Croatian pršut takes center stage at upcoming festival

Petar Mamula and Ante Madir (Photo: Tea Cimaš)

Croatia is gearing up to celebrate the Days of Croatian Pršut in Rijeka on April 22, which will showcase the best producers of protected pršut from Istria and Kvarner to the south of Croatia.

This year marks the ninth edition of the event, which will bring together the top producers who have already sent their samples for evaluation.

Krk, Istria, Drniš or Dalmatia – which of the four certified and EU-protected pršuts will be champion will be announced on Friday, April 21, at the Bonavia Plava Laguna hotel in Rijeka.

(Photo: Tea Cimaš)

Ante Madir, executive director of the Croatian Pršut Cluster, emphasizes that the event is competitive and every year, producers of certified pršuts send their best samples for evaluation before the Days of Croatian Pršut. 

The champion pršut always garners the greatest interest from locals and tourists on the second day of the event, which is usually organized at the most frequented place in the host city.

Ante Madir (Photo: Tea Cimaš)

Jana Sertić, the temporary head of the Administrative Department for Economy, Development, Ecology and European Projects of the City of Rijeka, pointed out that this city wants to develop in the direction of urban tourism with an emphasis on selective forms, among which eno-gastro occupies a special place. Such events, especially in the pre- and post-season, result in people coming to Rijeka.

Paolo Jelenić, Jana Sertić, Petar Mamula and Ante Madir (Photo: Tea Cimaš)

Deputy Prefect of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Petar Mamula, states that it means a lot to them that they have gotten the event, which deals with the promotion and evaluation of premium products such as the four protected Croatian pršuts. He also encourages producers to specialize and add value to primary agricultural products.

Petar Mamula (Photo: Tea Cimaš)

Despite the trend of opening new pršut bars, modernizing old ones, and increasing production capacity, Croatia still produces twice as little pršut as there is demand for it. The country produces about half a million of them, while the same amount of domestic and imported pršut is consumed.

Paolo Jelenić, president of the Istrian Pršut Association, explains that the price correction of pršut is inevitable, ranging from ten to 15 percent. However, when it comes to quality, fans of this delicacy do not ask how much it costs.

Paolo Jelenić (Photo: Tea Cimaš)

The Days of Croatian Pršut is a highly-anticipated event in Croatia, where producers of certified and EU-protected pršuts from different regions of the country come together to showcase their best products.

If you’re a fan of pršut, don’t miss this year’s Days of Croatian Pršut in Rijeka.