Gastro-cultural event "Taste the Destination" held in Gospić:
A successful blend of tradition, sustainability and cross-border flavours
In the courtyard of Lika-Senj County in Gospić on Friday, 22 May 2026, the unique gastro-cultural event "Taste the Destination" was successfully held, organized as part of the celebration of Lika-Senj County Day and the 2026 EU Project Open Days. The event, which brought together numerous visitors of all generations, was designed as an integrated gastro-cultural experience with the primary aim of promoting sustainable gastronomy, short supply chains and local producers. The central focus was placed on the valorisation of products bearing the regional quality label "Lika Quality" and on the presentation of the successful business model of the local craft business Smočnica as an example of excellent practice in rural tourism.
Along with the introductory address by host Nikolina Gotal about the cross-border GUSTI project, visitors had the opportunity, through interactive formats, gastro knowledge quizzes and culinary workshops for the youngest participants, to experience first-hand how tradition and intangible heritage are successfully transformed through EU projects into a contemporary tourism product.
A guided gastronomic journey through "Lika Quality" and partner regions
The central part of the event consisted of a professionally designed tasting zone, organized as a rounded, guided experience through clearly defined product categories – from indigenous fresh and hard cheeses, cured meat delicacies and honey, all the way to traditional desserts and top-quality beverages – with the aim of creating a complete gastronomic experience. All products were clearly labelled according to origin and producer, and Lika-Senj County enabled visitors in one place to taste and compare recognizable authentic flavours from Croatia and Italy.
Lika-Senj County proudly presented a rich range of its own strengths bearing the "Lika Quality" label, in which visitors enjoyed mild Velebit flower honey and intense honeydew honey, aromatic Velebit bacon and the indigenous fresh cheese škripavac. The complete offer of domestic flavours was excellently complemented by thick rosehip jam, refreshing elderflower syrup, traditional blackberry wine and the indispensable plum brandy.
As part of the presentation of project partners, the County also offered visitors a selection of flavours from Zadar County – the well-known Pag cheese with a strong geographical identity and the visually striking Zadar liqueur Maraschino in recognizable elegant bottles.
2
From Karlovac County, a perfect gastronomic balance was presented through the intense flavours of traditional kulen, which complemented warm homemade strudel excellently, creating a special atmosphere of tradition and home cooking in the tasting zone.
Through the presentation of the gastronomic heritage of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, visitors were offered visually extremely attractive traditional arancini served in small, practical portions, while the offer of top-quality red wine Dingač provided the entire presentation with a recognizable premium impression.
The County evoked the cross-border character of the project through the presentation of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna and its world-famous symbols, offering visitors a tasting of the iconic cheese Parmigiano Reggiano presented as a whole piece and top-quality, thinly and expertly sliced Prosciutto di Parma.
From the Italian region of Apulia, the audience's attention was drawn by the presentation of exceptionally creamy Burrata, attractive when cut, which paired ideally with traditional, crunchy savoury snacks Taralli.
Finally, the hosts rounded off the cross-border wine and gastronomic story by presenting the Veneto region through the display of light, sparkling and widely accepted Prosecco, which proved to be an excellent pairing for the more neutral and accessible Italian cheese Asiago.
A message of sustainability and preservation of identity
This event demonstrated in practice a successful model of functional connection between the agricultural and tourism sectors. By directly presenting the work and effort of family farms, the "Taste the Destination" event sent a strong message about the importance of protecting local identity, the sustainable development of rural areas and the economic justification of encouraging domestic production.
Find out more about the project and future activities on the project website: https://www.italy-croatia.eu/web/gusti
The "Taste the Destination" event is organized as part of the GUSTI – Gastro UpScaled Tourist Itinerary in rural regions of Croatia and Italy project (ID: ITHR0200403), co-financed through the Interreg IT-HR 2021-2027 programme.