When summer glows on the island of Pašman, and tourists are looking for an interesting evening during their vacation, it is best to head to Dobropoljana for a gastronomic event Dobropoljanski gušti. This is an initiative launched by the Dobropoljana Youth Association (DUM), which is not just a name that young people dream of on the island, because it brings together about 60 younger members who really live in Dobropoljana. We are talking about the work of this association, and especially about culinary achievements, with the current president Augustin Bašić-Guste.
The concept of Gušti is seemingly simple - the autochthonous island cuisine has been complemented by the sounds of the Dalmatian klapa for already seven years. "Every year, we prepare a large mussel buzara as a specific brand of Dobropoljanski gušti, together with five or six types of dishes," Guste tells us. This buzara is the greatest delicacy, and when the mussels are eaten, pasta is put into the sauce and the maneštrun is divided at symbolic prices. Mussels are homemade, they come from the island, and other food is taken from Pašman family farms, and cooked by sailors, chefs on board, caterers, but the whole Dobropoljana and Pašman cooperate, so everyone participates in the preparation of meals, from children to the elderly. Old crafts are also shown here and the former everyday life on the island.
"Older people passed on to us as a typical Dobropoljana food like an octopus with broad beans, which was prepared during large agricultural activities such as harvesting olives," Guste conveys his memories of his grandmother. Pašman has always been more oriented towards olive growing and agriculture than fishing, which can be easily seen along the entire length of the single main road on the island. On both sides, there are countless olive groves, between which there are hamlets and places on the island.
DUM was founded in 2012, it has 62 members which is a very big interest considering the size of the place. Apart from Gušti, DUM also organizes sports events, especially beach soccer, indoor soccer tournament, and basketball is also widely played here. The reason for this can be seen at the very entrance to Dobropoljana, where there is a large mural of the famous Croatian basketball player Krešimir Ćosić, who is originally from this place. They also help KUD Bokolje in the International Folklore Festival, which has been held for over twenty years. There is also a local festival of St. Thomas, the patron saint of Dobropoljana, and the church dedicated to this saint is visible to everyone in the centre of town.
It is obvious that summer on Pašman cannot pass without a taste, and these Dobropoljana ones are the greatest gastronomical pleasure, so there is no need to doubt where to go in the middle of July!
Photos by Dobropoljanska udruga mladih
Comments