“How can you get so excited about a filled pepper?” exclaimed my wife. It’s true I had spent the last 30 minutes explaining this green vegetable. And now I am going to say the same story to you guys. Brace yourselves!

I have a love for traditions. Let’s be honest I come from a country where the same celebrations have been going on for decades, wearing the same slightly ludicrous uniforms and following the same program. It is a show, and life sometimes needs a little more colour. I also think, as long as you aren’t offending anyone, that respecting the past and nurturing these traditions gives future generations a view into what came before them.

The key is respecting the heritage.

And that heritage comes in all shapes and sizes. Even in the shape of a green pepper. A few weeks ago in the height of the brutal summer heat I met a very impressive young chef, and no I am not going to name him or indeed the restaurant he works at.

“When I was young I can remember standing next to my grandmother in the kitchen and being hypnotised by her cooking. The aromas, the colours and most of all the love that she seemed to pour into her dishes was spell bounding,” smiled the chef.

A few years (well probably more than a few) later and that young boy is now the chef in a leading Dubrovnik hotel. And yes he has paid testament to his grandmother when he created the menu. Yes, you’ve guessed it – filled pepper.

I can’t emphasize enough how glorious this pepper was. His grandmother would be proud.

And that small pepper (yes, it is served as a rather funky starter) got me thinking.

Why do we insist on ignoring our past and think that another horizon is brighter?

Yes, this includes cuisine but is really about a much wider aspect, the green pepper is simply a symbol. Almost every kitchen in Dubrovnik in the winter will, at some time, be filled with the aroma of a huge saucepan of filled peppers simmering. It is part of the region’s gastronomic history. And yet finding this same dish in a restaurant in town is almost impossible. Are we ashamed of it? Do we think that tourists won’t like it? Probably yes to both these questions.

We prefer to serve bland “international” dishes using ingredients flown in from all four corners of the globe. Basically another form of processed food.

And at the same time some dished and recipes from the region are dying. This makes zero sense. Cooking boring international meals whilst centuries old traditions die. If these “old fashioned” meals were disgusting and inedible I would understand the need for them to die out, but they aren’t. It seems that we are desperate to reinvent the wheel when the wheel that we had already was perfectly suitable. “When guests ask we always recommend the filled pepper as a starter,” explained the restaurant manager.

And why is that? Because a) it is a terrifically created starter and b) their guests are nervous to order something they have never heard off.

And the reason they haven’t heard of it isn’t their fault but our fault. As I said this text may be about a humble pepper but it covers so much more of our history, tradition and heritage. This chef had not only preserved a homemade meal but he had managed to present it in a modern and funky way. It looked just as good as it tasted. We have more restaurants in Dubrovnik serving sushi than we do serving sarma.

Does that make sense to anyone?

Are they serving filled peppers and Dubrovačka Rozata in Tokyo?

We are seemingly so fascinated and blinded by the bright lights of international cuisine, probably thanks to endless online and TV propaganda, that we can’t see what is right in front of our noses. Preserve your past to protect your future! Because if you can’t do it I am damn sure that no one else will!

Thank you little green pepper for awakening so many emotions in me. I’m certain that there is one very proud grandmother somewhere in the south of Croatia.

Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to

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About the author
Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik