December 19, 2021 - Split Gastroadvent at Chops Grill featured an impressive culinary display of steak and prosciutto-inspired dishes as radio journalists were honored on Sunday. 

Radio journalists and representatives of the tourist boards and project partners lit the fourth Gastroadvent candle, decorating the wreath made this year by artist Tonka Alujević. Along with the herbs of the Mediterranean, the wreath represents a lifebuoy, which Tonka says is a maritime object that serves to save a man who, for various reasons, is helpless in the sea and is in mortal danger. And that is exactly the health and political position we are in at the moment." 

Gastroadvent is a unique event that has promoted the Mediterranean diet for decades through a fusion of nutrition, gastronomy, and tourism. Thanks to the engagement and participation of dedicated journalists, who continue to bring light to Split, the event persistently shares scientific knowledge woven into gastronomic skills, the numerous health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and the preparation of dishes from unique ingredients. The event's philosophy is to pass on the existing advantages to fellow citizens and offer them to guests.

The Mediterranean diet is not a closed and defined list of foods or a list of dishes that guarantee the sequence of this diet model. This is evident in the way UNESCO described the Mediterranean diet in 2010 when it recognized it as an intangible cultural heritage:

“Mediterranean nutrition is a set of skills, knowledge, practices, and traditions ranging from field to table, including crops, harvest, fishing, canning, processing, preparation and, in particular, food consumption. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a dietary model that has remained unchanged over time and space and consists mainly of olive oil, cereals, fresh vegetables and fruits, moderate amounts of fish, milk, and meat, and many spices and moderate wine consumption, respecting the habits of individual communities. 

Today, science and the protagonists are not talking about the Mediterranean diet, but about the way of the Mediterranean diet, which is not just a list of food and dishes. The mentioned term covers a much broader spectrum, so this gathering of ours shows it as well," says the Gastroadvent organizer, Olja Martinić.

Inspired by prosciutto and herbs, the culinary table was designed and prepared by the head chef of Chops Grill, Ivan Nikolic, sous chef Toma Tripalo, and Pastry Chef Filipa Jurcević. The menu featured fritters with prosciutto, bomboline, classic cold prosciutto / cheese platters with homemade fig jam and pickled vegetables, baked fruit wrapped in prosciutto served with burrata mozzarella, homemade Žrnovo macaroni with prosciutto and truffles, steak bits with prosciutto and plums, monkfish with prosciutto, and much more. 

And for dessert, chocolate cake and grandma's cake with raspberries and almonds, to name a few. 

Rizman wine accompanied the delicious dishes. The philosophy of the Rizman winery is based on a long viticultural tradition and an ecological approach in the vineyard and cellar.

"With this ecological certificate, we give legitimacy to the original and autochthonous thing we strive for. Ever since Rizman's great-grandfather, who was not driven away from the hearth by the downy mildew and who returned and replanted the vine in the Neretva Valley, we have been tirelessly telling the story of the harmony of man and nature, stone and vine.

We are telling a story about sustainability, about the great potential of autochthonous Dalmatian and Croatian varieties, about our ecological vineyards from the youngest Croatian vineyard Komarna."

Split-Dalmatia County and the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board are avid supporters of Gastroadvent in Split, thus promoting the Mediterranean diet and local producers, entrepreneurs, and tourism workers.

The Split Tourist Board has worked hard to position the destination, harnessing a natural combination of history, gastronomy, and modernity, all to protect the components of the Mediterranean diet. The City of Split is determined to support projects that benefit its residents and demands guests after authentic experiences and new technological opportunities.

The Croatian Chamber of Commerce has advocated for years to encourage the representation of domestic products, and since 1997 has implemented the national project "Let's Buy Croatian." The project aims to increase the consumption of local products and thus support the economy. This project is of particular importance, emphasized by the director Joze Tomaš, and confirmed by the cooperation with Gastroadvent.

JU RERA S.D., as part of the MD.net project to establish innovative food products, has cooperated with primary and secondary schools in Split-Dalmatia County and stakeholders involved in producing or marketing Mediterranean food products and promoting the Mediterranean way of life. The MD.net project focuses on development opportunities and problem-solving related to popularizing the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is a part of the Mediterranean identity inscribed in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. The project aims to strengthen research in this area following the UNESCO Convention on Mediterranean Nutrition, raise the quality of nutrition and life in 9 project partner countries, and promote the Mediterranean diet, which is recognized as the gold standard of proper nutrition with far-reaching health benefits.

Apart from the desire to involve as many people as possible and bring them closer to the importance of the Mediterranean diet in everyday life, as well as its impact on their health, the other goal of the project is to establish a standard in the Med Diet Declaration logo to classify Mediterranean areas. The ultimate goal of awarding the Declaration is to position Split-Dalmatia County as a desirable Mediterranean culinary region.

