Presenting original island products from Korčula.
The best souvenirs that you can bring home from your travels are those locally made with lots of love and care. Such as the ones from the island of Korčula, an enchanting island rich in forests, olive groves, vineyards, charming towns and villages, cultural heritage and wonderful sea and beaches.
Here are some of the original and authentic Croatian products from the island of Korčula, which are great as a souvenir to take home, or a gift to bring from your holiday.
Wine
The island of Korčula is famous for its millennia-old tradition of winemaking. One of the best Croatian white wines is Pošip, made from autochthonous pošip grapes, grown primarily on Korčula, although small amounts also thrive on the nearby Pelješac Peninsula. Another great white wine is Korčulanka, a quality white wine made from the indigenous Cetinska sort, grown on the hills of the island of Korčula, which has a light greenish-yellowish colour, pleasant aroma and goes great with white fish and white meat. The island is also homeland to Grk variety, made from indigenous grapes grown only around the small town of Lumbarda. Grk wine is made from grapes that only have female parts, which is why it has to grow alongside other grape varieties, making it more difficult to produce, which is one of the reasons the wine comes in small quantities.
If you prefer red wine, you can buy Plavac Mali, a quality dry red wine which has a beautiful ruby colour, pleasant aroma and light acidity. All varieties of wines produced by Blato 1902 have been recognized as the original souvenirs of premium quality. Blato wines are produced from autochthonous varieties under special microclimatic conditions are characterised by an enticingly unique bouquet, characteristic aromas of their grape varieties, harmonious flavour and specific colours.
Another great product that is used in Mediterranean cuisine and many Dalmatian specialities is wine vinegar, made in the traditional Dalmatian way. For more great products, such as rakija, salts and natural soaps made from olives, lavender, rosemary and olive oils, check out the website of Blato1902.
Olive oil
Besides its natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and winemaking tradition, Korčula is an important area for olive oil production. Marco Polo extra virgin olive oil, (also) made by Blato 1902, is produced exclusively through mechanical processing from three most common autochtonous olive varieties (Lastovka, Drobnica and Oblica), grown in the western parts of Korčula. The olive varieties are mixed in varying proportions, which gives the olive oil its distinctive smooth, full-bodied taste of intense fruitiness and moderate bitterness, and rich golden colour.
Another manufacturer producing high-quality extra virgin olive oil made from indigenous olive varieties of Lastovka and Drobnica is Presa d.o.o.
Cukarin cookies and other sweets
Having done her research into tradition, Ms. Smiljana Matijaca offers sweet and delicious delicacies specially made following an old traditional recipe from the island, including cukarini, klašuni, amarete, harubice and Marko Polo bombice (little Marko Polo bombs), which are round sweet balls made of sweet cream, walnuts and chocolate, called after a cannonball reminiscent of the sea battle in which the world-famous traveller from Korčula, Marko Polo, was captured. Korčulanske spomilje (“Proust-like madeleine”) cookies are made according to an old and forgotten recipe from egg white, sugar and lemon juice with almonds or chopped walnuts.
Mindeli (almond) cookies are a symbol of almost all Croatian islands. Bruštulani mindeli (almond) cookies are handmade according to a special recipe: almonds and sugar are cooked and caramelised until the water evaporates. Bruštulani mindeli “na bilo” (handmade cooked and caramelised white almond) cookies are made only on the Island of Korčula. For more delicious island products, visit Cukarin official website or follow them on Facebook.
Food and Drinks of Vela Luka (Luška jića i pića) – the first Vela Luka cookbook
Ms Franica Mandić spent 16 years collecting the recipes from old women; she tried them out and eventually turned them into a book. The book describes customs and traditions of Vela Luka on the Island of Korčula. Each recipe is written both in Vela Luka dialect (luški dialect) and in the Croatian standard. The book is divided into seasons of the year, and each season is in turn divided into chapters: seafood, peasant food, meat and sweets, including beverages (liqueurs, prošek, dessert wine etc) at the end of the book.
The author’s creativity doesn’t stop there. She also makes originals souvenirs made of dried aromatic herbs (immortelle, basil, lavender, bay leaf, rosemary) and jewellery (necklaces, bracelets, earrings) from stone elements, seashells and beach glass.
For more information about original island products from Croatia, click here.
Photos: otocniproizvod.hr
produced against all the odds. It comes from vines that cannot replicate themselves, having only female parts.
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