Ino Kuvacic is a Melbourne-based, Croatian born restaurateur with a long-time desire to share – and celebrate – the food of his coastal homeland on the Dalmatian coast. His Port Melbourne restaurant Dalmatino is an enduring part of the city's restaurant scene.

And Dalmatia is very much an extension of that success, spreading the word about a cuisine that he believes matches that the country's more acclaimed Mediterranean neighbours. Ino returns to his home city of Split every year, visiting family and friends and reconnecting with the evolving food scene there.

He is passionate about a country that he describes as being at the crossroads of many cultures and influences. The food, especially, is regional, and this book is about sharing dishes that are a product of the south (Dalmatia Primorje, Istria), where fish, seafood, tomatoes and olives feature heavily.