FOČA OPENS TOURIST SEASON WITH "GASTROFEST"

Numerous visitors of Gastrofest, held on May 10th on the river island Brioni near Foča, had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the natural beauties and rich tourist offer of the Foča region, including its traditional dishes available for tasting.

Several restaurants, associations, and farmers from Foča prepared an abundance of food, enticing everyone with their aromas and flavors.

In addition to restaurant specialties, various village dishes, honey products, blueberry derivatives, mountain teas were available for tasting, while the tourist offer was presented by the National Park "Sutjeska" and the Hunting Association "Bakić".

Among the visitors of Gastrofest were teachers and students from elementary schools from Belgrade and Ohrid, who were on a friendly visit to the "Veselin Masleša" Elementary School in Foča. Macedonians and Belgraders praised both the natural beauty and the delicious food.

"I am delighted by the nature, the greenery, the beauty; everyone here should be proud of their place. The food is wonderful, rich in flavor, I am speechless," says Violeta Gocareva from Ohrid.

Mirjana Jakšić from Belgrade says that nature in Foča is extraordinary.

"Wonderful people and wonderful nature. This must be seen by many more people, to enjoy this nature, this air, with good people," Jakšić exclaimed.

Her colleague from the "Veselin Masleša" Elementary School in Belgrade, Milan Stošić, says he is impressed by Foča, considering this municipality the epicenter of beautiful events in this part of Serbia.

"There are no words to describe how beautiful and attractive it is, every day can be filled from morning till night. We insisted, because of the children, to establish friendship and cooperation and to make lasting connections between Foča and Voždovac, so that every year we have gatherings of three brotherly schools in Foča, Belgrade, and Ohrid," Stošić said.

For the "Drina Raft" dish, a specialty of the "Devetka" restaurant, it could be said that it is the trademark of Gastrofest and the culinary offer of the Foča region.

"It is our specific dish - veal and pork schnitzel filled with prosciutto, cheese, and cream, topped with homemade tartar sauce, representing rafts or rafting. We also have a new dish called 'meštrevački stek,' also a schnitzel filled with various types of cheeses and prosciutto, with an additional charm given by the sauce made of homemade mushrooms, specifically from the forests of our region," says Miljan Radanović from the "Devetka" Restaurant.

The lavish palette of delicious specialties at Gastrofest this year was enriched with unusual American dishes with a Balkan twist offered by the "Šanti" restaurant.

"We are developing an authentic line of American dishes, but in a Balkan way; we are known for burgers, gyros, authentic sandwiches, and other authentic dishes mostly made from local ingredients," says Srđan Ivanović from the Šanti restaurant.

For the first time at Gastrofest, flour from Miloš Vujičić's mill was presented.

"I have currently brought only corn flour, and we grind all kinds of cereals - rye, buckwheat, barley, wheat. Grinding 50 kilograms of flour takes a whole day," Vujičić says.

Milan Gagović's agricultural estate also presented fruit products this year, mostly from apples. For several years now, Gagović has been giving apples and brandy to fellow citizens, which he will do again next weekend.

"On this occasion, I would like to inform fellow citizens that on May 12th, on Saint Vasilije Ostroški Day, which is my birthday, the estate wants to distribute a ton of apples and a hundred liters of brandy to the citizens of Foča. Citizens should call 065/721-477, and it will be delivered to them. We will take part of it to the City Square, and part of it we will distribute to households," said Gagović.

The vast areas of the Foča municipality are attractive for hunting tourism as well. The hunting coordinator at the "Bakić" Hunting Association, Željko Čolaković, says that the hunting grounds in Foča are famous both for the number and the types of game - from roe deer, wild boar, bear, wolf, to grouse, chamois, and other game.

"Now is the time for grouse hunting. Hunters from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, even from Corsica, have come to us, and currently, we have hunters from Croatia," Čolaković said.

The mayor of the Foča municipality, Milan Vukadinović, says that Gastrofest is a continuation of the celebration of the Municipality Day, extending the stay for guests and showcasing the wealth of this municipality - from the National Park "Sutjeska," the Nature Park "Tara" and rafting on the river, to the Sand Pyramids and the Brioni Island.

"All of these are great potentials on which we should base the economic growth and development of the municipality, as one of the foundations of future development," Vukadinović emphasized.

The nice weather and lower river levels have led to an earlier start of the tourist season.

"The season started in April, and our rafters, the largest providers of tourist services, are satisfied with the number of guests who have come so far. Every year there are more rafting camps, hence increased accommodation capacities, but also the quality of their services," said Spomenka Popadićeva, director of the municipal Tourist Organization, presenting the offer at Gastrofest was also the National Park Sutjeska. They assure that all their facilities are ready for the start of the season, and they hope for great attendance.