Among the casualties of a warm winter in Croatia are sausages, bacons, salamis, prosciuttos, and other delicacies that come in the wake of pig slaughter close to the end of the year. As it turns out, the drying process has been severely hampered by unseasonably warm weather, and many meat products have been spoiling fast. The situation is serious enough to end up on the front page of one of the leading Croatian newspapers today. Many a man is frowning and shaking his head at this point. Although I am with them as far as many tidbits are concerned, and especially prosciutto, I delight in yet another index of climate change that many people will understand without any difficulty. Forget about scientists’ incomprehensible reports bristling with degrees Celsius and a tangle of mindboggling statistics. Dried meat spoiling in the dead of winter is something everyone can grasp. Pace prosciutto, but you can be delicious in ways that no-one has fathomed till this remarkable day.

Addendum (December 7, 2014)

The winter is not yet here, but many in Istria are talking about pig slaughter already. Aware of climate change, people are looking for the right moment. Apparently, a stretch of very cold days is sufficient to prevent spoiling. And weather forecasts are still good enough when it comes to a week or two ahead. As I write, many a pig slaughter is planned around Motovun because next week is expected to be cold and dry. The bora is a must, and the meteorologists have promised it. Poor pigs are facing an early exit this year. Anyhow, it is amazing how quickly the farmers in these parts are learning new tricks of their trade. Up to a point, climate change can be lived with quite dandily.