I’m thrilled to announce my participation in the creation of a Pag Island restaurant book, which will be sold at Sirana Gligora as well as nearby Croatian tourist offices. I will be writing the text for this coffee table souvenir book, which will include local dishes made with Paški cheese from 10 to 20 of Pag Island’s best restaurants.

Below are some restaurants that will be participating in the June 2012 project:

Luna Island Hotel, located in Lun on the northern tip of Pag Island, is the only 4-star hotel on the island, and I am told it has an amazing restaurant. Bistro Toni, also located in Lun, is a family-run restaurant that produces their own cheese, grows their own produce, and catches their own fish–this will be a truly local culinary experience.

Restaurant No5 in northern Novalja is located right in the heart of town, with excellent food and a great atmosphere. Hotel Laguna’s restaurant, also in Novalja, comes highly recommended. Konoba Dorat, located in Stara Novalja (Old Novalja) has a specialty dish of pasta stuffed with Paški cheese–and a view of the Adriatic Sea. Hotel Barbati boasts the finest restaurant on the eastern side of Pag Island, with a stunning view of the bay.

The Kolan-Novalja border separates Općina Kolan (Kolan municipality) and Grad Novalja (Novalja City). Lika-Senj county encompasses the northern part of Pag Island and northern Rab Island, and Zadar county encompasses the southern part of Pag Island and the coastal town of Zadar.

In the border town of Kolan, I can look forward to lamb steaks with Paški cheese sauce at Konoba Nono. Further south in the coastal town of Zadar, I’ll indulge in exquisite cuisine by a celebrated chef at Restaurant Bruschetta.

Dobar tek! (Bon appétit!)

On 6 May, the ASJA Monthly featured my P.S. from Pag book project:

Hvala (Thanks), ASJA!

  I’m thrilled to announce that Carrie Pestritto, a literary agent from Prospect Agency, is representing my book-in-progress, P.S. from Pag: Adventures with Cheese and Sheep in Croatia.

For Carrie, extraordinary fiction and non-fiction share the abilty to transport readers to new and exciting places. As a history and mythology buff, she is intrigued by books that introduce her to another culture or time period–and my book does just that.

I’ll be heading back to the island of Pag in June to gather more research for the book. I plan to explore how Pag Island is defined by its cheese, and how this cherished local food is a source of income, pride and division for residents.

From roadside vendors to the two largest Paški cheese producers on Pag Island, the famous sheep’s milk cheese is inextricably intertwined with the lives and livelihoods of Pag’s people. I’ll interview everyone from locals who make Paški cheese at home and sell it by the roadside to Ante Perner, Director and CEO of Paška Sirana and Ivan Gligora, founder of Sirana Gligora.

I’ll also attend the 7th Annual Sheep Shearing Contest, which should be a lot of fun. Stay tuned for my June adventures on Pag Island!

Photo by Aleksandar Gospić

The famous Pag Bura is a cold, dry wind measuring speeds of up to 220 km per hour. Hot and cold air amass on the Velebit mountain range peaks and give birth to the Bura, which gathers strength as it cascades down the southern slopes and onto the Adriatic Sea.

“Tiny sea droplets swirl in the air, not unlike dust devils dancing on the surface of the water,” writes Simon Kerr, who heads marketing and export at Sirana Gligora. “The Bura then dries and turns into salt dust, which it scatters all over Pag, turning it into a beautiful white salty island.”

This year, Pag island experienced the Bura like never before. The Bura was so strong that it threw fish and squid to the shore; according to the oldest inhabitants, this has not happened in the last 50 years. The stranded fish and squid were collected by residents.

Additionally, the blustery Bura kicked up the Adriatic and deposited more salt than usual on the island, which is causing problems for sheep that like to eat salt, but are unable to find water because sources on the island are frozen.

Record low temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius were recorded in early February 2012, which is highly unusual for this part of Croatia.

Source: Guide 2 Croatia.

Discarded wool on a Pag pasture

From a 9.10.2011 Zadarski List article by Josip Portada;

English translation by Sanja Peros; rewrite, editing, and additions by Kristin Vuković:

Wool was once a valued commodity, which brought shepherds a larger profit that the actual sale of Paški cheese and lamb. In the 19th century, due to the increased production of wool, the pramenka sheep breed (which was prominent on the island of Pag) was crossed with Merino sheep. However, demand for wool decreased with the introduction of synthetic textile materials, and in the 1920s wool collection came to a complete halt. Since then, every year an estimated 40 tons of wool is discarded on Pag island pastures.

