Travelling, judging, tasting and UNESCO
Otkad znam za sebe, otac mi je uvijek pričao o hvarskoj, dalmatinskoj i mediteranskoj prehrani.
U godinama koje su uslijedile, naučila sam da je najvažniji termin njegovih izlaganja „Sveto trojstvo“ koje se odnosi na morsku sol, začinsko bilje i maslinovo ulje.
Trebalo mi je neko vrijeme, putovanja, natjecanja i degustiranja hrane iz svih krajeva svijeta da shvatim o čemu je to točno stari govorio.
Na svojoj zadnjoj kulinarskoj avanturi, s velikim ponosom sam bila dio sudačkog tima kao sudac početnik. U ta tri dana naučila sam koliko je točno taj posao težak, ne samo s aspekta ocjenjivanja gdje u isto vrijeme morate razmišljati i kao profesionalac i kao natjecatelj, nego i kada nakon završetka ostanete s bolnim želucem prepunim isprobane hrane.
Na zadnjoj večeri nakon natjecanja, birala sam hranu levitirajući između osjećaja ponosa, sreće i boli u želucu, a kad sam sjela za stol, primjetila sam da makinalno radim nešto čega mozak opće nije bio svjestan. Na tanjuru je bila samo jedna namirnica – kuhani krumpiri, a ruke su same dodavale origano, timijan i mažuran, škropeći krumpire maslinovim uljem na kraju.
Sjela sam, zatakla ubrus o uniformu i nasmijala se.
Da tata, razumijem. Konačno uistinu razumijem što je to čemu me učiš čitav život. Jednostavnost i lakoća osnovnih namirnica našeg otoka. Efekt koji izazovu kad ih upotrijebiš uz bilo koju namirnicu. Činjenica da ne moram izmišljati novosti u kuhinji i jelima jer je svako jelo uspješno ako upotrijebim ovaj jednostavan trik koji nam je dan samim činom rođenja na upravo ovom mjestu.
Bilo da kuhate da biste zadovoljili, zadirkivali, zavodili, impresionirali, izliječili ili naprosto napunili želudac – ove namirnice mediteranskog porijekla, pun su pogodak svaki put. I upravo to je naše najveće i najvažnije nasljeđe, koje je prepoznao čak i UNESCO.
UNESCO je 2013. zaštitio mediteransku prehranu otoka Hvara i Brača kao dio nematerijalne baštine, uz Cipar, Španjolsku, Grčku, Italiju, Maroko i Portugal, a o svemu tome kažu ovo:
„Mediteranska prehrana uključuje kombinaciju vještina, znanja, rituala i simbola u vezi sadnje, žetve, ribarenja, stočarstva, konzervacije, obrade, kuhanja, a naročito konzumacije hrane i gostoprimstva.
Zajedništvo za stolom je osnova kulturnog identiteta i kontinuiteta zajednica diljem Mediterana. Trenutak je to socijalizacije i komunikacije, afirmacija i obnova obitelji, grupe ili identiteta zajednice.
Mediteranska prehrana naglašava vrijednosti gostoprimstva, dobrosusjedstva, interkulturalni dijalog i kreativnost, te način života pod vodstvom poštivanja različitosti.“
Tek nedavno sam otkrila ovu vijest, usput na nečijem zidu na „fejsu“ i u isto vrijeme me preplavio osjećaj ponosa i tuge. Kako je moguće da ovakve novosti ne krase naslovnice svih tiskanih i digitalnih izdanja vijesti, kako je moguće da za ovo zna tek nekolicina ljudi? Ova spoznaja u uskoj je vezi s onim što znam i što „propovijedam“ otkako je kuhinja postala moj život: manjak ili nedostatak javnog interesa, loša edukacija i naš mentalitet koji nas samim činom rođenja odgaja da se sramimo sebe i svog nasljeđa, učeći nas da su stvari uvijek bolje negdje drugdje i da je kod susjeda trava zelenija.
Ovo su stvari protiv kojih se borim i privatno i profesionalno i to je nešto čemu sam posvetila život – mijenjanje načina razmišljanja i perspektive i negdje usput brendiranje hrvatske kuhinje na način da konačno zauzme svoje mjesto na tronu najboljih svjetskih kuhinja, jer upravo je to mjesto koje zaslužuje.
Znam da je to veoma ambiciozan plan, ali kako je jedan pametan čovjek davno rekao: svako veliko putovanje počinje prvim korakom.
UNESCO je naš prvi korak napravio…hoćemo li ga slijediti ili ostati sjediti i žaliti se?
English version:
Ever since I can remember, my dad spoke about Hvar’s, Dalmatian and Mediterranean cuisine.
As I’ll learn in the years to follow, the most important sentence was the one containing the „holy trinity“; sea salt, herbs and olive oil.
It took me some time traveling, competing and tasting food from all around the world to understand exactly what was he talking about.
On my last culinary trip, I was honoured with a role of rookie judge (tasting and scoring dishes of competitors from all around the region) and in those 3 days of judging, I’ve learned exactly how tough that job can be, not only from the judging aspect (where you have to be both professional and a competitor), but afterwards too, when your belly’s aching from all the food you tasted.
After competition, on our last dinner, I was walking around the buffet, lingering between feelings of proud, happiness and physical pain, and as I sat at the table, I caught my hands doing something my brain wasn’t aware of.
My plate contained of just one ingredient – boiled potatoes, and my hands were seasoning them with salt, oregano, thyme and marjoram, after which I sprayed them with some olive oil.
I sat, covered my uniform with a napkin and I smiled.
Yes dad, I understand. Now I fully understand all you’ve been teaching me the whole time.
The easiness and simplicity of those basic ingredients. The effect they achieve after you use them on basically any ingredient. The fact that I don’t need to invent anything new in the kitchen or in my dishes…every single one of them works if I use this simple trick that was gifted to us by the place of our origin.
Whether you’re cooking to please, to tease, to seduce, to impress, to heal, or to simply fill your belly – these ingredients from Mediterranean cuisine work every single time. And exactly that is our biggest and the most important legacy which was even recognized by UNESCO.
In 2013., Mediterranean diet from the islands of Hvar and Brač was inscribed in the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, along with Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Italy, Morocco and Portugal.
According to UNESCO:
„The Mediterranean diet involves a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food. Eating together is the foundation of the cultural identity and continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is a moment of social exchange and communication, an affirmation and renewal of family, group or community identity. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes values of hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, and a way of life guided by respect for diversity.“
This news arrived recently and I discovered it by accident on someone’s FB wall, which made me both very proud and sad at the same time. How is it possible that news like these don’t make it to the headline of every magazine and tv news, how is it possible that just a few know about it?
This cognition correlates to what I have known and have been „preaching“ ever since cuisine became my life: the lack of public interest, poor education, our mentality that brings us into life already ashamed of our selves, our heritage and all that we have, teaching us that things are better somewhere else and the grass is greener at our neighbour’s.
These are the things I have been fighting personally and professionally, and it is something I have dedicated my life to.
Changing the way people think, changing the perspective, and somewhere along the line, branding Croatian cuisine and placing it on the throne of valuable and rich world’s cuisines, where it belongs.
It is of course a very ambitious plan, but as one smart man once said: every great journey begins with the first step.
UNESCO made the first for us…are we gonna follow or remain sittin’ and bitchin’? 😉