Pršut i sir

The story

Pršut, dry-cured ham, is a fixture of the Croatian starter board, where it is set out thinly sliced beside a hard sheep's cheese from the island of Pag. Dalmatian hams are seasoned with sea salt only, smoked over dry hornbeam, oak and beech, and cured for at least 12 months; heavier ones take two to two and a half years. They can be made only in four Dalmatian counties and around the town of Novalja on Pag. In February 2016 the European Commission protected the name Dalmatinski pršut, and certified hams are branded with an oval seal bearing three lion heads. Paški sir, which the European Commission calls Croatia's best-known artisan cheese, is made on Pag and the nearby islets of Maun and Škrda, mostly on small family farms that also raise the island's sheep. Its production was first mentioned in a geographical dictionary of 1831, and the Commission approved it as a protected designation of origin in November 2019. Croatian food writers advise slicing everything in advance, setting the larger pieces of cheese down first with the ham around them, and adding olives, dried figs and nuts for a salty-sweet contrast. Assemble the board while the main course cooks, and pour a dry Dalmatian white or a light red alongside.