Autumn Harvest

Just as Mallorca is preparing itself for the arrival of a first wintery spell of snow, albeit only in the highest of our Tramuntana peaks, the countryside is still bristling with a full crop of late Autumn produce. Now is the time when membrillos (quince), nisplers (medlars), noguers (walnuts), clementinas (tangerines) and castanyas (chestnuts) are reaching their final state of ripeness. There may also still be some kakis (persimmons), some late figs, some madroños (strawberry tree fruit) and some magraners (pomegranates) in the markets.

Grapes should have been harvested a few weeks ago. Oranges, lemons and grapefruits will be ripe nearer Christmas time. November is also the month for the harvest of olives, an all-important crop for the local agricultural sector. There are said to be about one million olive trees in Mallorca. The best Mallorcan olive oil now has a Denominación de Origen Oli de Mallorca seal of quality control attached.

Mallorca is not really in the habit of celebrating Thanksgiving as such, as far as I know. No turkeys for us on November 26th, I am afraid.

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 2nd, 2009. The time was 18:40:28.

Autumn Food Fairs

Autumn is the time of the big village firas each with a special theme or subject, mostly food, wine and related produce. There is the Sobrassada fair, the Pebre Bord do, the Olive Oil fair, the Honey fair, the Mushroom fair and so forth.

The II Fira de Sa Sobrassada will be held in Campos del Port from tomorrow, October 22nd, until Saturday, October 24th. The fira is part of the annual Campos Fira Octubre 2009 which started last Sunday and will continue until October 30th. The highlight of the three day Sobrassada event will be a Tast de Suquet de Sobrassada amb Mel this Thursday at 18h30, whatever the tast may be. Antoni Pinya, a celebrity chef, will do the honours, I am told, involving some show cooking I suppose.

Neighbouring Felanitx will hold its annual main fair, the Mostra Folklòrica Fira del Pebre Bord (Paprika Fair) on Sunday, October 25th, a one-day, all-day affair. The event is a big fira market with plenty of parallel festive activities, Ball de Bot, a Trobada de Gegants and what have you.

A Fira de Tardor i Fira des Vi will be celebrated in Consell from October 23rd to 25th, whilst Inca begins its fair calendar on October 25th, to culminate in the very popular Dijous Bo, held on the third Tursday of November. Dijous Bo is the biggest of all special markets in Mallorca, or so they say.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Campos del Port, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 16th, 2008. The time was 12:12:05.

Calabazas

With Hallowe’en less than three weeks away, may I remind you that Autumn is the time for pumpkins, gourds, calabazas, marrows, squashes, melons, whatever you want to call them. All of them come under the genus of the Cucurbitaceae family, originating in the Americas. They come in all shapes, forms and sizes, and some of them are very attractive in a decorative sort of way.

Calabazas are widespread in Mallorca, not only the melons, Sandías or Cantaloupes. Melons even have their own annual Fira del Meló in Vilafranca de Bonany, at the beginning of September.

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 25th, 2009. The time was 14:53:20.

The Mostra de la Llampuga

The Mostra de la Llampuga will take place tomorrow, October 11th, in Cala Rajada. There were rumours in the press that this year’s Mostra would not take place, but it will. A visit is recommended. Admission is 10 €, including 4 samples of different Llampuga dishes. This Mediterranean autumn fish is also known as Dolphinfish. If you haven’t been to the Mostra in previous years, you should go to Cala Rajada, really.

You might be tempted, on the other hand, to attend the Tercera Fira de Llucmajor, also on tomorrow. Or the Fira de la Serra de Tramuntana at the monastery in Lluc (today and tomorrow). Or the Diada de Castellers de Mallorca, in Palma (only today). Or the Tapas-do in Palma, called TaPalma (from October 7th to 11th).

So much is going on in Mallorca during the autumn. And there is so much more to come, just wait and see.

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 4th, 2008. The time was 12:34:13. The photo (bottom) was taken in Cala Rajada, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 11th, 2009. The time was 15:16:13.

The Festa del Butifarró

From time immemorial the people of Spain have used salt, spices and fresh air to preserve sausages for future use. Over the centuries these skills have been refined to an art, creating a multitude of unique Chorizos, salchichones, Morcillas and more.

In Mallorca, the Queen of sausage preservation is the Sobrassada. If you are a regular to these shores, you will know and possibly even have tried some. I do not know many non-Mallorcans who seem to like its flavour but I admit to liking this embutido made of pork, especially if porcella negre has been used in the production process. I like my Sobrassada on Pà amb oli, preferably on toasted Pà Moreno, soaked in olive oil.

