Nin Sokol Fest
Šokol is a dried/cured pork neck meat product. The process of its production is very similar to the way that the famous Dalmatian prosciutto ham is made. The recipe is learnt through family lineage and every family has their own unique twist to the recipe.
In July a unique event takes place, where each family presents their Sokol. However, the story starts a lot earlier than July. Right after New Year’s, all the contenders enrolled receive two pieces of pork neck meat which the Tourist Board of Nin purchases and gifts to the annual event. Then each family starts their secret salting, spicing and drying process to produce the best Sokol that they can.
It is a great honour to win this contest as they can show off that they have the best Sokol and family recipe in Nin. When July arrives, all the Sokols are dried and ready to be judged by an expert panel of Sokol tasters. There are two categories of contenders: contenders from Nin and contenders from the surrounding towns and villages. On the morning of the festival, all the contenders submit their Sokols which are tagged with a number. Only the Tourist Board knows which number is linked to which contender.
The Sokols are sliced a few times, tasted by the jury and are scored on taste, spices and texture. The scores are tallied and the winners’ names are placed in an envelope in order to be announced during the festival. The rest of the Sokols are completely sliced and sandwiches are made for the public to taste during the festival.
During the festival various bands play, Cultural Artistic Societies and folklore groups across Croatia dance and sing their songs and the Cultural Artistic Society Branimir Nin performs throughout the city streets of Nin and on the main stage in the centre of town.
Many stands offering unique products are situated in Vešeslav’s square in the middle of the old town centre of Nin. Just to name a few: medieval trinket stand, herbal and medicinal liqueurs stand, natural honey stand, a raffle stand, a Sokol stand, etc. During the end of the night, on the main stage in town, the winners are presented and awarded a prize and a certificate for the best Sokoler in Nin.