Cook Like a Dalmatian - Split

Cook Like a Dalmatian is a four-hour small-group cooking class set in a private home kitchen in Split, Croatia, offering a hands-on introduction to the seafood-centred cuisine of the Dalmatian coast. The session begins with a market visit to Pazar, the open-air market east of Diocletian's Palace, where the host selects fresh fish, cuttlefish, and seasonal vegetables alongside participants, explaining how to choose quality produce and what to look for in Dalmatian markets.

Back in the kitchen, participants work through three signature Dalmatian dishes: black risotto (crni rižoto), prepared with fresh cuttlefish or squid ink for the characteristic inky colour and briny depth; grilled fish served with blitva, the traditional side dish of Swiss chard slow-cooked with waxy potato and extra-virgin olive oil; and Dalmatian prstaci clam pasta, a simple pasta dish cooked with shellfish, garlic, white wine, and parsley in the style common to Split's konoba restaurants. Each technique is demonstrated by the host before participants replicate it independently.

The class is designed to be as much a cultural experience as a cooking lesson. The host narrates the history of each dish — how the Venetian influence introduced black risotto to Dalmatian kitchens in the fifteenth century; how blitva emerged as a practical accompaniment when olive groves replaced other crops across the coast; and how prstaci clams harvested from the mud flats of the Neretva delta became central to Split's pasta repertoire.

The session concludes with a sit-down lunch of the prepared dishes, accompanied by a glass of Pošip or Grk white wine from the Dalmatian islands. Participants take home printed recipes in English. Groups are capped at six, ensuring individual attention at the stovetop. The class is conducted entirely in English. Vegetarians cannot be fully accommodated given the seafood and fish focus, though the host can substitute one dish for a vegetable preparation with advance notice.