Agroturizam Stari Kostanj

No road sign will help you to find Stari Kostanj. This simple farm-to-table tavern located in Gržići, a hamlet inhabited by just three families, doesn’t need to invest a single cent in marketing. By word-of-mouth the people in Istria (and beyond!) know that here the food, coming from vegetables and animals grown on 35 hectares of the land surrounding the tavern, is genuine, good and has a certain flavor of the old times. The innkeeper Petar Grubišić is a tall and corpulent fellow known under the nickname Il Dottore (the Doctor), since he always wears a white coat. His suspicious eyes and a reserved attitude might make you uncomfortable at first. Definitely, he is not one of those who love telling you touching stories about the food they serve.

Instead, his food speaks all the languages you can imagine. His bread, made in traditional way by putting the dough in a steel box (kalup), tastes like a finest cake. Istrian pršut caresses your palate, fragrant, with a soft and humid texture. Homemade ravioli filled with fresh cow’s cheese, simple pljukanci or gnocchi soaked in wild boar goulash spread happiness all around. Il Dottore is especially proud of his skills in preparing lamb and veal under čripnja (or peka, the iron baking bell). But what distinguishes Stari Kostanj from other agritourisms and konobas is their maneštra (thick bean soup). It is a dish whose unique taste comes from “stupana trukinja”, an old Istrian corn variety prepared in the traditional way. “Stupana trukinja” literally means “crushed corn”, and it is obtained by drying the corn after the harvest and then crushing the beans. This Istrian corn has almost become an endangered species since its yield simply cannot compete with modern hybrid varieties. Maybe il Dottore, a real food hero, who firmly believes its flavor is far superior, will manage to save it from extinction?