The Earliest Chinese Cookbooks In the U.S.

With the growing popularity of Chinese restaurants at the end of the 19th century, some home cooks wanted to recreate the dishes themselves. To meet that need, a few newspapers started publishing Chinese recipes, allowing anyone to replicate the most popular dishes from Chinese restaurants, such as Chop Suey. However, when did the first Chinese cookbooks appear in English?

It seems that most of the first few Chinese cookbooks that appeared were more small pamphlets or booklets rather than full books. Many sources claim that the first such pamphlet, which consisted of about 48 pages long, was the A Description of Some Chinese Vegetable Food Materials and Their Nutritive and Economic Value, published in 1899 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was basically a report by Walter C. Blasdale, a chemistry instructor at the University of California. 

However, it was much less of a cookbook and more of a scientific analysis about Chinese vegetables, from how they were grown to their nutritious content. It contained only some brief directions on how these vegetables were commonly prepared and lacked explicit recipes. This certainly was not the type of pamphlet that home cooks would have sought out, and it didn't allow a home cook to recreate their favorite Chinese dishes. 

The next pamphlet, which was more of an actual cookbook, made a brief appearance in an advertisement in the Journal & Tribune (TN), March 12, 1908, pictured above. The ad stated the pamphlet included a number of Chinese recipes, such as Chop Suey, but also included recipes for Mexican dishes too. The cookbook cost $1.00, but was on sale for half that price for a week. The author was not provided, and the book didn't seem to get mentioned again in the newspapers.

Probably the first actual Chinese cookbook, and not just a pamphlet, was self-published in 1911, Chinese Cookery in the Home Kitchen by Jessie Louise Nolton. Nolton worked for The Chicago Inter-Ocean newspaper. Although born in New York, Nolton spent much of her childhood in Chicago, later moving to Los Angeles, but around 1900, she moved back to Chicago. This cookbook, which was published in Detroit, Michigan, sold for $1.50. It was about 135 pages long, with over 30 recipes, broken down into four parts, including: Part 1—First Word, Second Word; Part 2—Special Ingredients; Part 3—Recipes; and Part 4—Menus.

In Part 1, the author presented the objective of the cookbook, “It is for use in the home kitchen that this little volume has been compiled.” The book continued, noting that it doesn’t contain any Americanized dishes, and that: “American imitations lack the peculiar flavor which makes the chief charm of the Oriental cookery.” The rest of the book was interspersed with empty pages where the reader could add their own notes, so the actual content of the book was much less than the size of 135 pages, closer to half that amount.

Part 2 described and explained the use of numerous Chinese ingredients, such as Chinese Potatoes, Chinese Mushrooms, Chinese Beans, Bean Sprouts, Chinese Pineapple, Lichee Nuts, Cum Quats, Canton Chow Chow, Chinese Ginger, Chinese Almonds, Chinese Oils, Chinese Seasoning Sauce, and Chinese Flavoring Sauce.

Part 3 contained the recipes, which were allegedly sourced from Chinese chefs in Chicago’s Chinatown. The section began with instructions on how to cook rice, noting that the most important step is washing the rice, which is said to be “one of the secrets of the Chinese cook.”

The section then moved onto Chinese Chop Sooy, stating “Chop Sooy, in its various forms, is the foundation of three-fourths of all the dishes served in the Chinese restaurants.” For specific Chop Sooy recipes, it includes Chicken, Chicken with Giblets, Chicken with Green Ginger, Chicken with Pineapple, Veal, Lamb, Beef Tenderloin, Duck and Chop Sooy with Green Peppers.

Then, the book moved onto Noodle dishes, beginning with a recipe on making Noodles. The Noodle Dishes include Chow Mein, War Mein, War Mein (Extra Fine), Yet Gai Mein, Gai Mein Gang, and Moo Goo War Mein.

Next, the book provided a miscellany of additional recipes, including Eggs Fo Yong, Eggs Fo Yong with Chicken, Eggs Fo Yong with Lobster Yook, Eggs Fo Yong with Shrimp Yook, Chinese Cured Pork, Chinese Roast Pig, Ham & Eggs (Canton Style), Fried Rice (Chinese Style), Fried Rice (Canton Style), Boned Squab, Fried Rice with Chicken, Shark’s Fin, Yan Wor Gang (Bird’s Nest Soup), Chinese Fritters, Chinese Ginger Salad, and Chinese Salad. 

