History

Dalmatian pršut has been produced in the karst hinterland villages of Drniš, Sinj and Imotski for centuries, distinguished from the Istrian version by its wood-smoke step. Drniš pršut holds protected status. Split konobas serve it as the opening plate of every meal; Sperun Eat and Drink and Bokeria Wine Cellar both run notable boards.

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 20 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300g Dalmatinski pršut, hand-sliced paper-thin by the butcher
  • 200g Paški sir (Pag Island sheep cheese), at room temperature
  • 200g aged Dalmatian goat cheese or aged Manchego
  • 200g black Vis or Kalamata olives, drained
  • 150g sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 1 small jar pickled samphire or capers in brine
  • 1 country sourdough or pogača (Dalmatian flatbread)
  • 150ml top-quality Dalmatian extra virgin olive oil (Brač or Hvar)
  • 1 small ripe fig or 1 wedge melon, sliced thin
  • 1 bottle Dalmatian Pošip or Plavac mali, chilled
  • Sea salt flakes

Method

  1. Take the pršut out of the fridge 30 to 40 minutes before serving. Cold pršut tastes of nothing; the fat must come up to 18C.
  2. Take the cheeses out at the same time.
  3. Arrange the pršut on a wooden board or rose-shaped platter (the Dalmatian way), draping the slices in loose folds rather than pressing them flat.
  4. Cut the Paški sir into 5mm wedges and the goat cheese into 1cm batons. Arrange in clumps around the pršut.
  5. Scatter the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and samphire in small piles. Add fig or melon slices for contrast.
  6. Pour the good olive oil into a small bowl on the board with sea salt flakes alongside.
  7. Tear the sourdough or break the pogača into uneven pieces and add to the platter or place in a separate basket.
  8. Eat with bare hands and your knife. Build each bite yourself: piece of bread, slice of pršut, a flake of cheese, a drop of oil, an olive. Pour the wine cold.

Tip from the editors. Never refrigerate sliced pršut; eat it the same day. Slice across the grain at a slight angle so each slice contains both lean meat and the white fat veins.

Where to eat dalmatinski pršut

Dalmatinski Pršut in Split

Sperun Eat and Drink ★ 4.5

Dalmatian€€veli-varosTue-Sun 10:00-24:00, Mon closed

Sperun Eat and Drink just below Veli Varos in Split is a small-terrace konoba pouring local wine and grilling Adriatic fish daily, kept open through midnight.

Signature: Grilled sardines, Whole sea bass, Grilled squid

Order: Whole grilled squid with chard and potatoes.

Tip: Closed Mondays; book ahead for the terrace in July and August or arrive at 19:00 for a walk-up table.

Bokeria Wine Cellar ★ 4.0

Cocktail barWine bar inside restaurant€€€diocletians-palaceDaily 09:00-01:00

Bokeria's wine room in Split shifts the Old Town restaurant into a wine-bar mood after 22:00, pouring Plavac mali and Posip by the glass into the early hours.

Signature drink: Plavac mali by the glass

Food: Cured meats and small plates from the grill

Order: Postup Plavac mali by the glass with the cured-meat board.

Tip: Sit at the cellar end of the dining room; the by-the-bottle list runs to around 200 Croatian labels.

MoNIKa's Wine Bar ★ 4.8

Cocktail barWine bar with Dalmatian small plates€€€diocletians-palaceTue-Sun 17:00-23:30, Mon closed

MoNIKa's Wine Bar on Ban Mladenova in Split's Old Town pours wines from the family's Zrnovnica estate alongside Dalmatian cheese and prsut boards in a small.

Signature drink: Croatian wine flight by the glass

Food: Paski sir and prsut boards with home-baked bread

Order: Monika's wine flight with the paski sir and prsut board.

Tip: The room is small; book ahead for the evening sitting or arrive at 17:00 when the bar opens for the night service.

Konoba Varos ★ 4.2

Dalmatianveli-varosDaily 09:00-24:00

Konoba Varos in Split's Veli Varos serves a sturdy konoba lunch with pasticada and grilled fish keeping most plates between €12 and €22. At Ban Mladenova 9.

Try: Pasticada and grilled fish konoba lunch

Order: Pasticada with gnocchi (marenda special when on).

Tip: The marenda lunch board (mid-morning, 10:00-12:00) is the cheapest sitting.

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