In the early 1900s, Barbara Unković’s paternal grandmother was sent from Gradac in Croatia to New Zealand to marry a gum-digging compatriot, “sight unseen”. Mr Unkovich died unexpectedly, leaving his wife with a farm and eight children to raise — the eldest being Barbara’s father. “My grandmother’s attitude was very unusual for a Croat — or what was back then, a Dalmatian,” says Barbara. “She was fixated on leaving the ‘old country’ behind, including the language, it was a very forward-thinking attitude, but it meant that the only Croatian her children learnt was the swear words!”
Barbara, a multi-award-winning writer, tells me she’d always been curious about her heritage, but it wasn’t until the death of her father that she was compelled to dig
deeper, moving to her grandfather’s village on the island of Korčula in 2005. “I wanted to know more about my ancestry on both sides of the family ,” she says. “I found myself in the small fishing village of Račišcé. I’ve always been quite forthright, and my first husband used to tell me I was strange because I spoke my mind so much. When I discovered this whole community of similar souls, I became more comfortable about who I am.”
The village she describes as “uncomplicated” but with a complex grapevine that ensured everyone knew each other’s business. “Sometimes that was nice, sometimes not so. To some degree it reminded me of my childhood in its simplicity,” says the writer, who grew up on the family dairy farm in Mata, just outside Whangarei.
Until now, most of her books have been works of fiction, often with a Croatian slant. Now Barbara, who “was a chef in another life”, has infused her European flair into a “rustic kitchen notebook and memoir” called The Adriatic Kitchen, an affordable collection of recipes with accessible ingredients that are, contrary to the title’s implications, an international affair. Beautifully presented instructions are delivered from deliberately worn-out pages besmirched with fingerprints and butter drips.
“I conceived the idea around five years ago while still living in Croatia,” says the author. “I purposely sought to shy away from the big, glossy cookbooks with a shudder-inducing price tag.” She was partly inspired by the iconic, no-nonsense approach of the Edmonds cookery books: “My book is just $15, and there are more than 70 recipes, it’s incredible value.”
Points of difference include imperial and metric measurements, ingredient translations (“Americans call rocket salad ‘arugula’, for example”), and recipes organised by season to ensure readers can make the most use of local produce.
“Each recipe has its own short tale,” says Barbara. “Some relate to where the recipe came from, some are humorous. They’re all quite different. A few of the recipes belong to my grandmother. You don’t know when you turn the page what kind of story you’ll find.”
Illustrations come courtesy of Barbara’s well-regarded artist brother, Colin Unkovich. “He’s a stunning artist — he created all of my other book covers as well,” she beams. “These drawings are simple ones, sketches of fruit, a pasta machine, a loaf of bread on a board.” There are also some quirky offerings like the doodling of a pig beneath the Slavonian pork recipe. But did he contribute any cookery tips?
“No, however there is a double chocolate truffle recipe that he particularly likes!”
The Adriatic Kitchen, published by Exile, is out now. Verve has two copies to give away. Click here and be in to win a copy.
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Words: Jamie Christian Desplaces
Photo: The Northern Advocate