It's very interesting that Shark's Fin and Bird's Nest Soup were included, as they aren't dishes you'd expect Americans to order at Chinese restaurants, let alone prepare at home. They are definitely dishes that appeal far more appealing to Chinese diners. Finally, in Part 4, there were suggestions for compiling lunch and dinner menus.

However, this cookbook didn’t seem to garner much publicity or reviews in newspapers across the country. The few newspaper references were primarily from the Midwest, near Chicago and Detroit. They were positive reviews, rarely printing any of the recipes from the book, but didn’t seem to have a nationwide impact. Maybe as it was self-published, it didn't have a wider reach, and was only more locally available. 

After I’ve mentioned elsewhere, maybe the first Boston-area newspaper to provide Chinese recipes was the Boston Herald, December 31, 1916. This was an extensive article with a general discussion of Chinese cuisine, as well as talk of the wide variety of ingredients used by the Chinese, from noodles to seafood. The seventeen provided recipes, quite an extensive list, include Yea Foo Main, Yat Ko Main, Gai Gum Yung Waa (bird's nest soup), Bak Toy Gun, Pineapple Fish, Chu Popo, Pao Ping (thin cakes), Yang Gou Tsnan Wan Tzu, Boo Loo Gai (pineapple chicken), Lychee Chicken, White Chop Suey, Pork Chop Suey, Chow Main, Foo Young Dan, Char Qua (artichokes), Pak Choi, and Almond Cakes. The recipes were all relatively easy to prepare, the only caveat being you had to seek some of the less common ingredients at the Chinese markets.

Another tiny Chinese pamphlet was released in 1917, the Chinese Cook Book: In Plain English by Vernon Galster (self-published). It cost $1.00 and was only 8 pages long, with recipes for Chinese Chop Suey, Rice (Chinese Style), Lamb/Veal/Tenderloin of Beef Chop Suey, 3 types of American Chop Suey, Chicken Chop Suey, Chinese Cured Pork, Eggs Fo Young, Yet Ca Mein (Noddle Soup), War Mein, Chow Mein, and Birds Nest Soup. 

Once again, Bird's Nest Soup was presented, a curious addition to the cookbook. This pamphlet also received very little publicity in the newspapers so might not have been very widespread either.

Another Chinese cook book was published in 1917, and it was very influential, with a great impact across the entire country. It wasn’t the first of its kind, but it was extremely popular, received lots of publicity, and its recipes were seen all across the U.S. This is the type of cookbook which numerous home cooks might have purchased, hoping to recreate Chinese dishes.

The Chinese Cook Book by Shiu Wong Chan (1917, Frederick A. Stokes Company) contained about 246 pages and presented over 150 recipes, being the largest Chinese cook book to date. Shiu Wong Chan came to the U.S. from China in the late 19th century, although more biographical information about him seems elusive.

In the Preface to the cook book, Shiu Wong Chan noted, “Some one once said that without a good cook and good cooking life was not worth living. The author's purpose is to make good cooking possible.” He continued, “This book is meant not only for the housewife but also for the restaurateur. In fact, it is written in such a clear, simple form that any one by following its rules can prepare dishes of rare delicacy and flavor.” This is interesting as the prior Chinese cookbooks were intended only for home cooks. How many restaurant chefs during that time period might have been inspired by this cookbook?

The Table of Contents is extensive, containing headings including: The History of Chinese Cooking; General Laws of Chinese Cooking; Marketing; Preliminary Recipes, Soup, Noodles, Chicken, Duck, Lamb, Chop Suey, Pork, Beef, Fish, Eel, Turtle, Shark, Shrimp, Oysters, Lobster Crab, Chinese Tomato, Pigeon, Quail, Partridge, Deer, Goose, Winkle, Eggs, Beans, Squash, Peppers, Immortal Food, Dry Foods. Stove Party, Rice, Meat Biscuit, Cake, Pudding, Candy; Conclusion: The Chemistry of Foods, and Chinese Grocery Stores & Noodle Shops. As you can see, it covers so many different types of Chinese recipes, including some which are much rarer today.  

