Wednesday 30 September 2020

Con Pescado- With Fish

I have talked about the importance of fish in the Mediterranean diet before. In the UK, Fish and Chips is one of the most popular dishes, now whilst I am a big fan too, battered and fried fish with fried potatoes is not a healthy meal even with all the benefits of fish. When I googled fish, it brought up nearby Fish and Chip shops which says a lot.

A Mediterranean diet incorporates the traditional healthy living habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including: Greece, Italy and Spain. The Mediterranean diet varies by country and region. But generally, it's high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. It usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods. Fish are important in the Mediterranean diet, which recommends consuming more fish (at least twice a week) than meat. Fatty fish; mackerel, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon and lake trout are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids. (A type of polyunsaturated fat that may reduce inflammation in the body)

Conveniently close to the Mediterranean Sea, it’s no surprise that people in the Mediterranean eat mostly locally sourced seafood. Seafood, both fish and shellfish, are consumed several times per week. Naturally, the fresher, the better when it comes to the quality and taste of seafood.

I added more fish to my diet, whilst staying in Spain. However, Spanish Pescaderías or fish markets can be very intimidating and very different to the fish counters in the UK. Whole fish are displayed on ice, with large shiny eyes staring up at you and gaping mouths revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. So many varieties are displayed it’s difficult to choose and certainly a linguistic challenge to explain what you want to buy.

In Mallorca, most of the fish on sale, is imported from mainland Spain due to the local decline. However, there are still some local varieties especially appreciated by the Mallorcans. Perhaps the most famous is the Gamba Roja de Sóller or Sóller Red Prawn which is fished daily and brought to Port de Sóller, where they are sold at the local fish market. These prawns can be eaten raw in carpaccio or tartare, baked in salt, fried or grilled. The most sought-after variety of fish is the raor or razorfish, which is considered the most coveted and expensive fish in the Balearic Islands. There are also plenty of Mediterranean rockfish species such as the caproig or the anfòs which are commonly used in stews. Popular local recipes include lobster casserole, sea bass in rock salt, seafood rice and greixonera de peix, a hearty fish stew cooked in an earthenware bowl. Which is my favourite way of eating fish in Mallorca. Native Mallorcans prefer their fresh seafood grilled with just a bit of salt and lemon and if you are sitting close to the sea this is just perfect. My local friends took me to a seafood restaurant and the meal its self was very simple, grilled fish and local vegetables without any sauce, but the freshness of both made it one of the best meals I have every had. The Balearic Islands have a lot of wonderful fish restaurants for ever budget, many with lovely views.

In Malaga, fried fish called pescaíto is the backbone of typical Malaga cuisine. Served at restaurants and beach bars throughout the city, plates of pescaíto are part and parcel of any Malagueños lunch or supper. Given its perfect seaside location, it probably comes as no surprise that one of the most popular tapas in Malaga is a form of seafood. The beachfront bars known as Chiringuitos, grill sewers of seafood known as espetos, sardines being the most popular, directly over an open flame on a grill made of an old fishing boat. Freshly fished from Malaga bay and grilled to perfection. If you only eat one thing while you’re here, make it these. I love to go for a long walk by the seafront and the sight and wonderful aromas of the Chiringuitos make it an unforgettable experience. There was talk about these been banned, to public outcry as these are so much part of the coastline.

Its impossible to visit Spain without having Tapas, and Malaga’s boquerones fritos, which are crispy fried anchovies are delicious and I don’t like the salty little fish usually. Octopus is also popular in Tapas, I can't say that I like it all that much, but I think its important to at least try local dishes.

If you are in Spain do remember that not only is fish good for health but it will be totally delicious too particularly with a chilled glass of wine and a sea front view.




Saturday 5 September 2020

Sea-Salt- Ses Saline’s d’Es Trenc

Now, I rarely use salt.I think processed table salt is just awful and I have found out recently just had bad it is for your health. Now despite the fact we’re constantly being advised to reduce our daily salt intake, this is the oldest and most used seasoning. Chefs and cooks can’t do without it!

Sea- salt does have greater health benefits, it has higher concentrations of magnesium, potassium, calcium and micro nutrients than table salt which makes it much better for us. In a warmer climate a degree of salt is required.

Mallorca combines the three factors needed for the production of pure and high-quality sea salt: crystal-clear sea water, high temperatures and sea breezes. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the extraction of this precious mineral started centuries ago. In fact, the first salt exploitation's in Mallorca date back to over 2,000 years ago. In recent times, this industry has grown significantly. The most important salt mines are located in Ses Salines d’Es Trenc. They produce an astounding amount of 15,000 tons of sea salt per year and cover an area of 172 hectares.

The Las Salinas factory produces salt in the method first used by the Phoenicians thousand's of years ago. The process of evaporation of the water in immense 'pans' produces pure, high quality salt. Las Salinas covers a vast area, as large man-made salt lakes on slightly different levels are required to process the gradually evaporating sea water as the salt crystals slowly form and are stored in great heaps. The salt is used for varying purposes; in industry, in the home, for chemical processes, water purification and in swimming pools. In cooking the salt can be used for everyday purposes both in fine and rough grains. The Flor de Sal (which translates as sea blossom salt) is a gourmet salt, which is a growing business as the demand increases for high quality, natural ingredients with home cooks and chefs alike.

