World Sausage Stuffing on Beka Championship
The ancient Istrian way of stuffing sausages, which dates back to a period when meat used to make sausages was cut with a knife instead of being grounded with a meat grinder, is the so called “stuffing on beka”. In this case the beka is a freshly cut willow switch, the same type used to bind the vines in the vineyard or for basket weaving.

A beka was used to shape a loop or half moon, the beginning of the swine casing would then be tightened over this rounded shape, and the meat filling would then be put into the casing by hand. In reviving this ancient skill, which is closely related to the tradition of sausage making in Istria, the fair in Sv. Petar u Šumi is enriched with an attractive and entertaining competition to which many contestants from outside Istra apply.

The championship is conducted in two rounds: on the first day of the fair, all registered competitors pass through the qualifying rounds, while the finals take place on the second day during the afternoon. Each competitor, both in the qualifications and in the finals, receives 2 kg of finished meat mix, 5 m of swine casing, a willow switch called a beka, and is given 20 minutes. In that time, he/she has to stuff and shape as many sausages as possible, and points are assigned for speed, having a casing stuffing without air pockets or cavities, for the external appearance of the sausages and their total weight.

The World Sausage Stuffing on Beka Championships have been taking place as part of the European Sausage Fair since 2014.

Earth is the only planet where life exists and 7 billion people owe their existence to Earth thanks to its wonderful features. Today we celebrate them together with Kindergarten Sunce and More and Primary School Fažana.

Founded on the idea of lifelong learning and love for amateur creativity, FAKS - the Amateur Cultural Creation Festival is an international cultural, educational and entertainment event that features choir and acting festivals, art exhibitions, visits by different amateur groups. It is held every year in spring. The first volume of the FAKS Sings festival will gather choirs from all over the world, who will sing and play music for four days at the most beautiful locations in Istria.