In The History of Chinese Cooking, it was noted: “Confucius, the great philosopher, taught how to eat scientifically, The proportion of meat should not be more than that of vegetable. There ought to be a little ginger in one's food. Confucius would not eat anything which was not chopped up properly. Today, unconsciously, the Chinese people are obeying this same law.”

This was supplemented in the chapter on General Laws of Chinese Cooking, which stated, “A Chinese dish consists of three parts: (a) meat; (b) secondary vegetables, such as Chinese water chestnut, bamboo shoot, celery, Chinese mushroom, and sometimes other vegetables according to the season; (c) the garnish on the top of each dish, consisting of Chinese ham, chicken, or roast pork cut up into small dice or into small bars about one inch long, and enough parsley to aid the taste as well as to ornament the dish.”

The chapter continued, “The amount of meat, in accordance with the hygienic law of Confucius, is about one-third that of the secondary vegetables. The meat should be the same size and shape as the vegetables and must be uniform. It may be cut into dice, into bars, or into fragments; judgment must be used as to this when the size of the vegetable is limited.” If you examine many Chinese dishes in modern restaurants, you will find many that still follow these precepts.

The section of Recipes is fascinating, and as indicated, they are relatively easy to prepare, provided you can obtain the ingredients. For example, the recipe for Bird-Nest Soup (Yuen War Tong) stated, “The substance of which this soup is made is found in bird nests. It is the saliva of the swallows of northern China.” Obviously, this description would likely have turned off many Americans in 1917, and locating bird nests would have been difficult. So why were Bird's Nest Soup recipes prevalent in these early Chinese cookbooks? Were they actually popular with more Americans than we might think? 

In the recipe for Chicken Chop Suey, it’s mentioned, “This dish is not known in China. From the name it means simply a variety of small pieces. However, the principles of Chinese cooking are the same.” The recipe is made from chicken, water chestnuts, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, celery and Chinese gravy. There are also recipe variations such as Pigeon Chop Suey and Partridge Chop Suey, items you're very unlikely to find in modern Chinese restaurants.

You'll also fine a recipe for Fried Duck Feet (Chow Arp Gung), which began, “You may laugh all you want. You will soon be convinced that this is the best part of the duck after you taste it.” For six people, you need 20 pairs of duck feet, of which the skin and bones are removed. The dish includes bamboo shoots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and Chinese gravy. Have any you eaten fried duck feet?

The recipe for Shark Fins (Yue Cre) began: “This dish has an interesting history. A ruler of China found a large shark in the South Sea. It was killed. Later, in deciding how best to use each part of the animal, a cook by the name of Lang Pow invented this dish. He discovered how delicious and tasty it was. This was in the year 50 B.C.” Again, it's very interesting that this would be again a recipe offered for home cooks. Americans loved chop suey at this time, but how many actually ordered shark's fins at a Chinese restaurant? 

The cookbook also has a recipe for Egg Roll (Dan Gun) but it’s not what you expect. It’s not fried, but is more of an omelet, filled with ham and vegetables, that is rolled and then sliced. As I wrote about previously, fried egg rolls didn't make an appearance until possibly 1925, or maybe later. 

There’s also an intriguing section on Immortal Food, which noted: “Buddha said that if you leave meat alone you will live forever. Therefore the priests and nuns belonging to the Buddhist religion live on dishes which contain no meat.” This section include three vegetarian recipes, including Food of the God of Law Horn, Soft Immortal Food, and Hard Immortal Food.

The cookbook includes recipes for Chinese Frankfurters, known in Cantonese as Lab Chung (aka Lab Cheong), which is most often translated as Chinese Sausage. The recipe requires you to obtain the outside lining of the small intestine of a pig, which you will fill with pork, salt, sweet sauce, Fun Wine, and orange skin. It will then be allowed to sit and dry for a number of days. The recipe also stated, “Chinese Frankfurter should be kept in a china jar. At least they must be kept in a jar for 5 days before being eaten.” Once you are ready to eat them, it stated they should be steamed, served with fried potatoes. 

