A whole sprig gives up its resin slowly, so the potatoes under it never turn bitter. The Radin family near Buzet dries young sprigs whole.
Wild oregano is sharper and drier than the garden kind, so it goes in at the end and the smell survives. Luka Šarić gathers it on the dry meadows above Lovinac and dries it in a thin layer, unground.
A whole bay leaf gives up its flavour slowly and can be lifted out; a crumbled one stays in the food. Ana Jurić near Benkovac dries them flat so they do not break.
Paprika ground in small batches is still red and still sweet; old paprika is brown and flat. Marija Kovač dries and grinds it near Đakovo with nothing added.
We chop the rosemary right before it meets the salt, so the oil from the leaf goes into the salt instead of into the air. The sprigs come from the Radin family.
Sage, bay and lemon peel sit briefly in olive oil, then we filter it — no sprigs are left in the bottle to turn bitter over time. We make it in Zadar, and the sage is Ana Jurić's.
