Cres brought Kvarner together around lamb, cheese and local gastronomic heritage
On Saturday, April 25, 2026, Cres was one of the centers of the Kvarner gastronomic scene. The Festival of Kvarner Lamb and Cheese brought together visitors, local producers, caterers and tourism representatives from several parts of the region, turning the island setting into a meeting place of traditional flavors, contemporary interpretations of dishes and the joint promotion of Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy 2026. The event was organized by the Tourist Board of the Town of Cres with the support of the Kvarner Tourist Board and the system of local tourist boards, and at the center of the program were two ingredients strongly connected with the identity of the island and the wider region: lamb and cheese. Visitors who arrived in
Cres and looked for accommodation near the event venue could experience a program that was not conceived only as a tasting, but as a walk through the different landscapes, customs and cuisines of Kvarner.
The festival was held in the year in which Kvarner holds the international recognition of European Region of Gastronomy 2026, a title awarded by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism. That is precisely why the event in Cres had a broader significance than that of a local gastronomic manifestation. In one place, hosts from the island of Cres presented themselves, as did guests from the Opatija Riviera, the Rijeka Ring, the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera and the islands of Krk and Lošinj. Such an arrangement of participants showed how diverse Kvarner cuisine is: island, coastal, Gorski Kotar, fishing, livestock-breeding and wine-growing traditions do not exclude one another within it, but complement one another.
From Cres lamb to Kvarner cheeses
The center of the festival offer consisted of lamb dishes and different types of cheese, but the program was significantly broader than a classic tasting. Among the specialties were lamb žgvacet, Cres lamb sausages and pâté, udić, that is, sheep prosciutto, sweet and savory olive spreads, and the traditional Cres dessert olito. The offer also highlighted the strong connection between Cres cuisine and island pastures, aromatic herbs, olive growing and modest but recognizable ingredients that have been used for generations in local households. In this context, Cres lamb was presented not only as a meat product, but as part of a wider story about the place, the method of raising livestock and the island's culinary heritage.
A special place was occupied by cheeses from different Kvarner areas. Visitors could taste Cres, Krk, Grobnik and Učka cheese, škripavac and sheep curd from the hinterland of Novi Vinodolski. The differences among these cheeses point to the diversity of the landscapes from which they come: from island pastures to areas beneath Učka and the hinterland of the Vinodol region. In a gastronomic sense, this diversity is precisely one of Kvarner's main assets, because it enables the connection of simple traditional ingredients with restaurants, small producers, family farms and events that create an additional reason for guests to arrive outside the strongest tourist season.
The festival also offered a series of dishes in which traditional ingredients appeared in new combinations. Visitors tasted savory fritters flavored with savory and thyme, cheese dressing, pancetta chips, potato polenta, Grobnik cheese ice cream, Bakar baškotići, cheese strudel, Belica wines, grašnjaki with Lovran chestnut cream, Lungomare lollipops, cheese and asparagus soufflé, Ičićani cannoli filled with sheep curd and ravioli filled with Učka curd in asparagus sauce. Such an offer showed how heritage can be presented without being confined to a strictly museum-like framework: old dishes and familiar ingredients were given space in more contemporary versions, but without losing their recognizable regional character.
A gastronomic map of Kvarner in one place
The festival offer also included Krk presnac, dried figs, imbrijagoni, Venetian-style liver with polenta, Novi Vinodolski maneštra with lamb and vegetables, and Crikvenica rupice. Additional breadth was given to the offer by Kvarner scampi with curd, Bribir prisnac, nettle patties, barley with aromatic herbs and povetica with cheese. The list of dishes clearly shows that the Festival of Kvarner Lamb and Cheese was not focused only on Cres, but on presenting the entire region through ingredients that have a local story and recognizability. In that sense, the event functioned as a gastronomic map of Kvarner, on which island, coastal and continental influences can be recognized.
For visitors who
came to Cres because of the festival and accommodation near the center of the event, the program also had tourism value. Events of this type are especially important in the period before the main season, when destinations try to extend tourist activity and offer content that is not tied exclusively to the sea and summer holidays. Gastronomic events also have an additional advantage because they include local producers, caterers, cultural associations and tourist boards, so the benefit does not remain only at the level of promotion, but can spill over into the wider local community.
In the official promotion of the European Region of Gastronomy 2026, Kvarner is presented as a space where islands, coast and mountains touch. This diversity is directly reflected in food: scampi, fish, olive oil, sheep cheese, lamb, asparagus, chestnut, wines and aromatic herbs are part of the same regional story, even though they originate from different micro-areas. The festival in Cres made precisely this idea visible. Instead of presenting Kvarner through one dish or one style of cooking, visitors were offered a series of small, locally rooted flavors that together build an image of the region.
