High-level hedonism

The patricians of the Dubrovnik Republic were renowned for their diplomacy, commerce and science, but also for their hedonism. Not only did they like to indulge themselves, they also knew how to charm their business partners during their visits to the Republic. Menus often included not only dishes, but also drinks, the preparation of which required a great deal of effort. One such drink was lemon sorbet.

Nowadays, it’s easy to prepare, as all the ingredients are at hand.

Summer joys – lemon sorbet and orange ice cream

The first mentions of ice or, as archival documents show, snow, date back to the first half of the 17th century. Namely, ice was a constant expense for the rector, either as a diplomatic gift or as refreshment for the minor council session. Dubrovnik’s nobles also enjoyed ice cream, which could be purchased in the town’s Ulica od leda (Ice Cream Street), and by the 18th century we already have an ice cream memorial in Dubrovnik.

Ice cream was shipped almost every day from April to September, but there was occasional demand in October and December.

Lemon sorbet

Transporting ice from the Konavle mountains to the rector’s table

During the time of the Dubrovnik Republic, in the summer evening hours from May to September, an almost daily organized action of ice delivery from the Konavle hills to Dubrovnik took place. In the evening, the ice would gather at Ledenice (The Ice House) near Duba Konavoska, where it would be loaded onto horses that would transport it to Cavtat in the evening, and from Cavtat it would travel by boat to Dubrovnik.

The Konavle glaciers or Ledenice that we know today are a 2-hour walk from the village of Duba Konavoska, about a 45-minute drive from Dubrovnik. The large glacier is 11 m deep and 12 m long, while the small one is 4 m deep and 8 m long.

Ice production

During the Dubrovnik Republic, three glaciers were filled with snow every winter. Work would take place according to a precise schedule, most often in January or February. The rector was in charge of their maintenance and management, with the obligatory supervision of guards. The glaciers of the time were designed to collect snow, which would eventually turn to ice. The snow would then be covered with bushes and straw, and the icicles would be covered and locked.

Demand in Dubrovnik was high. According to the 1783 ice calculation, we can roughly conclude that in the period from May 20 to June 1, 157 kg of ice were consumed daily in Dubrovnik, in June around 110 kg, in July 170 kg and from August 1 to 20 around 260 kg per day and was delivered on 146 horses. This quantity of ice could not be covered by the stocks in the Konavle hills, as a maximum of 110 kg of ice could be transported per horse. The work wasn’t easy and sometimes, depending on the year, there was a lack of snow, so they didn’t fill all three freezers. As a result, the people of Dubrovnik also supplied ice from the mountains of Herzegovina.

Glaciers

Herzegovina’s mountain ice trade

The Wallachians would deliver ice to Mrcine village in the evening, the parish priest of Mrcine would organize local young men to accept it and immediately deliver it on horseback to Cavtat, from where it would sail by boat to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik’s inhabitants paid the Wallachians a fee for ice, wine for each horse delivered and accommodation in Mrcine, in case of bad weather.

Trading ice across the border did not take place on a daily basis, as it all depended on the year and demand. Trade with the Vlachs was also costly, as collecting ice in the Herzegovinian mountains was dangerous due to frequent robberies and the Ottoman wars taking place in the Republic’s vicinity. Another problem in trading with the Vlachs was the frequent attempts to cheat and subvert hail instead of ice. But Konavle’s inhabitants weren’t always obedient either. Thus, on August 25, 1778, the parish priest of Mrcin wrote: “I don’t understand the stubbornness of these peasants, who didn’t come this evening to bring ice.

Today, when everything is at our disposal, we can’t even imagine how much effort and organization it took to reach the icicle, and the notion of walking in the mountains at night or in the summer heat is almost unthinkable. The old bridle paths in the Konavle hills, which were full of traffic every day on summer nights, are now hiking trails that can only be explored by dedicated visitors.

How to cool off in Dubrovnik today

Strolling down the Stradun main street in summer, it’s hard to find a person who doesn’t eat ice cream. In summer, there’s no sweeter dessert than cold ice cream. There are ice cream parlors all over Dubrovnik. There are different flavors, fruits, chocolate, different colors …, but I’d like to highlight my favorite – the hot orange ice cream, typical of the Dubrovnik region!