The book ends with a section noting the stores and noodle shops where you could obtain Chinese ingredients. However, all six of these businesses were located in New York City, which wouldn't be too useful for those living in other states.

During 1917 and 1918, numerous newspapers across the country mentioned or discussed this cook book, many also providing some of the recipes. For example, the Boston Globe, December 9, 1917, wrote about the cook book, mentioning, “The book is just the thing for women who want new ideas for cooking appetizing and nutritious food, and the directions are so explicit that even a woman with little experience can follow them.” The article also provided recipes for Primary Soup, Chinese Sauce, Vegetable Soup, Pork Salad, and Rice.

Numerous other newspapers provided different recipes for the book, and this certainly spread the idea that home cooks could relatively easily prepare Chinese cuisine at home. This Chinese cookbook thus seems to have been very influential, and likely resulted in plenty of home-cooked Chinese dinners and parties. Not all of the recipes were probably popular, but I suspect many home cooks created their own Chop Suey and Chow Mein. In addition, it is likely the popularity of this cookbook led to many more such books and pamphlets in the 1920s.

What's your favorite Chinese cookbook?

Vina Papak: Light, Fresh & Fruity

Continuing our tour of Slavonia, during my visit to Croatia, we made a stop at Vina Papak, which is also located in Ilok. The winery is situated in the middle of their vineyards, which is not usual for the wineries in this area, but the owner, Mladen Papak, believes that many of the best wineries in the world are located within their own vineyards. It certainly is an impressive view, to see the winery building in the middle of all the vines. And sitting on the porch, it's wonderful to look out at all of the vines. 

Mladen Papak, pictured above, led us through a tour of his winery and a wine tasting. He's an enologist and agronomy engineer, a graduate of Zagreb University. Mladen previously worked as the Director at Iločki Podrumi, and later became the Mayor of Ilok.Thus, Mladen is very well known in the region, with an excellent reputation in the wine industry. 

Eventually, Mladen decided to establish his own small winery, and Vina Papak was established in 2014. He started with two hectares of vineyards, which were planted with the assistance of his brother. Now, he has about 13 hectares, and purchases grapes from another 7 hectares. However, he still needs more vineyards to meet the high demand for his wines, so will seeking new vineyards to acquire. His son also now helps him with the winery, which has a current capacity of about 80,000 bottles. Every year, Mladen also purchases a new fermentation tank or two, a slow and steady expansion.

The winery has about 8-9 labels, including some wines under screwcap as well as ice wine. Mladen wants to focus on quality and his main objective is to produce wines which are "light, fresh and fruity." I found most of their wines to fit that objective, with the exceptions being intentionally different styles, such as their ice wine.

Of course there was a platter of meats and cheese, and the winery even makes their own Kulen. So delicious. 

We began our tasting with the 2021 Vina Papak Radosh Graševina. Radosh means "by the place." The wine is made from 100% Graševina, has a 13.5% ABV,  and is dry, fresh, and crisp with tasty flavors of apple and some herbal notes. An easy drinking white wine, great for the summer, or paired with a variety of foods. This is the type of wine you should buy for the case so you have some on hand at all times. 

The 2021 Vina Papak Graševina, with a 14.5% ABV, is sold mostly in Croatia and is made in the most common style of Grasevina consumed in Croatia. It's light, crisp, and simple, with nice apple flavors.  

The 2021 Vina Papak Radosh Chardonnay, with a 14.5% ABV, is made from a blend of two harvests, one early in the season for high acidity, and one later in the season. It sees no oak, and was dry, fresh, and fruity, with a nice complexity, balanced acidity, and a lengthy, satisfying finish. This was one of the best Croatian Chardonnays which I've ever tasted. Frankly, I was disappointed with many of the Chardonnays I tasted in Croatia, but this was a stand-out! 

The 2020 Vina Papak Radosh Rhine Riesling, with a 13.5% ABV, was also a pleasant wine, which was dry, very crisp, with a complex blend of apple, pear and spice notes with a touch of almost sweetness on the finish. Mladen believes that Rhine Riesling hasn't reached its potential yet in Croatia. This is certainly a quality wine, so I look forward to future vintages, to see how it develops under Mladen ministrations. 

