October 7, 2021 - The 4-day International Food Festival Taste the Mediterranean officially kicked off last night and was attended by many prominent personalities including Oscar-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović, Split Mayor Ivica Puljak, screenwriter/director Nikola Kuprešanin and top chefs from 8 Mediterranean countries!

Despite heavy rain, the opening of the TTM Festival was a huge success. The famous Split fish market was almost unrecognisable as chef Zlatko Marinović and his excellent team from the restaurant Noštromo magically transformed the usually sooty place to a sophisticated dinner venue. The participants and invited guests were greeted with welcome drinks featuring The Botanist's handcrafted vermouth and crisp sparkling wine with a generous selection of decadent amuse bouche featuring Adriatic oysters and sea eggs.

Photography: Princess Prkić

The dinner gala began by introducing the participating chefs together with Split Mayor Ivica Puljak. The invited chefs are from Croatia, Spain, France and other Mediterranean countries whose restaurants have been awarded with Michelin stars, recommendations, and Gault & Millau toques. These chefs will also grace the festival with their cooking, masterclasses, and special panel discussions. Afterwards, the participants and guests were treated with a special 6-course menu prepared by Chef Marinović and paired with carefully selected wines from the Krauthaker wine cellar in Slavonia. The dinner ended with a serving of Adria grappa, a special grappa made of Adriatic sea herbs and apple.

The festival will run until Saturday and will hold many events such as Spanish and Italian wine tasting, exclusive dinners in various Split restaurants, cooking masterclasses for professionals and culinary students, and special workshops and panels at Briig Boutique Hotel in Bačvice. You may find out more details on the festival here. 

The coming days in Split will be filled with gastronomic delights as 15 restaurants chose to participate in the first Split Restaurant Nights, a part of the Taste the Mediterranean Festival, in which the participating restaurants will offer 3-course meals and wines at a promotional price from October 8 to October 9 to locals and tourists. The participating restaurants include Atlantida, Bajamonti, Brasserie on 7, Bokeria, Corto Maltese, Dujkin Dvor, Fantažija, Konoba Fetivi, Konoba Marul, Mazgoon, Laganini, Pandora Greenbox, Portofino, Sidi bar and Šug. To find out more on Split Restaurant Nights' exclusive and special offers, CLICK HERE.

For more about Taste the Mediterranean Festival, CLICK HERE.

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