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Before I moved to Dalmatia, I probably used about a litre of olive oil a decade, and I am not even sure that I could have identified in olive tree, so poor was my knowledge about a product which has become central to my life in Dalmatia over the past decade. It was something I was pondering as I was enjoying the latest use of this essential healthy ingredient of the Dalmatian lifestyle - an excellent Brac massage consisting of olive oil at the outstanding Thalassa Wellness Spa in Bol.

How things change! The annual family olive harvest in late October/early November is a time when whole communities come together, and busy chief executives from Zagreb return to the family field for the collecting of the olives. I have more conversations about olives than football these days. And now that olive oil is an integral part of the diet, I wonder how I survived in my pre-Dalmatian existence. 

And so I was delighted to learn on the island of Brac that there was an olive oil museum in Skrip, the oldest settlement on the island, which opened in 2013. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but whatever it was, my expectations were far exceeded by a fascinating tour of one of the finest traditional Dalmatian attractions it has been my privilege to visit during my time here. 

Founded in 1864, the family mill serviced the local community using very traditional methods for almost a century, before the opening of a more sophisticated and quicker mill opened nearby in 1963, bringing to an end the tradition of milling in this family house in Skrip.

While technology was responsible for killing this business, it was somewhat ironic perhaps that some 50 years later, the preservation of traditional methods was the catalyst for the revival of the mill's fortunes, as it reinvented itself as an olive oil museum, showcasing the old traditional production methods with a seemingly endless supply of authentic and original artefacts. 

The museum is small, cosy and full of atmosphere, and our excellent quide took us through the various stages of production, starting with the weighing of the olives once they arrived by donkey. 

Having been weighed, they were placed in this stone circular container where they were washed. Brac used to have a staggering 3 million olive trees. 

And for an excellent visual effect, a local artist has captured the various stages of production on the walls of the museum.  

Next up was the central mill where the olive were crushed. A wonderful modern addition were these wire figures, which helps with the visualisation of the process. The figures were actually part of an exhibition by a local artist in Supetar, which were then rescued and put to better use in Skrip. 

And if you think that this is not an attraction for the little ones, think again - our kids were fascinated by the whole thing.  

The crushed mush was then moved across for futher pressing and oil extraction in bags made from rope, which resulted in the original virgin press, which produced a yield of approximately 10%. 

These were then stored in pig skins.

Donkeys were employed in this work, and there was a donkey feeding station in the middle of the room.  

The quality of preservation of the old production tools was extremely impressive.  

After the first press, water was then heated and carried over in the manner portrayed in the picture above, from where it was added to the remaining mush, resulting in an extra 2% of oil being extracted. The oil sat on top of the water and was scooped off, slightly inferior quality to the first virgin press, but the maximum was extracted.

While the method of production was an education, it was the little stories which put the icing on the cake. What looked like a military helmet was on display by the press, which looked a little odd until the reason was explained. During World War II, where the family lost two of their children in the conflict, an Italian soldier was a prisoner in Skrip for three years. He was passionate about olives and knew how to make the rope bags. A friendship ensued, despite the war, culminating in a family member from Skrip attending a wedding in Italy a few years later. While some prisoners were killed, others were kept alive to work, as there was a lack of local manpower due to the war. The Italian soldier's helmet is a reminder of this little piece of history. 

The living quarters on the first floor included another excellent photo exhibition by a local artist. This place was breathing the traditional Dalmatian life in a way I have rarely seen in the region.  

Including the roof, which has been lovingly restored in the traditional and original stone. The owner explained that he had three problems with the authentic restoration of the roof. Firstly, it was almost impossible to find craftsmen in the modern era who could do the job. When they did, most of them were too old to do the job, but finally a local craftsmen from a younger generation was found and put to work. And finally, the roof is not fully waterproof, as it was also not back them. Total authenticity.   

And so to the tasting, which included the outstanding olive oil of course, as well as some fabulous homemade specialities such as pate with local products mixed with green and black olives. Delicious. 

A visit to the olive oil museum alone made the journey to Skrip more than worthwhile, but there is of course plenty more to this spectacular inland village, with its centuries of history, most notably the island of Brac museum, but I was more interested in visiting the home of oil museum owner Kruno Cukrov, where he showed me his plans for restoring another historic building to its former glory. But that is another story...

I really hope that this project gets maximum support, as the painstaking (and expensive) renovation is matched by the quality of the product - a window into a way of life in Dalmatia that will educate even local children. Just as Miki Bratanic's Konoba in Vrbanj has achieved status of national cultural heritage, so too should this olive oil museum. 

Thank you Kruno and family, both for your hospitality and for preserving an important Dalmatian tradition for future generations.

To learn more about the Olive Oil Museum in Skrip (and to book - it is open from 09:00 to 17:00 daily in season, but please phone to check), visit the official website here (available in English and Croatian). 

A first guest blog from Helen Milsom, an expat living in Split. There is nothing quite like one's first olive harvest... 

I can’t help feeling slightly amused by writing this piece. Mostly because of the fact I don’t love olives. I was always that person who would try to discreetly pick them out of food served with them. In recent years I have acquired a slight fondness and no longer pick them out. There is hope.

However, I do love olive oil and have been researching olives and olive oil production here in Croatia for possible export along with other foods. I recently spent 5 wonderful days in scenic Istria visiting many olive growers. Finding out about the volumes they produce and of course tasting. Tasting varieties of oils, like tasting wines, would take time to fully appreciate the differences of course. The hospitality of the people I met along the way was always warm and friendly. Often being asked to join a family for a meal and some wine was a special treat.

Many of the people I met in Istria were aware that in Dalmatia some of the olive growers will soak their olives in sea water for a period of time after the harvest and before the olives go to the mill to make the oil. They could not see the reasoning for this as they make it a point to harvest and get the olives to the mill as soon as possible. So I wanted to find out why.

