Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.
My name is Marija, and I have been in love with food since I was a child. Fresh ingredients, cooking and preparing food always fascinated me. As a child, I would stand by my mom for hours, watch her cook, mix ingredients and spices. For me, she was this kitchen magician, who exactly knew what was doing (even if my mother never owned measuring cups or the scale) and was performing magic in the angle of our small kitchen. She would pull off those Sunday family lunches, as if we were in a five-star restaurant, and always prepare something new.
On the weekends, we would go grocery shopping to the fresh market, favorite place on Earth for an 8-year-old me, who pretended to be big and choose her vegetables and fruits. It was our little ritual, and I loved picking up fresh apples, trying dry fruit, and fresh cheese old ladies brought to the market. I could spend days there, enjoying the colors, the fragrances and the story behind every farm market stand. Knowing about families, the origin of their products, animals they had on the farm and hard work. My mother thought me how to choose genuine products, how to prepare them and preserve most of the vitamins and minerals they have.
Many years later, between my wandering around the world, studying and finishing university I started cooking. It was my gateway to everyday life problems and stressful exams. Fresh markets were my cooking inspiration and going there tended to set my mind on ease. Moving to Italy evoked my childhood memories even more, and I found myself surrounded by this fantastic food, flavors, fresh herbs, and authentic products. I just wanted to cook, to experiment. It was my trial and error project, and I loved it.
All this resulted in opening my blog The hungry apron, this tiny space of mine where I can capture my culinary experience and share my inspirations. My recipes come from all over the world, are inspired by people and places I’ve visited. I spend hours reading culinary books, searching for new methods and techniques.
Eating wholesome, seasonal food is very important for me and during the summertime, you will find me in my garden picking fresh tomatoes, herbs, and strawberries.
I hope I will be able to share a glimpse of my love for good homemade food with you and inspire you to try my recipes and experiment with new flavors. Maybe one day we can all cook together, who knows?