The 2020 Vina Papak Radosh Traminac has a 15% ABV, although Mladen stated he wished it had a lower ABV, but climate change has made it more difficult to know when to harvest the grapes. The wine has the typical aroma and taste of this grape, and was also fruity and refreshing. Another tasty wine.

The 2015 Vina Papak Traminac Rosamal was a fascinating and delicious wine, with a complex blend of flavors, including honey, apricot, dried fruits and spice. It also possesses excellent acidity, a lengthy finish, and reminds me in some respects of an ice wine. Only 1200 bottles were produced.

The 2016 Vina Papak Traminac Ice Wine was produced from grapes picked on January 7, 2017, when the temperature was -13 degrees Celius (8-9 degrees Fahrenheit). With a 10% ABV, and only 250 bottles produced, this was another excellent wine, delicious, well balanced, and with a complex and intriguing blend of flavors. The taste was similar in many ways to the Rosamal, except the ice wine had a bit more honey and less fruit. Their next ice wine will be made from the 2021 vintage. 

Vina Papak is a small winery, producing some excellent wines, and that's understandable considering the knowledge and expertise of its owner, Mladen Papak. These are wines which would appeal to most wine lovers, and most are delightful on their own, although they would also pair well with food. The future of Vina Papak looks bright.

Iločki Podrumi: A Winery That Rose Like A Phoenix

A winery, with a lengthy history, faced near destruction during a war and enemy occupation. However, it found s way to rise from the ashes, becoming the most awarded winery in Croatia. Quite a tale of passion and dedication, of perseverance and ingenuity. 

Continuing our exploration of the Slavonian region, while touring Croatia, we traveled to Ilok, the easternmost town in Croatia. Ilok is located on a hill, which borders the Danube River, and is surrounded on a few sides by Serbia. Ilok may be a small town, but it's big in history and culture. Within Ilok, we visited Iločki Podrumi (Ilok Wine Cellars), including staying overnight in their guest rooms. 

Wine production in this area extends back over 2000 years, to at least the ancient Illyrians, and continued by the ancient Romans. In the 15th century, around 1450, Nikola Iločki, a wealthy landowner and military hero, as well as the Ban of Croatia, constructed a castle in Ilok, including a wine cellar (which still exists to this day). Near the end of the 17th century, the Italian family Odescalchi was awarded the castle and property of Ilok, and they became passionate about wine production. They built another wine cellar as well as planting new vineyards, including introducing Gewürztraminer to the area for the first time. In 1864, the family built the Principovac Castle as a summer residence. Today, Iločki Podrumi is a joint-stock company, and the major stakeholder is Juraj Mihaljević. 

An important element to understanding Slavonia, Ilok, and Iločki Podrumi is the terrible impact of the Homeland War, also known as the Croatian War of Independence. During the war, which took place from 1991-1995, Ilok became a fierce battleground which was occupied by Serbians who would imprison numerous Croatians. Too many Croatians died during this war, and the effects continue to reverberate to the current day. During this occupation, there was little wine production, although Serbians used some wine to make rakija. 

Once the war ended, and Serbians were ousted from Ilok, the wine industry was in a terrible condition. About 70% of the vineyards had to be replanted, and much wine making equipment had either been stolen or seriously damaged. Could Iločki Podrumi recover from this devastation? It would take time for the Ilok wine industry to regroup and resume normal production. However, within about 25 years, the wine industry in Ilok has made incredible strides forward. It's even said that Iločki Podrum is the most awarded winery in Croatia, which is even more impressive considering how they have come back from the Homeland War, rising like a phoenix from the ashes. 

Prior to our tour and tasting, we enjoyed lunch, which included four different salads, made from fresh produce, including: Lettuce, Tomato, Winegrower's, and Cabbage.

There was also a bowl of Beef Soup, with homemade noodles, and it was tasty, with a flavorful broth. This is a simple dish, but I enjoyed it and would like to make it at home. 

