisky were the highlight of the day, made by Scotsman in Croatia, Kenneth Armstrong. On the dessert table, you could find Christmas cake, shortbread, fruit mince pies and rosemary butter biscuits. And, of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the perfect digestif – Scottish whisky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=mo9sXbJ00x0
With the support of the Bol Tourist Board, representatives from the Bol High School were also in attendance, with dishes from their book „Divlji pijat“.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=tLdqSmkCF5k
And for the wine, Stina Winery from Brac stole the show.
Gastroadvent is held every Sunday of Advent at a different location in Split. Total Split will be reporting all December long.
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