The best flavors of Croatia and Europe, 30,000 visitors and a fantastic atmosphere that cut and ate twenty tons of prosciutto marked the 13th International Prosciutto Fair (ISAP) in Tinjan, held in the heart of the Istrian Peninsula.
Visitors from all over Croatia and Europe, as well as from other continents, rushed to Tinjan for three days, describing this great event as something to be expected throughout the year and not to be missed. Fetches of premium prosciutto were melted on the palate every step of the way, all watered with the best of Istrian wine and complemented by numerous other local and indigenous products from the fair offer. For fans of refined tastes, this event was the highlight, while the ham again confirmed that it has an irreplaceable recognition in the gastronomic offer of Istria and the whole of Croatia.
ISAP has once again shown that it is one of the largest and most important gastronomic events in our country, with an international character, and the quality and success of events is best illustrated by the figures that have broken all the records so far. Of the 43 rated prosciutto, 38 won the gold medal, three prosciutto earned championship medals, while the absolute champion of the Prosciutto fair is the village of Mekishi in the municipality of Vižinada. Their ham also won the championship medal in the "Istrian prosciutto" category.
The categories "Dalmatian prosciutto", "Drniški pršut", "Krk prosciutto", "Smokeless prosciutto without skin", "Smokeless prosciutto with skin" and "Smoked prosciutto" were also evaluated. Visitors were therefore able to taste in the wide variety of flavors of the King of Delicacies, and with all the finesse that make these premium products different, given their geographical origin and production method. Fifty exhibitors of ham from Croatia, Austria, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia presented themselves, while the partner country was Montenegro.
The three days of the fair were also marked by a lot of fun, and it should be noted that the visitors repeatedly had the opportunity to win top quality ham. This is how the family competition "The Second Hunt for Istrian Prosciutto" was held, in which the teams searched for a hidden treasure through a fun adventure race. A total of 21 teams with 81 competitors participated, with the youngest participants being twins under two years of age. The most valuable treasure, Istrian prosciutto, was taken home by the team of ISTRIA Consumers consisting of Maja, David and Tomas Bučić. Prosciutto also brought Anja Hula from the fair, which won it thanks to most of the likes in the photo with which she competed in the online photo contest "Share a Photo and Win a Prosciutto", on the Facebook page of the International Prosciutto Fair.
Visitors were also delighted with the guided tasting, where they could learn all about the specifics of Istrian prosciutto, and which wines are best paired with, as well as a weekend cooking show where the best culinary experts showed how to make prosciutto dishes. .
(Text: ISAP, Photos: Edward Badurina, Taste of Adriatic)