Upon returning to Split it was getting close to harvest time. A neighbour made an arrangement for me to help out on the family farm in Sutivan on Brac. Her father was to meet me at the ferry and I would stay in her apartment above the family home. I had never met this man nor any of my neighbours’ family for that matter.

My introduction to Tomislav Miletic. Standing at almost 2 meters he was not hard to spot upon my arrival. Oh so friendly and loves to joke. He met me along with his second cousin Marina who had arrived on an earlier ferry. Leaving the dock we drove the short distance to Sutivan. The apartment had been stocked with food and other provisions, although I ate all my meals with the family. The 3 of us then drove all of 5 minutes away to the farm or as Tomislav calls it the Ranc. The Ranc is on a terraced hillside overlooking Sutivan with the sea beyond and view of Split and mountains in the distance. There is a small building with couches, table and cupboards for food, dishes etc. On the walls are framed certificates of awards for the olive oil, family memorabilia and the family coat of arms dating back 1627. The Miletic family have had the property during all that time. Attached to the small building is a covered outside area with 2 large tables, a wood burning stove and a bbq area. There is no electricity. Tomislav calls the ranc “my heaven” and says he spends a lot of time there, sometimes even sleeping over.

There are about 350 trees on the property and at least 50 of the trees are 400 years old. The remaining are no less than 200.

Right, so up at 6am the next morning. 2 cups of tea for this English lady, then onto the back of a scooter and off to the ranc. Upon arrival I put on an apron with a big kangaroo pouch in front. I met other family members up at the top of the property and started picking. The olives are picked by hand. No machinery or rakes. There is something nice about knowing each and every olive has been touched by a human hand. I learned very quickly not to fill my apron too full before pouring out and depositing into the buckets. Oh my aching back. While I was absolutely not the fastest picker, I did get into a rhythm.

About 11-11:30 each day we would stop and take a break. Loaves of bread laid out, cheese, ham, hard boiled eggs, anchovies, sardines, and mandarins. Of course olive oil….and wine! After the break it was back to the trees. Each filled bucket would be poured into mesh bags then weighed. The bags then placed in huge containers, containing seawater! Ah ha! So what is that all about? Tomislav says he’s been doing that for years and is adamant that it helps draw out any bitterness from the olives. Once all the olives have been harvested they will continue to soak for at least another 5 days before going to the mill.

We had beautiful weather during the harvest. Fresh cool mornings gradually heating up in as the day wore on. Mind you even though at times I would feel quite warm in the afternoon, I kept long sleeves on. Oh my scratched arms. At the end of each working day we would be treated to a wonderful dinner. Fresh caught mackeral on the fire, chicken, sausages, beans, cabbage, salads…..all sorts. Nobody stayed up late needless to say as the next day would be another long one.

While picking each day sometimes there would be several of us working on the same tree and other times when more family arrived we would be spread out among 2, 3 or 4 trees. There was a lot of chit chat, most of which I could not understand. Note to self, contact Croatian language teacher to resume lessons. Most of the conversation was the family catching up with each other, having a joke, talking politics and the like. There was plenty of laughter, banter and other times quiet. I’d catch myself “zoning” out and just being with my own thoughts and feelings. Often I’d look up from the branches and look out gazing over the picturesque vista. Beautiful and peaceful at the same time.

On the morning of Sunday November 1st Liljana Miletic suggested I might find it interesting to join some other family members and see where the family graves were near St.Roka church and to also visit the catacombs in the cemetery. After following a procession to the cemetery we laid flowers and lit candles at the family grave. Then walked over to what looked like raised graves with windows. They were porthole windows to the catacombs below. Beyond was a small structure with a door open and winding staircase down to the catacombs. There are rows upon rows of numbered graves stacked on top of each other. Half way up there is a track with a platform that can move along amongst the graves. I was told the graves are there for people who do not have money for an expensive burial or for people who have nobody and died alone. It was sad for me. Still, I appreciated having had the opportunity to see this.

One day I was taken to the mill in the tiny town of Lozisca. It was all systems go there as many other farmers are starting to bring in their olives. I met the owner who allowed me to carefully walk about and take photos. This is where Tomislav would be bringing his olives as he prefers their traditional cold press method.

Each mesh bag is weighed again and poured in to a large container where the olives get a good rinse. From there they are shot out into the grinder. A quick process. The ground mash then comes out at a controlled speed by an operator and onto round mesh mats that rotate. Once the mat is covered it is stacked on a pile until there are approximately 60 mats with layers of olive mash in between. The stack gets wheeled over to a hydraulic press where 400psi of pressure is applied. This is done for 1 hour and during that time you can see the oil and water seeping through the mats and down the sides. The oil/water goes through a filter to capture any bits that may have got through the mats. Then onto a large tank where the water and oil separate and each is extracted into different containers. It was a treat to sample the freshly pressed oil. Once the hour is up the stacks are moved off the hydraulic press and each mat is cleared of the remnants and will later be used in animal feed.

After the visit to the mill we did go to another mill that uses a more modern way to extract the oil. Warm press. It’s likely faster and uses a centrifuge. Mr.Miletic prefers the cold press as he feels the warm press interferes with the integrity of the molecular structure of the oil and does not have as long a shelf life as cold pressed oil.

We finished the harvest in 6 ½ days. Had a final finished the harvest meal and then packed up. The next day as the ferry pulled away from the dock it was yet another gorgeous warm sunny day. I had a big smile on my face and reflected on my week. I was so glad to have participated in the harvest, learn more and most of all spend time with a lovely family. Hvala liepa Obitelj Miletic. So that’s “olive” of it. Had to “squeeze” that in…..hahaha. Groan

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