Shepherds claim that the wool cannot be burned or discarded in any other manner, so many resort to either burying the wool or collecting it in large stakes in the middle of their pastures. However, everyone agrees that the only proper way to discard the wool is to transport it off of the pastures.

Now, after decades, the organized collection of wool has finally begun on Pag island. Kristan Nautika, a company based on the northern Croatian island Krk, offered a model that is acceptable to the shepherds. Kristan Nautika suggested the idea of wool collection on Pag island merely a few months ago to the Sheep Herding Associations in the towns of Povljana, Kolan and Novalja. Paška Sirana, a cheese factory that maintains a herd of more than 3,000 sheep and large wool reserves in its storage facility, will hand over an estimated three tons of wool to Kristan Nautika.

In previous years, several redemption attempts were made by various wool collectors. However, the collectors wanted the shepherds to transport the wool to the redemption location. Many shepherds found this proposal to be unacceptable due to the time commitment involved in the process. Prior to delivery, shepherds first spent days collecting and preparing the wool, and then needed to transport it as far as 30 kilometers from their pastures. When Kristan Nautika offered to cover transportation costs and pay 1.50kn (approximately 25 cents) per kilo of wool, the Rogujica Sheep Herding Association on Pag island quickly agreed. 

Hvala puno (many thanks) to Sanja Peros for relaying and translating this article.

Hopefully, Kristan Nautika has solved the majority of Pag island’s wool waste problem. I will endeavor to find out Kristan Nautika’s plans for the wool; now that they have organized the collection process, it would be much easier for a fashion partner to purchase the discarded wool from Kristan Nautika and use it for a limited edition collection to benefit present and future Pag shepherds. Sources tell me that Pag wool is “medium grade quality” and suitable for blankets, socks, bags, gloves, etc.

Photos courtesy of Simon Kerr

Sirana Gligora stole gold again this year at the U.K. World Cheese Awards, which took place on 23 November, 2011. Gligora’s mixed milk cheese, Žigljen, was awarded a Super Gold Medal and beat out more than 50 mixed milk cheeses from across the globe to be named “The Best Mixed Milk Cheese in the World.”

Gligora’s signature cheese, Paški sir, which is exclusively produced from the milk of Pag Island’s autochthonous sheep, won a Gold Medal in the Small Producers Class and a Bronze Medal in the Sheep Milk Cheese Class at the World Cheese Awards this year.

In 2010, Gligora’s Paški sir racked up three Super Gold Medals and the Best New Cheese Trophy at the World Cheese Awards. Additionally, Gligora’s Paški sir earned consecutive 3 Star Superior Taste Awards from the International Taste and Quality Institute in Brussels.

My new friends at Taste of Croatia just posted my article:

Gligora dairy’s Pag cheese: All in the Family

Fact: Gligora Dairy produces more than fifty tons of Paški sir annually–which is equivalent to the weight of eight adult elephants!

I couldn’t resist buying this sheep sweater from Bluefly (just think: every year, wool from Pag Island’s sheep could make 30,000 sweaters like this) . . .

. . . Or designing these business cards:

I’m officially sheep-obsessed!

Nirvanna hat, $30; Nirvanna scarf, $60

This weekend, we visited Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in New York, where I purchased a 100% wool scarf and a wool cap for my husband from Nirvanna Designs.

Nirvanna was founded in 1996 by Nir Gurel and Anna Fischer after an inspirational trip to Asia. All wool is sourced from the Himalayas, and the company’s most important contributors are the designers and craftspeople of Nepal, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

“We believe that by helping the local population, using their natural resources and giving the local people work (especially women) we are creating a circle of Karma. Our products are made with love and respect to the environment and people of Asia.”

I believe that the wool from Pag Island’s 30,000 autochthonous sheep can serve a greater purpose. Rather than being discarded on fields, the wool can be used to make hats, mittens, scarves, and sweaters–proceeds from sales would benefit the shepherding community and local craftspeople. Companies like Nirvanna Designs are inspirational models for utilizing natural resources and creating awareness.

Tag: Nirvanna Designs, Handmade in Nepal, 100% wool