And then, there is the Butifarró (also known as Butifarra or Butifarron). The Butifarró is another kind of Mallorcan sausage, also made of pork meat and animal fat with traces of blood, spices and salt. There are Butifarró blanco and Butifarró negre. The latter is of a much darker colour because more of the first blood shed in the process of being slaughtered is used, giving it the characteristic black colour when boiled. The paler version (shown above) was served last Sunday at the annual Festa del Butifarró, in Sant Joan, a remote pueblo of the Pla region.

Butifarrós are tasty if well cooked or grilled, especially when enjoyed in good company, as long as one likes to soak up some of the local culture. But again, I have not yet met many compatriots who like to get too close to the heart and soul of basic Mallorcan food. Above all, a deep devotion to Mallorcan cultural rituals around food would help a lot.

If you have a chance, try and have some Calamar relleno con Butifarró y Sobrassada (Calamares stuffed with Butifarró and Sobrassada) as an easy way of being introduced to the wonders of these two Mallorcan sausages. A true delight, believe me. Many country restaurants offer this Mallorcan delicacy.

The photo (top) was taken in Sant Joan, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 4th, 2009. The time was 13:53:37. The photo (bottom) was taken from the Internet. Credit is due to ibizapocapoc.es.

¡Muchas gracias!

The Mallorcan Wood Fired Horno

Every single traditional Mallorcan finca (farmhouse) has its own stone built, wood fired horno (bread oven; forn in Catalan). These bread ovens were used for the weekly ritual of baking the traditional Mallorcan bread, pa pagès or pa moreno (see my blog entry dated April 8th, 2009).

These Mallorcan country hornos are usually quite old. I suspect that the one shown here (photos top and centre) is a good one hundred years old. The hornos were built by hand; the inner dome-shaped chamber is constructed out of clay bricks whereas the outer shell is built from drystone and mortar. The oven has to be pre-heated before the loaves are put in. Only a wood fire will give the pa moreno its typical crispy crust. Nowadays, bread ovens are sold by builder’s merchants molded in one piece and made in cement; I personally would not touch one of those travesties.

There are still a few panaderias (bakeries) found on the island that will bake their Mallorcan bread in a wood fired oven. There are half a dozen of those in the island capital, plus a few in Consell, one in Campos, three in Felanitx, a few in Inca, two in Santanyí, one in Andratx, one in Sant Joan, two in Pollença and one in Sóller. Please forgive me if I have omitted one or the other panadero (baker) who also keeps up the good work, in another pueblo of your choice.

You will have seen Mallorcan bread in a bakery near you, so I don’t bother to  show you a photo. You may not have seen the freshly kneaded dough though in its final shape before the loaf is placed in the hot oven chamber (photo bottom). The loaf in the background is a white  pa pagès, the loaf in the foreground is a dark pa moreno. After the bread is baked the oven will still remain very hot for a number of hours. Mallorcan farmers’ wives will use the remaining heat to cook a suckling pig, a leg of lamb or a large fish such as Merluza or Llampuga.

The photos (top and centre) were taken near Lluchmajor, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 1st, 2009. The time was 15:27:43 and 15:28:44, respectively. The photo (bottom) was taken in Campos del Port, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 10th, 2009. The time was 13:14:41.

Chilled Gazpacho Soup

I could have posted this blog entry earlier, at the beginning of Summer. But now, at the beginning of September temperatures here are still hot enough in Mallorca to enjoy a chilled gazpacho soup. Gazpacho has become an almost generic term for chilled vegetable soup. There are many regional variations; some are made with almonds, some with lots of garlic, some with stale bread and some with grapes.

You could enjoy a gazpacho the easy way by eating it at your local restaurant. But that would involve a certain risk. I have eaten some excellent gazpacho served in restaurants here in Mallorca, as well as elsewhere on the Spanish mainland, but I have also had to eat some rather unpleasant samples of cold Spanish soups that were called gazpachos but didn’t taste the way they should.

Alternatively, you could buy a carton of ready-made gazpacho soup from your local supermarket. You will probably find that the quality is better the more you pay for the package. Nowadays the small sum of between 2.50 € and 3 € should give you a good cold vegetable soup made with fresh ingredients and full of flavour, allowing for four servings. And you could always add your own bits to the ready-made soup, improving on taste and flavour, such as lemon juice and olive oil.

