Paper short abstract:

We will try to show how traditional food practices are reinvented and given new meanings in open food market Dolac situated in the center of Zagreb. It is a place where small producers, following season calendar, from whole Croatia bring their food products showing heterogeneity of Croatian food culture.

Paper long abstract:

We will try to show how traditional food practices are reinvented and given new meanings in open food market Dolac situated in the center of Zagreb. It is a place where small producers, following season calendar, from whole Croatia bring their food products showing heterogeneity of Croatian food culture.

In this paper Dolac will be considered as a symbol of town culinary identity, but also as a marker of culinary heritage of all Croatian regions. Above all, we'll discuss its role as a belly of Zagreb in historical perspective and in recent times. Despite of modern food supply chains, where one doesn't know food origin, and the fact that this may cause many food scares and anxieties, Dolac isn't alternative model of food products distribution like it's equivalents in some European countries, but persisting tradition adjusting to present market demands. Cultural and anthropological approach will enable us to see Dolac as anachronic alimentary exhibition, which displays different patterns of sociability and narratives.

Following dynamics of Dolac on daily and weekly basis we'll describe relations between buyers and producers/sellers, with emphasize on buyers trust in short food supply chain, communication between producers/sellers, but also image of Dolac seen by tourist gaze. In recent years image of Dolac, as a market for foodies, transformed in one of the most popular tourist attractions, unavoidable part of all sightseeing tours in Zagreb.

Key words: open food market, Dolac, Croatia, traditional food practices, cultural and anthropological perspective