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Istria vs Drniš in friendly showdown at Croatian Pršut Festival - by croatiaweek - in Food & Wine DRNIŠ, 29 August 2026 – A friendly rivalry between Istria and Drniš provided an entertaining opening to the ninth International Pršut Festival – Drniš 2026, which brings together leading producers of traditional cured ham from Croatia and Italy. Before the official opening, Istrian County Prefect Boris Miletić challenged his Šibenik-Knin County counterpart, Paško Rakić, to a pršut-cutting contest in Drniš, widely regarded as one of Croatia’s centres of pršut production. The competition was close, with the final decision left to Ante Madir, executive director of the Croatian Pršut Cluster. He gave a slight advantage to Rakić, handing the home side the first victory. The contest was then expanded, with several officials joining the two prefects before the festival was officially opened. Miletić said the event was less about determining which region could produce the best slice and more about jointly promoting Croatia’s protected traditional products. “Istrian pršut is the one that suits me best, but Drniš, Krk and Dalmatian pršut are also very tasty and high-quality products,” he said. Rakić similarly stressed cooperation, saying the festival aims to strengthen the Drniš pršut brand, connect it more closely with tourism and support existing producers while encouraging new ones. The two-day event at the Antun Mihanović Sports Hall has brought together around 30 exhibitors, with producers from Istria and Dalmatia joined by representatives from Parma, Italy, internationally associated with high-quality cured ham. Organised by the City of Drniš, the Association of Drniš Pršut Producers and the Šibenik-Knin Chamber of Crafts, the festival also features expert discussions on the challenges facing Croatia’s pršut industry, protected products, branding and market development. The festival concludes on Saturday evening, with the Croatian band Hrvatske ruže scheduled to perform at 10pm. Visitors can also sample and purchase a range of cured meat products at promotional prices.