Brac delicacies and drinks

As you set your foot on Brac, kind hosts shall start lavishing you with dried figs, carobs and almonds; traditional Brac treats that are an essential part of every Brac table. Everyday cakes ingredients are simple and modest, and grandeur of these specialities sets its to pace during holiday's season. Easter time brings along sirnica, and garitula, with Christmas, come cakes makarana or hrapocusa, these two garnish the table also during big family feasts like baptising or wedding. Brac housewives are skilful in preparing medenjaci and fritule, and take pride in Brac rozata prepared exclusively of fresh home-grown eggs.

Hrapocusa

Also called Brac or Dol cake, hence genuine Bonkulovici stick to the traditional title hrapocusa - deriving, as the legend says, from the similarity with rough cave walls and karst sinkholes Dol is rich with. An interesting thing about this delicacy is even though it is island speciality, it is hard to find the exact recipe: old women of Dol say ‘it is foolish to write the recipe down, the one who knows it by heart, knows what to do, how to do it by following the hunch’. Let's just say the recipe we share here with you is the most exact one we could get - of course, any suggestion regarding such is welcome. First mix twelve (borrowed!) egg yolks, four egg whites and twelve spoons of sugar, add four spoons of hot water, twelve spoons of flour, some rum, vanillin sugar and grated lemon zest. Bake it in a baking pan. Put in a pot half a kilo of sugar, 3/4 kg oi walnuts and eight egg whites. When it turns light brown, pour it on top of the cool cake layer and smear it all over the cake. Put it back into the oven to dry a bit.

Drinks, before and after the meal

Flavoured brandy, with grape brandy as a base, of enhanced herbs, figs or island walnuts aroma are obligatory aperitif before lunch. That ritual also expresses a welcoming toast to the guest, though it also serves as a good appetiser. Something milder is also an option like sepurika (rosehip), maginje (bearberries) or even black olives liquor, which also uses grape brandy as a base, ripe olives, sugar, lemon, orange and grapefruit zest, and a few cloves. Brac; is abundant in vineyards; therefore, wine is most wanted and most favourable drink. Old proverb from Venetian times has survived till today for a reason, and it goes ‘the only thing better then my love could only be a glass of Dalmatian wine’. South slopes above Bol, Murvica and Plaza give birth to exquisite plavac mali, and ambitious winemakers create intriguing blends of different wine sorts - so we can taste famous coupage Stina.

Rozata

Main ingredients of this traditional Dalmatian delicacy are milk, eggs, sugar and vanillin sugar. Boil milk, whisk eggs, mix everything together and put in a ramekin, then in a water bath - put in the oven, I80 degrees, for 20 minutes. While this pudding is in the oven, prepare caramel sauce — boil a few drops of water and some sugar in a pot, pour the caramel sauce on a small plate, put a slice of rozata on top and cover it with the rest of caramel sauce.