Today my “Dalmatia in 10 Plates” slideshow was published on foodandwine.com–and it brought me right back to my trip to Croatia last fall. Don’t know what peka is? Unfamiliar with blitva? Check out the piece below:

Dalmatia in 10 Plates

I covered the opening of Primland’s LEED-certified luxury lodge for Organic Spa Magazine in 2011. It was fun to cover it again for Jetsetter!

READ THE PIECE HERE.

I’m looking forward to heading back to Croatia in early October–where I’ll visit Dalmatia (Dubrovnik, Split and surrounding islands). I was married in Dubrovnik, so the “pearl of the Adriatic” holds a special place in my heart. This summer, to celebrate our fourth anniversary, I spent a few days with my husband in Dubrovnik and Split, and we drove along the stunning coastline.

Although Dubrovnik, Split, and Hvar are more touristy destinations (especially during the July/August high season), I love visiting them nevertheless. I didn’t choose the title of my most recent Condé Nast Traveller India article, and I don’t think first-time Croatia travelers should skip Dalmatia. But I do believe that the area where northern Dalmatia meets Kvarner Bay offers some unique off-the-beaten-path options. Explore Pag Island, Zadar, and Rab Island…

READ THE ARTICLE HERE.

Hot off the press: my article in The Daily Beast about the controversy over Zrće, Pag Island’s party hot spot.

Party on in Pag: The Controversy on Croatia’s Hottest Island

I was recently in Zadar, Croatia, the City of Five Wells, where I had some incredible culinary experiences. Check out my FoodRepublic.com article below–I promise your mouth will water!

Where To Eat In Zadar, Croatia, The Dalmatian Coast’s Hot Dining Destination

Psyched that Organic Spa Magazine‘s July Skincare Special Issue is out! Check out my article for some tips on how to avoid summer dryness on your digits:

Organic Spa Magazine, July 2013: “Treat Your Hands And Feet”/p. 63-64

And if you ever find yourself in Miami and in need of the best organic facial Florida has to offer:

Organic Spa Magazine, July 2013: “Super Natural Facials”/p. 50-51

My piece on Mate, a local Pag Island shepherd, and Pag’s Paški cheese, was published in the June issue of ISLANDS Magazine. Above is the published version, and below is the version I originally wrote (the piece needed to be truncated due to layout and space issues). A little ink is better than none!

CHEESE ON THE MOON
CROATIA

There is no shade on this moonscape island off Croatia’s northern coastline. I feel bad for the sheep that still have their thick winter coats. They graze all around me on Pag’s rocky, bald hills, which seem to go on forever, divided by a network of waist-high stone walls used to mark property lines. Among them is a forty-something man named Mate, whose name rhymes with “latte.”

Mate’s dark brown hair is ruffled from the Mediterranean breeze and his tan face is creased with laugh lines. He lets out a gentle sing-song call: “Na mala, na” (“Here little ones, here”). The sheep come to Mate’s voice. One is naked, newly sheared, her pink flesh peaking through the close crop. Mate perches on a stool behind her and alternates squeezing her nipples; thin streams of translucent liquid spurt into the dented metal pail. For a minimal yield, the process appears quite laborious. Pag sheep produce very little milk—a maximum of about one quart per day. To make a five-pound wheel of Paški cheese, it takes a day’s milk from sixteen to nineteen sheep. I’ve tasted many cheeses in Europe, but nothing like this.

Mate takes me to visit his employer, the nearby dairy. He cuts me a chunk of their cheese. Unlike young Paški, which tastes like a three-month-old Manchego, the coveted aged cheese crumbles like Parmesan and is often served drizzled with olive oil to bring out the intense nutty flavor. Locals, especially elders, call this cheese—aged for a year—“real Paški.” As I let a nugget melt in my mouth, I can almost taste the sage on which the sheep grazed. Mate waves and says “Bok,” a friendly Croatian phrase that means both hello and goodbye, and rushes back to the pasture to check on his “little ones.” — Kristin Vuković

SENSA Magazine’s April issue has been removed from newsstands in Croatia, so I’m allowed to post my feature article on Pag Island and Paški cheese. Thanks to Stipe Surac for the stunning photographs.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE: Pag Article Sensa

Check out P.S. from Pag for posts with English translations.

In December 2012/January 2013, I explored the north and south of India–Jodhpur in Rajasthan and Bangalore in Karnataka. I had the opportunity to experience some incredible Ayurvedic treatments, at a majestic sandstone palace and a rural treatment center set amid 30 acres of organic gardens.

My articles are part of a larger spread, which includes pieces by Rona Berg, editor in chief of Organic Spa Magazine, and Sandra Ramani, Senior Contributing Editor.

Click below to read the entire article:

“Amazing India” (Organic Spa Magazine, March/April 2013)

My feature article on Pag Island’s Paški cheese and its producers appeared in Culture Cheese Magazine‘s Winter 2012 issue! I’m thrilled with the way it turned out. A big thanks to Stipe Surac, a talented Zadar-based photographer, who provided the stunning photographs. HVALA to everyone on Pag Island who helped me gather information for this piece!

Read Treasure in the Adriatic.

Visit P.S. from Pag: Adventures with Cheese and Sheep in Croatia for more information about Pag Island and Paški cheese, and my book-in-progress.