Half way up Gradiziol there is a store owned by the Vivoda family. They offer their own wine and olive oil, but they also have a delightful variety of fruits and vegetables of their own. Everything they have grows on the Motovun hill. And it looks it. Every onion is different in shape and size. So is every apple or tomato, as well. The cucumbers are of different curvatures. And so on. It is a real joy to see fruits and vegetables so different than those in supermarkets, which are now dominating what people eat on the Istrian peninsula. This morning I bought two cucumbers and some garlic. When I returned home, I sliced the cucumbers and salted them. Then I sliced several cloves of garlic and added them to the cucumbers. I put in some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And then I added plenty of yogurt. Although I was tempted to put in some herbs, I felt they would spoil the taste of the key ingredients. Now, this is a Turkish dish known in the so-called west by its Greek name: tzatziki. I left the concoction to marinate for about an hour before going for it. It was absolutely delicious. The local ingredients made such a huge difference that I would dare call it the Vivoda tzatziki. The family deserves all the praise.

Addendum (August 2, 2015)

Once again, I bought two cucumbers and some garlic at the Vivoda store this morning. I got two kinds of garlic this time around. As I was told, the larger garlic was less tasty, but it was still quite good to eat. Anyhow, everything I bought was grown on the Motovun hill. When I returned home, I made tzatziki one more time. It was absolutely delicious, just as it was a bit more than three years ago. And the Vivoda family deserves all the praise this time, as well. The only reason for returning to this piece is that I have not made tzatziki since a bit more than two years ago (“The Benčić Tzatziki,” July 18, 2013). The flavor of the fabulous dish still in my mouth, I am angry with myself no end. For crying out loud, the fruits and vegetables grown on the Motovun hill ought to be eaten every single day!