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THE CUISINE OF DUBROVNIK
Our stone pearl – the city of Dubrovnik, has always been a lively and gladly visited center of the Mediterranean. New spices and innovative techniques of processing and preparing food arrived to town along with traders and travelers. Some of the dishes like the famous zelena menestra (green stew), are mentioned even in written documents from the 14th and 15th century! It is interesting that even the Senate had its influence on Dubrovnik cuisine, insisting on implicity and temperance in eating, which resulted in one of the healthiest cuisines we know about.
To the joy of all our gourmet-minded readers, we list some of the recipes that besides being a delight to the palate also bring the touch of tradition…
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ORANCINI (candied oranges) are sweets made of orange peel, so it is very important that the oranges are of known origin. Peel the oranges and cut their thick zest in long strips or round pieces, and soak them in water for several days. After that they need to be drained and boiled. Add sugar in the same quantity as the zest and cook until the liquid evaporates. After boiling, drain the zest and roll it in sugar, and leave it to dry for 2-3 days in open air.
Beautiful month of May is perfect for picking of NESPOLI, whose beneficial fruits are used for making an excellent liqueur. Chop the nespoli (1kg), and mix them with an equal amount of sugar. Place the mixture in the sun for 40 days with occasional stirring. After that, add 1 l of brandy into the mixture, leave it in the sun for another five days and strain it.
Aromatic DUBROVNIK CAKE enriched with almonds and oranges, was according to some written documents created back in 1585 in one of the Dubrovnik’s monasteries. Stir yolks of 9 eggs, 1 bag of vanilla sugar and 150 grams of plain sugar into a foamy mixture. Beat 70 grams of sugar and egg whites until stiff. With constant stirring, add 350 grams of ground almonds, 80 grams of breadcrumbs, orange zest and 1 dl of orange juice. Stir evenly and pour into the 26 cm diameter mold covered with baking paper and bake for about 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 170 degrees.
Seafood lovers will enjoy SQUIDS STUFFED IN A DUBROVNIK WAY. Clean 1 kg of squids and chop them finely. Chop one onion and fry it lightly in olive oil. Add squid heads and tentacles, and let them fry for a while. Add salt, pepper, finely chopped clove, some wine and crushed tomato, and finally 4 tablespoons of rice. As soon as you put the rice, remove from heat. Fill the squids with the obtained mixture and close them with a toothpick. Fry stuffed squids in hot oil and at the very end add the rest of 4 tablespoons of wine. Cook briefly in obtained sauce. In addition to these delicacies you should definitely try zelena menestra (green stew), black cuttlefish soup, roasted goat meat with potatoes and snails!
This post is also available in: Croatian