For my main dish, I opted for the Bečki Odrezak (Pork Wiener Schnitzel) with French fries and tartar sauce. There were three large pieces of Wiener Schnitzel, with an excellent crispy coating and tender pork, and I was sure to finish all three pieces. 

Iločki Podrumi owns about 990 hectares of vineyards, producing about 4 to 5 million liters of wine annually (roughly 500,000 cases). So, it's a large winery but still much smaller than a number of the large California wineries. Approximately 80% of their production is white wine, and they primarily use Slavonian oak for their barrels. Most of their tourists are Croatians, although they receive numerous tourists, including Americans, from cruise ships that travel down the Danube River. 

One of their claims to fame is that they supplied wine for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. A royal delegation had come to the region, seeking wines for the major event, and they decided on the 1947 Traminer (which was also the year when Elizabeth and Philipe wed). The Iločki winery supplied them 17,000 bottles, and since then, they have supplied more of the 1947 Traminer to British royalty, including most recently, in 2016, to Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwell Camille. 

We spent a little time visiting the old wine cellars, which are still in use.

This is the oldest section of the wine cellars, where many of their oldest wines are kept. During the Homeland War, one of the cellar employees, Franjo Volf, constructed a wall that blocked off this section of the cellar, hiding about 8,000 bottles of their older wines. This ruse was successful and the Serbians never found the concealed cache. This is similar to what some French wineries did during World War II, concealing some of their wines from the Nazis. 

The oldest wine in their cellar is the 1947 Traminer, and they only have about 89 bottles remaining.  

1983 Graševina.

1983 Rhine Riesling.

We then proceeded to a wine tasting, to sample a small number of the wines produced by Iločki.

The 2020 Iločki Podrumi Chardonnay, made from 100% Chardonnay, is a premium wine, which sees only stainless steel and has a 13% ABV. It was crisp, dry, and pleasant, with green apple and citrus flavors.

The winery makes 8 different expressions of Traminer. The 2021 Iločki Podrumi Traminac, with a 13% ABV, is a quality wine with bright flavors of grapefruit, lemon, and citrus with some spice notes. It's an easy drinking wine, fine on its own although it will pair well with a variety of foods too. The 2020 Iločki Podrumi Traminac, with a 14% ABV, is a premium wine, with the typical aromatics of Gewürztraminer. On the palate, it presents with a complex melange of tastes of tropical fruit and spice. Very pleasant wine. 

The 2019 Iločki Podrumi Frankovka, with a 13% ABV, is also a premium wine, and which has seen three years in oak. With an alluring aroma of red and black fruits and a touch of spice, the palate presents black cherry and plum notes, with a spicy edge, good acidity, and a lengthy finish. Delicious and maybe my favorite wine of the tasting.

We ended with the 2017 Iločki Podrumi Selected Berry Harvest Traminac, a late harvest wine. It was hedonistic and compelling, a complex melange of honey, apricot, and Gewürztraminer. With good acidity, the sweetness was well balanced, and the finish lingered and lingered in your mouth. This would be an excellent wine for the holidays, to be presented with desserts.   

We enjoyed a few snacks with our tasting, including Poderane Gaće, which I mentioned before roughly translates as "torn underpants." These were a bit denser than the ones we enjoyed before, but were also topped by some salt, which enhanced the taste of these fried dough delights. 

A cute winery cat wandering free on the grounds of the winery.

Iločki Podrumi has a powerful story, and its future continues to look bright. If you travel to Slavonia, Ilok should definitely be one of your stops, to revel in its history, culture and wines (from Frankovka to Traminer).  

Rant: Quiet Boycotts vs Restaurants

There are local restaurants which are being boycotted, but it's not an organized movement. The boycotters aren't being vocal about their restaurant opposition. It's a "quiet boycott" where individuals have chosen, on their own, not to patronize certain restaurants. They might discuss that boycott with a very small group of like-minded, close friends, but it's definitely not something they will raise on social media.

What is the effect of these quiet boycotts? That's certainly difficult to ascertain due to its secretive nature, but it seems obvious it has negatively affected some restaurants to a degree. These individuals not only won't dine at those boycotted restaurants, but they also won't be praising them or even mentioning them on social media. That means those restaurants will receive less public attention, which could also lead to less customers. 

