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.