Surprising
Croatia, Part 2
Having been sorted into groups for lunch, we were each
dropped at different houses around the village and welcomed by the resident
matriarch.
And it was no ordinary lunch, either. Each house turned out
to be a local B&B, with the family providing a typical Croatian meal for
all concerned. Calling them B&B’s is probably something of an
over-statement as each household was merely a typical Croatian family with an
extra room or two to take in paying guests from time to time.
Our hostess was Jasna Lovencic, a wonderfully welcoming lady
with limited English but unlimited hospitality. As we sat down around one, long
table in her lounge-kitchen, we were served a splendid tomato-pasta soup that positively
reeked of being fresh from the garden and then a truly huge main course.
This latter deserves its own highlight – fresh baked chicken
(from a cooker the size of the average mini-fridge – a real triumph of local
logistics!), was accompanied by a rice dish, fresh pickles (amazingly crisp and
tasty, and without the hint of vinegar), a typical paprika pepper dish
marinaded in oil and garlic, a lettuce-type salad and fresh bread.
The whole meal was accompanied by home-made elderflower
water (a really startling discovery) and Jasna’s own recipe slivovitz – still
with that powerful fieriness but also an intensely warming and life-affirming
tang. To say we were well fed would be the understatement of the month.
After lunch, the secret of our flavourful repast was
revealed when we stepped out the back door – into a vegetable garden of
prodigious size and resources (above). Fruit trees mingled with root plants, with row
upon row of onions, potatoes, Swiss chard, spinach, beans, peas, chives, melon,
red and white peppers, and radishes, plus a vast field of sunflowers (for the
oil).
It was immediately clear – if it hadn’t been already from
numerous similar views throughout every town and village – that Croatians rely
heavily on their own produce at meal-time, hence every one is an absolute
masterpiece of fresh delight. The peppers alone were worth travelling a LONG
way to sample and every other group told similar stories of fresh, flavourful
dishes.
With Jasna unable to explain much of her vegetable garden in
English as she toured my wife around this cornucopia of produce, they were
eventually able to communicate in German, although it took the internet to
reveal Swiss chard from the local language!
And it was only after genuine hugs and a warm embrace that
we were able to take our leave of Jasna and Karanak, back to our ship for a
final wander around Vukovar, and another surprising onboard moment.
As it was our anniversary, a quiet word to Hotel Manager
Jaroslav earlier in the day produced a quite magnificent cake with dessert at
dinner that night, yet another tribute to the prowess of the pastry chef aboard
(who would go on to treat guests to the secrets of Baklava and Strudel at
special cooking demonstrations in the Blue Danube lounge).
To complete a memorable day, a four-piece Croatian folk
group – two guitars, mandolin/bazouki and double base – treated us to a concert
of traditional music and songs, all delivered with both great gusto and musical
virtuosity, notably the bazouki player, who treated his instrument as would
Menuhin a violin.
Yet another day of discovery along the Danube – and another
fabulous reason to give it a try.
This ‘Imperial
Capitals of Europe’ voyage can be booked at www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk, with Titan Travel (in the UK only) at www.titantravel.co.uk or, for more on river-cruising in general,
seek out the luxury cruise-agent specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on this
link.
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