Because it's a quiet boycott, restaurants may not even realize that some people are refusing to dine there. How can restaurants determine whether they are a target of a quiet boycott? How can a restaurant counter quiet boycotts?

First, we need to ascertain the reasons for these quiet boycotts. From discussions I've had with some quiet boycotters, it seems based to a large degree on the divisiveness now found in our country. There are people who are intractable in their political and social positions, engaging in frequent ad hominem attacks, insulting anyone who opposes their view. This can sometimes lead to racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and similar insults. 

These divisive people don't debate the issues, they simply embrace their self-righteousness, ignoring any evidence or logic that runs contrary to their personal agenda. They often have friends and followers who support them, helping to attack anyone who dares to dispute the issue at hand. That group attack can get so serious that it can even lead to death threats. Because of this, many people won't get involved in such discussions on social media, to avoid the potential insults and threats. 

Restaurant owners and chefs (and even restaurant publicists) sometimes get involved in these divisive matters, with some owners and chefs insulting those opposed to their ideas. Other times, they support the original proponent of a divisive issue, failing to speak up when the thread turns nasty. Potential customers may see these insulting threads, and refuse to post, but they may still take action. Instead, they may choose to quietly boycott the restaurant, refusing to any longer patronize that place, even if it once was one of their favorite spots. And in the case of restaurant publicists, consumers might even boycott all the restaurants that person represents. 

With the thousands of restaurants available to local consumers, they can easily boycott a handful without any problem. And especially now, with restaurants prices having risen in most places, consumers are being more careful with where they spend their money. Can any restaurant survive by alienating some of their customer base? I know a few restaurants which have publicly claimed they don't care about boycotts, but is that the truth? Most restaurants operate on such a thin profit margin that realistically they cannot tolerate boycotts. 

Does this mean restaurant owners and chefs cannot speak their minds online? No, that's not the case. However, how those views are espoused can make a big difference. If you have to insult others to get your position known, if your reaction to an opposing view is an ad hominem attack, then you're doing something very wrong. It might delight those who already agree with you, but it's sure to alienate many others. There's nothing wrong with debating an issue, but it's very wrong to simply lodge insults rather than properly discuss an issue. 

Even if you contribute to threads where like-minded individuals insult others, but you don't oppose those insults, then some people will assume you agree with the insults. And your restaurant may still become the target of a quiet boycott, even though you didn't make the insults. Your quiet acceptance of those insults though can lead to a quiet boycott too. 

Quiet boycott have probably always existed, but they seem to be more prevalent nowadays, or at least they are privately mentioned much more. Restaurant owners and chefs have the ability to reduce the amount of quiet boycotts, dependent on how they interact online. It's very simple: Stop the insults and ad hominem attacks. 

Feravino Winery: From Frankovka To Torn Underpants

Continuing our exploration of the region of Slavonia, while touring Croatia, we stopped in the village of Feričanci, located in the Osijek-Baranja county, to visit Feravino Winery. Cistercians were some of the first to plant vineyards in this region, although the winery's oldest cellar only extends back to 1804. In the 1960s, the winery was owned by a large company but around 1996, the winery was sold and came under private ownership, with the new name of Feravino Feričanci. 

The winery now owns about 160 hectares of vineyards, over three primary locations including Feričanci, Zoljan and Ceremošnjak. They recently planted approximately 63 hectares with new vines. They have in the past few years been investing lots of money, at least about 7 Million Euros, into the winery, to modernize and expand. It is a time of change for the winery, as it attempts to meet and overcome the current challenges of the wine industry. 

They consider themselves "the biggest small winery, " and have an annual capacity of 700K-800K liters, roughly 80,000 cases of wine. The huge tanks pictured above are used for producing Sparkling wine in the Charmat method. They also have numerous small tanks for experimentation, including working on producing amber wines. 

Their primary two grapes are Graševina and Frankovka (Blaufränkisch), although they grow numerous other grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zweigelt. They stated they were the first winery in Slavonia to plant Graševina. It's interesting to note that now, about one in every 5 wines produced in Croatia is Graševina. Their production is basically split 50/50 between white and red wine. Besides the still wines, they make Sparkling Wines and Ice Wine. As they stated, if you "make great grapes, you produce better premium wines."

