PHOTOS: 23,000 turn out to big Croatian pršut festival

by croatiaweek
October 16, 2023
in Entertainment

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

The 15th edition of the International Prosciutto Fair ISAP was held over the weekend in Tinjan, Istria.

Over the course of three days, more than 23 thousand people visited ISAP, and in the midst of excellent spirits, dozens of tons of pršut were sliced.

Visitors flocked to ISAP from all over Croatia as well as from numerous other European countries, primarily Slovenia and Italy. In the vast quantities of sliced pršut, everyone found their favourites, or even more than one, as each one of them was the finest from Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Montenegro, represented by around 40 producers.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran

This year’s champion of the fair is the Istrian pršut from Pršutane Daniele in Višnjan, which is also the champion in the category of Istrian pršut.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran

Champion titles were also won in the category of Dalmatian pršut by Mesnica Lukin from Zadar, in the category of smoked pršut by Nira from Pakovo Selo near Drniš, and in the international category of Montenegrin prosciutto by the company Montstate from Cetinje.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

In a relaxed atmosphere intertwining gastronomic delights, numerous curiosities, education, sports, and entertainment, about a hundred various other producers displayed their offerings at the fairground. There were also attractions such as a panini with pršut, measuring an incredible 15 meters in length, prepared by the bakery Mlinar, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of ISAP.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

The panini was joyfully consumed by the visitors after being sliced by the Mayor of Tinjan, Goran Hrvatin, and his associates. Throughout the fair, numerous interesting workshops and tastings were held, including two guided tastings called “Pršut and Wine,” organized by experts from the Association of Sensory Analysts Gustus, taking participants on a unique gastronomic journey.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

All these events, as well as the entire ISAP, were complemented by top-notch wines from local winemakers, enhancing the experience with the finest wine flavours of Istria.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

During the three days, visitors were also able to vote for their favourite pršut, and after counting the votes, the absolute audience winner on the last day of the fair was the prosciutto from Dalmatian Pršut Delicacies Aria. The entire event was marked by an exceptionally rich accompanying program.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

On Saturday, there was a competition in playing the traditional game of ‘pljočkanje’, while both young and old enjoyed the adventurous race “Lidvinina’s Story – In Search of Pršut,” which was 5 km long. Despite the relatively bad weather on Sunday, a bicycle tour was held, and the Swap cornhole tournament at ISAP 2023 garnered great interest. Fifty experienced players participated, showcasing their skills through a fun-filled gathering, attracting many curious visitors, many of whom encountered this sport for the first time and were immediately thrilled.

(Photo credit: Sebastijan Skoko/ Boris Baran)

The whole event was also marked by a lot of good music and well-attended concerts. On the first day, the audience sang and danced to Severina and the Replay band, on the second day, Night Express and Luka Basi received ovations, and on the third day, Gustafi set the celebration on fire.