The first wine cellar with the Croatian Autochthonous Cuisine Certificate

Dvori Matanovi is the first wine cellar in Croatia that bears the Croatian Autochthonous Cuisine certificate. 80 per cent of the dishes on its menu are traditional specialties prepared according to the old and well tested recipes of fishermen and seafarers from Primošten.

The “Dvori Matanovi” restaurant in Zagreb is the first wine cellar in Croatia which has been awarded the Croatian Autochthonous Cuisine certificate. Autochthonous dishes make up 80 per cent of its menu, and they are prepared based on the traditional recipes of fishermen and seafarers from Primošten.

The wine cellar is in Kuhačeva Street. Its owner, Dr. Jasna Jačmenica, runs it together with her husband Antonio Matošin from Primošten, who is also the chef. Together with the owner, they are the only members of the wine cellar staff. In addition to autochthonous specialties, the restaurant also offers local beverages.

The Croatian Autochthonous Cuisine project was launched in 2010. The underlying idea was to brand and promote Croatian autochthonous culinary heritage. The project is spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism and implemented together with the Croatian Chamber of Economy, the Croatian Chamber of Crafts and the Croatian Culinary Association. The certification project is the result of many months of work to collect dishes typical of all Croatian regions. The current list, which is not conclusive, contains several hundred autochthonous dishes from all over Croatia. When completed it is expected to encompass as many as two thousand autochthonous specialties. To be eligible, prospective certificate holders, restaurants, wine cellars, heritage hotels, hotels and apartment hotels, must make sure that their menus contain at least 70 per cent of the dishes from the list. Patrons will be able to recognise successful applicants by the plaque mounted at their entrance. Once awarded, the certificate is permanent, on the condition that the menu containing the prescribed percentage of autochthonous dishes must not be changed, which will be controlled by the State Inspectorate.

Although, for the time being, only five restaurants in Croatia bear the Croatian Autochthonous Cuisine certificate, with the Zagreb-based “Stari Fijaker 900” in Mesnička Street the first one in the country that got it, it may be expected that dozens of restaurants along the Adriatic coast will join them before the beginning of next tourist season, as their applications have already been submitted.