Most of the oak barrels used in the winery are Slavonian oak, sourced from forests near the winery. This is what they refer to as "barrel terroir," indicative of the land surrounding the winery. There is also a cooperage only about 12 km from the winery. Local is very important to them. They do use a small amount of French and American oak barrels, and conduct experiments with a variety of different oak products, but Slavonian oak dominates at their winery.

The winery possesses the first bottling machine in Slavonia able to bottle both still and sparkling wines. The video above shows part of the bottle line preparing sparkling wines. The machine can prepare about 900-1000 bottles and hour, and it was fascinating to watch the process.  

Their oldest cellar, from 1804, contains about 200 barrique for red wines. In addition, part of the old cellar was once used for spirits and they would like to create a distillery in the future. They also want to create a tasting room and show room for consumers 

The winery has been engaging in intense analysis of their business and the market, attempting to identify issues and how to resolve them. For example, they indicated that they have a reputation for producing mostly industrial wines and they need to find ways to attract younger consumers. Changes are needed to respond to market challenges, such as the fact that wine consumption in Croatia is generally stagnant and many consumers are becoming increasingly demanding. It was enlightening for the winery to share such matters with us. 

After this intensive analysis, they declared that their new strategy would be: "A modern winery with best red wines in Slavonija, based on principles of sustainability and social responsibility which boldly delivers excellent innovative wines that come from the vineyard of the Ergovic family located in Fericanci wine growing area."

One change they have instituted is a rebranding of their labels, and in 2021, the main label of "Enosophia" was established, which refers to "wine wisdom. 

We began out tasting with some bubbly, the "Nice To See You." a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir produced by the Charmat Method and with a 11.5% ABV. The label is fun and festive, obviously intended to appeal more to younger consumers. The bubbly was dry, easy drinking and refreshing. A fun wine for every day. 

The Today Rosé is another fun wine, made from Frankovka and with an 11.5% ABV. Dry, crisp, easy drinking and fruity nose with pleasant strawberry notes. 

We then moved onto more serious wines, such as the 2021 TRS No.5, produced from 100% Graševina and with a 12.% ABV.  With an appealing fruity nose, the wine was bright, fresh, crisp, dry and delicious, with interesting notes of apples, lemon, and citrus. It was a more elegant wine, fine to consume on its own, or with a variety of foods, from seafood to chicken. 

The 2019 Miraz Grasevina is also made from 100% Graševina and has a higher ABV of 14%. I'll note that "Miraz" is the name of their daughter. This wine has seen oak aging and its evident in its taste, with much more spice and savory notes. 

I was enamored with the 2018 Miraz Frankovka, which spent a year in barrique and has a 13.% ABV. It too was elegant, with delicious red fruit flavors, soft tannins, good acidity, and a lengthy finish. There was also a freshness to the taste, and this would be an excellent wine with everything from pizza to burgers, from salmon to steak. Frankovka does very well in the Slavonian region, and we would taste other excellent Frankovka wines as we continued our visit to the region.

I was even more enamored with the 2016 Ledeno Vino Frankovka, an Ice Wine, with an 11.% ABV. With a fine golden color, this was a hedonistic and complex wine, with a balanced sweetness, red berry, honey and apricot notes, and quite a lengthy, satisfying finish. This is a wine that will impress your friends as you slowly sip it after dinner, or with dessert. Highly recommended!

A beautiful spread of food was also put out to accompany the wines, the typical hospitality of Croatians, with Kulen, stuffed peppers, cracklings, and more It's just too tempting not to indulge, no matter whether you just had lunch or not. 

These delightful treats are known as Poderane Gaće, which roughly translates as "torn underpants," and  they are basically fried yeast dough. In Croatia, its commonly eaten for Mardi Gras, but there's no reason you can't enjoy them year round. So delicious! 

The Feravino Winery is making some excellent Graševina and Frankovka (including an amazing Ice Wine), and they are headed in the right direction as they head into the future.