European Region of Gastronomy as a framework for stronger promotion
The title European Region of Gastronomy 2026 is an important promotional framework for Kvarner because it connects gastronomy with culture, sustainability, tourism and local production. According to IGCAT information, Kvarner is part of the platform of European gastronomic regions for 2026, and official Kvarner tourism promotion emphasizes the richness of indigenous ingredients, traditional dishes, local wines and the restaurant scene. In this context, the festival in Cres is not an isolated event, but part of a wider cycle of manifestations aimed at showing that gastronomy can be one of the main reasons for coming to a destination.
The importance of such an approach is especially visible in destinations that want to move away from a one-dimensional tourist offer. Cres is already recognized for its natural heritage, island landscapes, old town core and authentic atmosphere, but gastronomy gives it additional interpretive value. When lamb, cheese, olive oil, local sweets, wool, music and the town's public space are connected in the same program, the destination does not appear only as a backdrop, but as a living place with its own rhythm and identity. That is why offers such as
accommodation in Cres for visitors to gastronomic events are part of the broader story of developing year-round tourism.
The festival also showed the strength of cooperation among Kvarner destinations. The participation of representatives of the Opatija Riviera, the Rijeka Ring, the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera and the islands of Krk and Lošinj is important because the gastronomic identity of the region cannot be built only through individual local appearances. Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy 2026 gains the most when different destinations complement one another: one brings cheese, another wine, a third chestnut, a fourth fish, a fifth lamb, and all together they create a convincing and recognizable regional product.
Heritage did not remain only on the plate
Along with tastings and cooking, the program also included a workshop on felting a flower from Cres wool. This detail is important because it shows that local heritage is not exhausted in food, but also includes traditional skills, materials and ways of life. Cres wool is connected with island livestock breeding, and the workshop brought visitors closer to a part of heritage that is often outside the main tourist narratives. In this way, the gastronomic festival also gained an educational dimension, because it enabled visitors to get to know local tradition not only by tasting, but also by participating.
The entertainment part of the program further contributed to the atmosphere at the manifestation. Duško Jeličić Dule and Bonaca provided the musical atmosphere, while the program was hosted by Dražen Turina Šajeta. Such a choice of performers and host fits into the character of the event because it connects gastronomy, local humor, music and recognizable Kvarner expression. According to information from the organizers, visitors emphasized the diversity of the offer and the atmosphere that prevailed in Cres, and the festival was experienced as a kind of gastronomic journey through the region.
Although lamb and cheese were at the center, the event had a broader social function. The gathering of producers, caterers and tourist boards creates an opportunity to connect local value chains. Small producers gain visibility, caterers gain new ideas and contacts, and tourist boards gain content with which they can build the recognizability of the destination outside the summer months. In that sense, the festival in Cres was also economically important, because gastronomy is increasingly becoming one of the tools for strengthening local economies and differentiating the tourist offer.
Cres as a stage for regional identity
Cres proved to be a suitable stage for a manifestation that connects island and regional gastronomy. With its public space, historic core and island location, the town provides an ambience in which traditional dishes do not seem separated from their place of origin. Lamb, cheese, olives, aromatic herbs and desserts in such surroundings carry a different weight than in a classic exhibition space, because visitors connect them with the landscape, local habits and concrete people who produce or prepare them.
For tourism promotion, it is especially important that events such as the Festival of Kvarner Lamb and Cheese have a clear theme. At a time when many destinations offer similar content, a recognizable gastronomic basis can be a key difference. In that sense, Cres does not build its story on a general food offer, but on ingredients that have a local foothold and regional strength. At the same time, by including other Kvarner areas, the festival avoids closedness and shows that local identity can expand through cooperation, not through competition among destinations.
The event held on April 25, 2026 thus confirmed the direction in which Kvarner wants to develop its gastronomic visibility: through authentic products, public manifestations, the involvement of the local community and the connection of tourism with food culture. For visitors, the festival was an opportunity to taste a range of specialties, and for the region it was a demonstration of how the title of European Region of Gastronomy can be turned into concrete content. For one day, Cres became a place where lamb, cheese, wool, music and the island ambience told a broader story about Kvarner as a space in which food is presented not only as an offer, but as part of identity.
Sources:- Tourist Board of the Town of Cres – announcement of the Festival of Kvarner Lamb and Cheese, date of holding, program and basic information about the event (link)- Kvarner Tourist Board – official information about the project Kvarner, European Region of Gastronomy 2026 and the gastronomic identity of the region (link)- International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism – official page of the European Region of Gastronomy platform and confirmation of Kvarner's status for 2026 (link)- Novi list – context of the manifestation, venue and connection of the earlier Days of Cres Lamb with this year's festival (link)- Morski.hr – announcement of the event and description of the festival as part of the project Kvarner, European Region of Gastronomy 2026 (link)
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