Split Gastroadvent is held every Advent Sunday at a new location, honoring a different group of journalists with new culinary creations at each event. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

November 29, 2020 - The first Advent Sunday candle of Split Gastroadvent 2020 was lit by print media journalists at Makarun restaurant. Given the current corona world, a Vitamin-D-inspired Mediterranean menu was the star of the show. 

Split Gastroadvent is a unique event that fuses nutrition, gastronomy, and tourism. With several years of dedicated work on gathering knowledge and skills, it reaches everyone and all parts of the world, through the image, pen, and voice of dedicated journalists, who bring light to Split in this unusual year as well.

As 2020 marks the jubilee 10th anniversary of recognizing the Mediterranean diet, this year's theme pays great attention to the sea. The Mediterranean Sea boasts an area of about 2.5 million km² and connects all countries of the original Mediterranean diet.

Following this theme, this year's Gastroadvent wreath is also dedicated to the sea and its preservation. The seafoam wreath symbolically and literally simulates the sea world and is created from discarded trash and plastic. The Mediterranean diet theme inspired prominent sculptor Nives Čičin Šain to send a message in an artistic way: “Let's preserve our sea and the life in it that feeds many with its beauty."

The sumptuous gastronomic table adorned dishes prepared and served according to epidemiological measures by the Makarun team. Talented Chef Ivan Planinić chose smoked mackerel with Vis capers and golden apple, amberjack filet prepared in three ways and three colors, and macaroni according to a Žrnovo recipe with spinach and a shrimp and scampi sauce.

Special dishes made of fish and fish products were prepared by renowned Chef Michel Tokić from Podravka, whose knowledge and skills of cooking with EVA products are recommended especially for those who have neglected the consumption of fish and want to compensate for Vitamin D.

Responsible and healthy catering was presented by Michel Tokić, including Mediterranean sandwiches, Mediterranean tuna tortilla cups with melon, tuna and avocado cups, Eva salad of mackerel and fresh vegetables, and mini tuna burgers. 

The Croatian Chamber of Commerce has been advocating for years to encourage the representation of fish on menus. For ten years now, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce has implemented the project "Croatian Fish - Eat its Worth." The project aims to increase consumption of local fish products and build and raise the culture of fish consumption in Croatia, all by raising consumer awareness of the importance and investment in sustainable fisheries, the high nutritional and health value of food originating from locally regulated catches or farming, and the importance of the product they consume from a food safety system of well-known, high standards. This project is of special importance, which was emphasized by President Jozo Tomaš, and confirmed by the cooperation with Gastroadvent in Split.

The fruits of the Adriatic Sea were presented by Gastro Ribarnica Brač, a company that makes seafood more accessible through regular campaigns, and with its professionalism guarantees safety and originality. In ten of its own fish markets in the region, in addition to fresh fish, they offer a rich selection of frozen, dried, marinated, and salty delicatessen products. 

The event also highlighted ecology and competitiveness in gastronomy and tourism as the core of future projects of the Split School of Tourism and Hospitality. Under the leadership of director Ivo Bilić, the Split School of Tourism and Hospitality Management was appointed a Regional Center of Competitiveness in the summer of 2018.

An important role of the RCC is the connection to the local community, and is manifested through two goals:

1) Projects with kindergartens and primary schools in creating habits among young people and encouraging reflection on tourism, and on the other hand as promoting our professions,

2) Participation in local (regional) events, creating habits among the population about the benefits and importance of caring for the guest-tourist. 

This year's Gastroadvent also features Mediterranean Food - MD.net, a project funded by the European program Interreg Mediterranean, worth 3.7 million EUR, and implemented by the Public Institution RERA S.D. for the coordination and development of Split-Dalmatia County. The project involves 14 project partners from 9 countries in the Mediterranean, which is aimed at popularizing the Mediterranean diet. The main goal of the project is to strengthen research in this area in accordance with the UNESCO Convention on Mediterranean Nutrition, to raise the quality of food and life in 9 project partner countries, as well as promote the Mediterranean diet, which is recognized as the gold standard of proper nutrition, as well as its far-reaching beneficial effects on health.

These innovative food products designed by students were presented at Gastroadvent 2020, which you can see below:

The student's mentor and workshop organizer, Michael Freer, said a few words:

"The project is working with five schools to create an innovative product. We are the end of it now, the products are ready, and each school had to use a famous Mediterranean-based ingredient from the island or their location. The idea is that with the 5,000 EUR they received through MD.net, they're able to invest in something that they can then sell. The idea is that the profit goes back into reinvesting in the student cooperative, and also hopefully to fund their dance at the end of the year, if they can have one."

Given the current circumstances, all food items were packed for guests to take home!

Split Gastroadvent is held every Advent Sunday at a new location! 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.