Schadenfreude and Dalmatian pot roast

Dalmatian pot roast, aka dog's breakfast

We all have to admit that the real reason we watch reality TV shows, such as the X-factor, is in anticipation of those cringe-worthy acts where a talentless and deluded wannabe sings an appalling rendition of I Will Survive only to be brutally confronted with the harsh reality that survive they will not, certainly not in this competition anyway. In an article in The Huffington Post, Tom Alderman looks at why we are so obsessed with ‘shame TV’:

If a truth gun were put to our collective TV heads asking why we watch American Idol, and The Apprentice, the answer might be: we like watching people being humiliated ... [We] do cheer for the powerful singer. But aren't we really waiting for Simon, Paula and Randy to rip into some over-eager, untalented hopeful who actually volunteered himself for public degradation? ... We can't seem to get enough of these debase-me-now shows. 

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You say buzaru, I say buzara...

Buzaru, buzara, buzzara, bouzzara ... there seem to be 101 ways to spell this word, which as an English speaker makes it hard to decide which one to use. Buzara is the most common on English websites, but many of the Croatian pages use buzaru, which suggests that buzara is an English translation for the purposes of pronunciation (since it doesn’t actually mean anything in English, so there can’t really be any other reason for changing the word).

In my recent post, 101 ways to eat octopus salad I said that buzara seems to refer to seafood cooked in white wine with garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and, in some cases, tomato. Thanks to the Google website translator, I can now say this with more confidence and add that it is most commonly made with skampi (scampi) or dagnje (mussels).

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Zapecena Riba, hrvatski for baked fish

I had originally intended to spend this week celebrating the last of the summer sun by recreating all my favourite seafood dishes from my week in Croatia. However, there was a slight flaw in this plan: seafood, or lack thereof.  

I work 9 to 5 and the only decent fishmonger in my corner of London is open 8.30 to 5, which doesn’t leave a very large window. So I have had to make do with Sainsbury’s, which means sacrificing not only on flavour and freshness, but also on range. I didn’t really expect to find octopus or scampi on the Sainsbury’s fish counter, but I thought mussels would at least be a safe bet. Well, apparently they are out of season at the moment, although I have read other sources that suggest otherwise. I hope to make it to the fishmongers this weekend, but in the meantime, rather than substitute ingredients for the dishes I had planned, I have decided instead to find some alternative Dalmatian recipes to suit what was on offer.

Of the various recipes I found online, this one was the most reminiscent of the food I experienced on the Dalmatian coast; fresh produce cooked simply with minimal seasoning so that the flavours speak for themselves.

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Marinated anchovies, Dalmatian style

 Left: anchovies in Sipanska Luka, Sipan. Right: my version at home

Following my gastronomic tour of Dubrovnik and the Elaphite Islands, I thought it would be fun to have a Dalmatian-themed week. I say Dalmatian, rather than Croatian, because like many other European countries, in Croatia each region has its own distinct culinary traditions. Wikipedia highlights that the most notable differences are between mainland and coastal regions, influenced both by history and the differences in the selection of foodstuffs. Mainland cuisine has its early roots in Slavic cookery and more recently Hungarian, Viennese and, to a lesser extent, Turkish cuisine, “while the coastal region bears the influences of the Greek, Roman and Illyrian, as well as of the later Mediterranean cuisine – Italian and French”. With regards to foodstuffs, as one might expect, Dalmatia and other coastal regions rely heavily on seafood, while hearty meat dishes are more prominent in the interior.

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La belle France: sip, sup, satiate

So I am back in London and it is certainly not the excess weight of my luggage that gives any cause for concern. After five days of gorging myself on all things Dalmatian, I moved on to the South of France to do it all over. My aunt and uncle, Pam and Joe have a holiday home in Mazan, a tiny medieval village in the department of Vaucluse, Provence. Vaucluse is flanked by the Rhone river to the west and the River Durance to the south, while the north-eastern perimeter is defined by mountains, most notably Mont Ventoux. Mazan sits pretty much slap bang in the middle, perfect for exploring the Southern Rhone wine region and the villages from which many of the wines take their names. And everyone knows that a glass of fine wine is best enjoyed with a plate of good food to accompany it.

Here are some of the highlights: 

View of the Cotes du Rhone from SeguretBuying fougasse, markets at L'Isle sur la Sorgue

Saucisson stall, markets at L'Isle sur la Sorgue

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