Wild garlic pesto — from Croatian forest to table

I had just returned to Zagreb from London, where we exhibited at the IFE trade fair. I love London and everything it offers — like Amsterdam and all great cities with their wealth of culture and experience. But I was born in Zagreb, in Croatia, and this country offers something entirely different. In its simplicity, it has managed to preserve its natural beauty and keep it accessible to everyone.

All of Croatia is like this. Fifty percent of the country is forest — original, untouched forest. Ten percent of its territory is under protection. The country is shaped like a horseshoe and has three main climate zones: the lowlands, the mountains, and the Mediterranean coast. Because it is small (56,000 km²), these zones are intertwined and the borders between them are rarely sharp. On the Velebit — the mountain range separating the Mediterranean coast from the continental interior — you find heather, sage, oregano, elderflower, thyme, nettle, and dandelion all growing together.

On Friday I returned to our company. Since it was a long weekend — Easter — and we had a family gathering planned, I decided to stop by the forest and pick wild garlic for a pesto to complete the Sunday lunch. Our production is northwest of Zagreb, exactly where Easter traffic is heaviest. Instead of sitting in traffic, I took an alternative route that is quite unusual in the EU: a river ferry across the Sava.

Ferries are used where there are no bridges — in places where people live on one side of the river and their farmland, school, shop, or doctor is on the other side. These are wooden and metal platforms that float on the river, using the current and a rudder (usually made of acacia) to cross from bank to bank. They are attached to a cable connecting both shores, so they don't drift upstream or downstream but simply cross sideways. They typically carry four to six cars or tractors, plus cyclists and pedestrians.

After crossing the Sava, I headed toward the Samoborsko Gorje — a highland on the border with Slovenia. In some places as inaccessible as the Dalmatian islands, but a perfectly preserved piece of nature. I arrived at the wild garlic spots I know well. I picked the leaves on a hillside, along with the flower buds that were just beginning to emerge.

What is wild garlic?

Wild garlic (Allium ursinum L.) — also known as ramsons or bear's garlic — is a perennial forest plant growing 20–40 cm tall. Closely related to garlic, it shares the same essential oil composition, giving it that characteristic sulphurous smell. Bears were observed eating it in spring after hibernation, as a first food rich in minerals — hence the name.

It grows in shaded, moist deciduous forests, along forest paths and streams, from lowland to 1900 m altitude. In beech forests it often covers large areas. Ljubiša Grlić notes in his Encyclopedia of Wild Edible Plants that day-trippers from Zagreb can find it in large numbers on the Samoborsko Gorje.

Spring leaves are rich in vitamin C (20–50 mg%) and carotene. Wild garlic is not just a flavourful herb — like garlic, it has a beneficial effect on arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. It is used exclusively fresh: drying or prolonged cooking destroys its characteristic aroma and taste.

Important: Learn the plant well before picking. Wild garlic always smells of garlic — that is the key. Dangerous lookalikes are lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), white hellebore (Veratrum album), and lords-and-ladies (Arum maculatum) — all four toxic, all four found in the same habitats. None of them smell of garlic. Partisans frequently poisoned themselves through exactly this confusion. Do not pick it if you are not sure.

Wild garlic pesto recipe

• Fresh wild garlic leaves + flower buds
• Walnuts
• Cashew nuts
• Pine nuts
• Parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method: Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend to a coarse pesto — not too fine. Taste and season. Store in a well-sealed jar in the refrigerator, covered with a layer of olive oil. Keeps for up to one week.

Spring is short, and wild plants even shorter. That same feeling — of freshness, nature, something you cannot buy in a supermarket — is what we try to capture in our syrups. Curious what we do with the elderflower growing on the same hillsides of the Samoborsko Gorje? Take a look at our elderflower syrup.