Menorquina gastronomy
The gastronomy of Menorca is tie to the history that has lived. It has, on the one hand, a medieval kitchen, or with Arab or Catalan influences; on the other, the influence of the English and French kitchen, more refined and than counts on the culture in the product island of America. Also many of prescriptions were taken from Menorca to other countries like England or France, like the famous mahonesa sauce (mayonnaise).
- As plates of Arab influence we found the dessert “cuscussó”, mentioned in the book of Tirant cavalries the Blanc, of Joanot Martorell. It seems to be a sweet variant of alcurcuz, still recognized in Muslim Spain and the north of Africa.
- Of Catalan-Aragonese influence we found prescriptions like the eel pasties, the dry rice with dates, the pot of beans, the stuffed onions, the eggs with cheese or tubular powder vegetable stews.
Also from this time, it emphasizes the Minorcan cheese mainly, also known like mahonés, although one makes in all the island. In the Average Age the Catalan kings already tried that the cheese did not lack in its pantries, and that commercialized through port of Mahón. Due to the dedication to the extensive cattle ranch of bovine we have these products artisan of very good quality, and recognized in all Europe. The cheese we found it tender, semicured, cured or aged according to its degree of maturation, but always exquisite to the palate. It can be accompanied by fruits like the grapes, or candy of quince, and with him many of prescriptions are elaborated specialty of the island. One always appears in pieces squared with the cleared edges, and show marks of the linen cloths in which they become involved when they are elaborated artisan. From 1985 they have denomination of origin.
Also fried plates of fish or to the furnace, like the mere one with the stuffed bacon, red mullet with liver sauce, calamaries, the mere one with sauce of grevi…
We do not have to forget, that the Minorcan typical element par excellence is the fish, dice its constant contact with the sea. The most appreciated plates of are the small boiler of lobster or sepia or calamary to the furnace with potatoes.
- With the arrival of the English we found recipe books where the fruits are praised menorquinas like the grapes, figs, you dwell, almonds, lemons, oranges (its varieties of century XVIII of Seville and China), the quince, medlar, fig chumbo… of which made excellent jams or jams.
The sauce of grevi (or broth ox concentrate) is applied to all type of plates, like the tender beans. The stews of meats with calf, pig, lamb or rabbit are own. Also the plate of partridges with cabbage, or the snails with mahonesa is typical.
It is possible to emphasize plates like the spinach menorquinas to the English, pudding of eggplants and onions, the pie of rabbit, the stew of ox tail, “brandada” of codfish.
Also it has in abundance, pig, del that is typical all the products that of him we pruned to elaborate: of the slaughter (of medieval origin) the sobrasada one, cuixot, carn-i-xuia…
In confectioner's it emphasizes the ensaimada one, very different from the Majorcan, although the two are of Eastern origin. The menorquina has form of “turban”.
There is also empanadillas (or cocarrois) of wild chicory (bed rotja), bitter of almond, the bone of apricot or countersunk acorns, the sponge cakes of matafaluga, “carquinyolis” done of almond, sugar, eggs and flour, crespells of anise or the crespallinas (variant of these), the cakes, the cocaine of sweet potatoes, peppers, apricots, chicharrones, almond, butter…
Also the cakes are very typical, of marine tradition as as much English. They emphasize cakes of Alaior, those of chicharrones, those of matalahuga, those of potato, and mantecados. Also “mostatxins”, “paciències”, “rosquets”, “crespellets” and pastelitos of brandy.
Also the fig ice cream is typical chumbo, the one of orange and lemon.
As far as the drink, he is typical gin, gin that is prepared with the British formulas of century XVIII using in addition some typical grass to the island for the distillation (juniper berries). It is possible to be mixed with honey (gin-i-mel), lemonade (ointment), or a crust of lemon and siphon (pellofa). Its presentation is already in particular himself, in old crystal bottles simulating tinajas of mud. It emphasizes the Xoriguer mark, located in the port of Mahón.
Also the liquor of roses, of Greek and Baltic origin, that goes back to the families who inhabited the island when the English government belonged.
“Calent” (it warms up), also drunk artisan that combines grass, anise, cinnamon, came and saffron. It is necessary to warm up it before taking it, and usually he is typical in the Christmas dates.
Although in other times she was great a manufacturer of wines, the island now does not count on this production (it is reduced to the homemade use of few families).
PRESCRIPTION OF CALAMARIES TO THE MENOQUINA
INGREDIENTS for 4 people: 4 medium calamaries, 3 eggs, garlic and parsley, rallado bread, 1 liter of milk, ¼ of liter of cream, ¼ of almonds, flour, maizena.
AS IT IS PREPARED: The calamaries clean themselves and the body of the tentacles separates. These last ones go through the cabbage-cutter and 20 minutes are fried in a frying pan about. Once fried, one adds a crude egg, garlic to them and parsley, a rallado bread pinch and salt and removes everything until it has formed grazes uniforms.
Once done it grazes, the calamaries fill up and they are closed with a small stick. They are rebozan in flour and they are fried until they are gilded.
In a mud casserole milk is added and it is boiled to untimed fire. The calamaries add themselves and it is let warm up during other 20 minutes. Finally, we added a little maizena to thicken the set.
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