July 30, 2018 - Looking for a gourmet feast with a difference? Head to the village of Dol on Hvar.
It is one of the most unusual festivals in Croatia, and if you are a vegetarian, look away now.
I didn't quite believe it when I came across the festival 7 years ago, when I was researching for the first edition of my guidebook, Hvar, An Insider's Guide.
An edible dormouse festival!?! Attended by thousands of people, possibly the biggest party on the island each summer. In an unfashionable inland village called Dol.
Quite bizarrely, when I first went to the Puhijada (or edible dormouse festival), I did so with 5 international vegetarians, who were as curious as I was. And of course they found the sight of dormice on the grill rather repugnant (and I can't say I fancied trying one), but out of some morbid curiosity, they made me try one.
The festival even had its own currency - the superpuh (puh means dormouse) - with an exchange rate of 5 kuna to the superpuh. Why are Croatian currencies always related to animals...
And so for the princely sum of 10 superpuh (50 kuna), I got a pint of beer and my very own dormouse. There was not a lot of finesse in the presentation, and it was EXTREMELY fiddly, but the meat was exceptionally tasty.
Puh is only hunted in three places in Croatia - Dol on Hvar, Dol on Brac and up north in Gorski Kotar, where it is not grilled but served as a stew.
If you can't make the festival but would like to try it, there are some restaurants which serve puh, buy you have to order it at least 48 hours in advance. Me and Mrs Jones in Jelsa is one, and they are very artistic about the presentation. I would recommend about 6 for a full meal as there is not much meat on them.
Check out the Puhijada atmosphere from the Hvar TV report a few years ago, and to see this week's programme (in Croatian), see below.
Puhijada- festival gastronomije, kulture, sporta i zabave
Dol, 30.srpnja – 4.kolovoza, 2018.
PROGRAM
30.7. PONEDJELJAK
Predvečer - turnir u balotama „ Dol open“
21:00 h Otvaranje izložbe slika Marinka Vitasa - Crkva sv. Ane
31.7. UTORAK
Predvečer - turnir u balotama „ Dol open“
1.8. SRIJEDA
Predvečer – biciklistički poligon za djecu do 10 godina na igralištu kod sv. Ane
2.8. ČETVRTAK
21:00 h Premijera predstave "Dobri naši zahodi" prema istoimenoj knjizi autora Damira Carića u izvedbi dječje skupine amaterskog kazališta Petar Hektorović - Crkva Gospe od Sela
3.8. PETAK
18:00 h Finale turnira u balotama "Dol open" - igralište kod sv. Ane
Zabavna večer N.K. "Sloge" uz nastup Totem banda
4.8 SUBOTA
Igralište u strani sv. Ane:
Predvečer - Nastup klauna Bumba i klauna Šarenka
21:00h - nastup klape "Idro" – Zadar
22:30h – nastup grupe "Dreamers band"- Split
24:00h - nastup Jasne Zlokić