The very best way to enjoy a real good gazpacho however is to make your very own. And it could not be easier if you tried. Here is one way to make a good gazpacho, but there are countless variations:

Use 4 or 5 large ripe rama tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped), 2 small cucumbers (peeled, seeded, and diced), 1 large wedge of watermelon (seeded, and diced), 1 onion (peeled, and thinly sliced), 1 red pepper (seeded, and diced), some parsley, some coriander, some lemon juice, some red wine vinegar, 4 cups of beef or chicken stock, 2 slices of stale pan pages without the crust, 1 clove of garlic (chopped finely), 1 tea spoon of sugar, black pepper, sea salt. Combine all of the vegetables and the broken up bread in a large bowl. Add the stock, the sugar, lemon juice and vinegar, and blend very briefly. Stir in the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some water if needed. Chill the soup for one hour before serving. Remove from the refrigerator, stir, let rest for 10 minutes and then pour a generous helping of best-quality extra-virgin olive oil over the soup. As an option, you could add three cooked langostino prawns per helping, and serve.

Bon profit.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 4th, 2009. The time was 15:09:31.

Zea Mays, the Columbus Grain

Historians tell us that Christopher Columbus brought maize (Zea mays) grains back to the Spanish court, originating from the Greater Antilles in the Caribean, and thus maize was grown in Spain from 1493. From there, maize spread to the rest of the world during the early 16th century.

I do not know when maize was brought to Mallorca, but it must have been a few hundred years ago, too. Maize is not a very important crop here on the Balearic Isles, but it is being grown here and there, mainly for animal feed.

Some people claim that Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) originaly hailed from Mallorca, in fact from my Mallorcan home town of Felanitx, but I shall keep that snippet for a separate blog entry. I suppose you would like to know about that story, wouldn’t you?

The photo (top) was taken near Muro, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: June 27th, 2009. The time was 13:10:35. The photo (bottom) was taken from the Internet, courtesy of allfonzz/Flickr. Many thanks.

Fish Markets In Palma

Here in Mallorca we are particularly privileged with an abundant supply of fish and seafood, and with it, the related markets and outlets for the freshest fish and of the widest choice possible.

There is the Llotja del Peix, at Es Moll de Pescadors, near the Real Club Nàutic de Palma, but you would have to get up early as trading here starts at 06h00. Then there are the three big municipal markets in Palma de Mallorca offering huge fish sections: Mercat Olivar, Mercat Pere Garau and Mercat Santa Catalina. There are also some smaller markets in Palma’s boroughs, and there are impressive fish sections in the hipermercats and department stores, such as Carrefour, El Corte Inglés, Mercadona and Eroski, to name but the most prominent ones.

I have noticed three main changes over the last twenty years in Mallorca, relative to fish: the provenance of fish is more and more of farmed origins, fish has become quite expensive now when it did not use to be, and finally, a good proportion of fish mongers in the markets have shut down, given up or are currently selling their stalls. It seems as if there has been a fish market crisis before La Crisis set in.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 3rd, 2009. The time was 14:59:10.

The Very Useful Caper Plant

The caper (Capparis spinosa) is one of the most characteristic plants of the Balearic islands. In its natural habitat this very useful plant lives in the walls of ancient city walls as well as on rocky, coastal cliff faces. Capers used to be cultivated in the Mediterranean basin for their flower buttons and unripe fruits, which are eaten once pickled in brine. The large flowers with white petals and lots of stamens that open in the Summer are quite beautiful. The flower is fragile and short-lived, though. The delicate, cream-white petals and lively purple stamens persist only a few hours.

It is quite plausible that the caper was first introduced to Mallorca by the Moors during their 300 year long reign at the beginning of the second Millenium. The Arab name al-Kabara (alcaparra in Castellano, taparera in Catalan) seems to suggest an Arab origin.

When propagated and farmed the Capparis spinosa is a remarkable plant as you can see from the two photos above. The evergreen plant spreads in circular lumps of perhaps 2 m in diameter and is planted in rows, often amongst trees such as almonds. In Mallorca, the areas of Campos del Port, Santanyí and Llubi are particularly reknowned for their alcaparras production. But, in a way it seems as if capers have lately gone out of fashion. The harvest is rather tiresome with quite a bit of bending down being involved.

In the Mallorcan markets, you can buy fresh capers. Smaller buds (nonpareilles with less than one centimeter diameter) are considered more valuable than the larger capucines and communes (more than 1.5cm diameter). You can also find capers readily prepared in a brine solution and sold in glass jars in the markets; in English these are also known as caper berries. Their flavour is very intense.

The photos were taken in Campos del Port, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 9th, 2009. The time was 10:12:40, 10:13:52 and 10:13:16, respectively.