In the sign of honey and olive oil, on Saturday Šolta became a centre of Mediterranean food heritage and education, through the first Med&Terra Šolta – Festival of Honey and Oil, organised by the Šolta Tourist Board, the Municipality of Šolta and Šefovi kuhinja mediteranskih i europskih regija (ŠKMER).
Experts in nutrition, tourism and cooking, local producers, pupils and many guests gathered in Grohote. The festival was preceded by an opening event on 19 May at the Grohote primary school, where a press conference and a workshop for children and young people were held under the guidance of ŠKMER chefs, under the name “Medeni menu” (Honey menu). During the workshop the pupils helped prepare the dishes and learned about the nutritional values of honey and olive oil. A “honey marenda”, the Dalmatian mid-morning meal, was also organised for the school’s pupils.
After the official opening on Saturday afternoon came a panel called “The nutritional values of honey and olive oil in the diet of children and young people”, with chef Željko Neven Bremec, the director of the Šolta Tourist Board Maja Radman, nutritionist Dragana Olujić Hudi, sports coach Ante Jurić, Šolta beekeeper Tin Prar and the president of the Zlatna Šoltanka association Zlatko Burić.
A separate part of the programme continued through the THINK TANK sessions devoted to the tourism potential of honey, in particular Olintio honey from wild Šolta rosemary, and of olive oil, with tastings of a honey smoothie, dishes prepared for the occasion, island products and the cocktail Olintio nektar – from the Vrgorac distillery Poetica, made with gin and, of course, honey.
The strength of the panel was the range of participants, who came at the topic from different angles – from tourism and gastronomy to beekeeping, local production and destination development. The discussion covered how tradition can become a strong tool in building the identity of an island, and how products such as Šolta olive oil and honey can become the base of international recognition for the destination. Participants also recalled the results of Šolta products at international competitions, especially olive oils awarded gold medals at world level.
The THINK TANK was organised in four thematic groups, each opening a different view of the island’s development as a food destination. The discussions brought together local producers, beekeepers, tourism workers, representatives of tourist boards, and pupils of the “Braća Radić” secondary school from Kaštela, who took part in the debates alongside older generations of participants, said Alma Harašić Bremec, author of the panel and of the THINK TANK and organiser of ŠKMER’s international festivals.
Ante Jurić, a fitness coach with years of work at HNK Hajduk (the academy and the first team), led the THINK TANK on the role of honey in sport.
“In sport today, in recreation and in everyday life, the energy level through the day defines a person. A fast pace of life, sport at a high level or recreation in free time all call for a high level of energy. That energy comes mostly from healthy sources of carbohydrates. Honey, as a product of beekeeping, contains glucose, a natural carbohydrate that provides energy, contributes to health and can help strengthen the immunity of athletes, recreational athletes and business people”, said the master of kinesiology.
Jurić also played in the final of the junior Champions League and worked at FC Sheriff Tiraspol and FK Velež. He was an external lecturer at the Faculty of Kinesiology (KIF) on courses related to fitness preparation.
Split nutritionist Dragana Olujić Hudi stressed in Grohote that honey is a source of sugar and should not be idealised, but that it has clear advantages over industrial sources of sugar. Above all, she pointed out that honey carries a range of nutrients, most of which have a positive and interesting effect on health.
“Given the sharp rise in the supply of commercial sweets and the growing consumption among children, honey and desserts made with honey are the better choice. Besides sugar, honey contains plenty of biologically active compounds that are almost absent from classic sweets. Honey is made by the natural work of bees and is minimally processed compared with industrially produced sweets. It contains antioxidants, polyphenols, enzymes and organic acids. Each of those nutrients can have a positive effect on parts of metabolic and general health. Although it contains simple sugars, its glycaemic index and the rise in glucose are lower than with industrial sweets. So, besides being a source of sugar, honey is not an ’empty calorie’ like most industrial sweets. It has a higher nutrient density and stimulates the reward mechanisms in the brain less. The excessive stimulation caused by industrial sweets can build a strong link between reward and pleasure and lead to certain forms of addictive behaviour towards sugar. Using honey in moderate amounts should not cause that effect”, said Dragana Olujić Hudi.
The festival also drew guests from other Dalmatian islands, including representatives of the tourist boards of Brač and Vis, who shared their own experience and the challenges of branding island destinations, as well as pupils of the “Braća Radić” secondary school, one of the central institutions for education in agricultural professions with a focus on Dalmatian tradition and nutrition.
“There was a lot of interest in the topics around Šolta honey from wild rosemary, one of the island’s trademarks, while beekeepers exchanged experience and ideas on the further development of production and promotion. The festival is an important step up in quality and shows the direction the event will take in the future. New topics have already been announced for the next edition of the honey festival, as well as a date later in the year, so that beekeepers can present fresh types of honey and take part in the competition part of the programme”, said Alma Harašić Bremec.
In the evening the ŠKMER team held a cooking show led by masterchef Željko Neven Bremec, which put tradition (brudet) next to modern cooking (poke bowl). The focus was on nutritional values, the balance between ingredients and the pairing of the two key components – Šolta olive oil and Šolta honey.
“The brudet was made with cod, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, olive oil and honey, with the aromatic spices of Šolta. There was also a version of the poke bowl – a globally popular dish, originally a Hawaiian speciality with Japanese influence, made with chicken breast cooked sous vide and marinated in honey, oil and soy, with rice, salad, wakame seaweed and sesame. At the children’s workshop a few days ago the children reacted very well to the dishes presented at the school, so today we carried on in the same tone, through a mix of traditional dishes and contemporary ones that are increasingly present in restaurants popular with young people. The smoothie offered to the panel participants was energising and refreshing, and besides honey it contained blueberries, skyr and other energy ingredients for faster recovery after the “sitting and learning” at the panel, said Željko Neven Bremec.
Alongside the food, visitors had a broad presentation of local products. Pršut and cheeses from local producers, soparnik from OPG Aljinović and the sweet part of the programme – cakes and desserts prepared by pupils of the Braća Radić secondary school from Kaštela. The respected local winemakers Burica and Purtić presented their best drops, while the Vrgorac distillery Poetica delighted the guests with the special cocktail “Olintio nektar”, created for this festival with gin and Šolta honey. Handmade jewellery and island souvenirs were presented by Peek&Pop. The scents of tradition with a modern signature blended with the concert by the band Cambi, which grew into the musical close of the Saturday evening.
The festival is already looking ahead. As Alma Harašić Bremec announced, the next edition is planned for a later period of the year, so that beekeepers can present freshly extracted honey, which will be judged and entered into competition, with the best rewarded.
A wine June announced
Although the impressions from the first edition of the MED&TERRA festival are still fresh, Šolta is not stopping with its programme. The organisers used the occasion to announce the next stop of this gastronomic adventure.
“This May was in the sign of honey and oil, and in June we turn to our third pillar – wine. We are already inviting you to come on 20 June to the Wine Festival, an event devoted to our indigenous variety Dobričić. With a wine masterclass, food pairing and a concert by Jasna Zlokić, we continue to tell the story of an island that is not only a destination to visit, but a way of life to taste”, concluded the director of the Šolta Tourist Board, Maja Radman. Saturday’s festival programme ended with the concert by the band Cambi.
Photo: Stipe Jakovčić, TZ Šolta, ŠKMER
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