Flor de Sal d’Es Trenc is harvested by hand. The salt workers still use traditional rakes to extract the salt flower from the surface of the water and then dry it under the sun. The production and packaging are also done by hand, a total of 15 people are involved in the process. The Flor de Sal is stored in natural baskets and then sun-dried the next day. Finally, it is flavoured with Mediterranean herbs and spices such as: orange, lemon, hibiscus, black olive, lavender and rosemary. Today’s ranges include limited editions, like curry and one with beetroot. All the additives, are fresh, natural, local and often organic. There is a plain variety which has nothing added or removed, making it a 100% natural. You only need to use a very small amount so it lasts for ages. My personal favourite is the lemon.

In fact, Flor de Sal d´es Trenc is the most precious salt in the Mediterranean and without a doubt one of the island’s most important products. Mallorca’s gastronomic reputation owes something to an enterprising Swiss-German woman, Katja Wöhr, who moved to the island in 2002. The previous year, she had been fascinated by the harvesting of Fleur de Sel during a visit to France. She came to Mallorca and was the first person to harvest and commercialise Flor de Sal from the salt marshes behind Es Trenc. Which is a white sandy beach within an officially protected area that’s home to 180 species of birds. In 2003, after obtaining the necessary licence, Katja and a friend began to harvest Flor de Sal manually, using the traditional French rake known as a lousse. Initially, they bagged the crystals and sold them, alongside an honesty box, at the entrance to the salt marshes. Visitors to the Es Trenc beach would buy the salt as a souvenir. Its still a great reminder of your holiday in Mallorca.

It was the involvement of Marc Fosh, the British chef and owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Marc Fosh in Palma who aided the product’s early success. 

Marc explains, I’d already been using my own home-made flavoured salts in my kitchen and suggested producing flavoured flor de sal to. We had several different tastings over the following weeks and finally decided on black olive, Mediterranean herbs, and hibiscus, as the first, flavours.

 He attributes the real success to Katja who was a real trailblazer and he was extremely happy to play a small part in the success of Flor de Sal d’es Trenc.

You can buy online on the Flor de Sal d’Es Trenc website and at the company’s four shops on the island of Mallorca. Specialist food stores around the world do stock the range too. There are lots of flavoured salts on the market these days, but as a non-salt lover these have really converted me to using and enjoying a little more salt.



Tuesday 1 September 2020

Carob Beans-Past and Future

Many of us haven’t ever heard or thought about carob bean since sometime in the 1990’s when it was  marketed as a healthy substitute for chocolate in our diets. It just didn’t quite catch on except for a certain type of health enthusiast. But with an abundant supply on Mallorca and some pretty serious health benefits, it may be time to take a second look at these bizarre-looking little pods with a long and important history on Mallorca.

Carob beans are actually legumes. They grow from old stems on short flower stalks, are quite broad and leathery-looking and can be as long as 30 centimetres in length. The taste is less bitter than chocolate and the flavour nutty. It’s naturally sweet, so additional sugar is often not required when used in cooking. The carob bean has an exceptional nutritional content and, in some circles, has been elevated to a super food category. Carob contains vitamins A, B, B2, B3 and D and it contains three times more calcium than milk. Carob is an excellent alternative to cocoa, as it is free from caffeine and fat. A powerful mix of fibre and minerals, it has been said it can help to reduce cholesterol and may even reduce the risk of heart disease as its contains antioxidants that can reduce high cholesterol.

One of Mallorca’s traditionally most important crops, the algarroba fruit or carob fruit. They are endemic to the Mediterranean and the Middle East where they have been cultivated for more than four millennia. The Algarrobo tree (Ceratonia siliqua or carob tree) is very characteristic of the Mediterranean region,carob trees love dry climates, and grow on land that isn’t much good for anything else. In Spain, it's the shape of the fruit that gave them their name, as Algarroba is the Persian word for "donkey's jawbone. Also known as “St. John’s Tree”, carob is even referenced in the Bible because, it is said that John the Baptist fed himself on carob beans in his time in the wilderness, which is why they are often called locust beans. The Moors first started growing carob as a crop and when the Spanish took over, they brought the tree to Mexico and South America. 

Its wood has traditionally been used as firewood, and its fruit, the carob, was used as feed for draught animals. There was a significant increase in the consumption of carobs between the last third of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, and this was linked to the consumption by animals. Large quantities of carobs were exported both abroad and to Spain, but the progressive decline in the use of draught animals reduced the demand in carob beans. However, other uses were found for the carob, such as in the industrial production of chocolate with carob substituting cocoa and in the extraction of sugars, alcohol and laxatives.

 During the period of the Spanish Civil War and the post-war years, in which much of Spain suffered famine. The pods were ground to make a flour which made a coarse peasant bread. The carob also took on a special significance in the production of foodstuffs that could not be easily imported, such as coffee. In rural Mallorca there was at least one tree, planted close to the houses for shade and for the simple fact that it supplied nourishing food in times of the greatest need. During the Spanish Civil War children chewed on algarrobas as their favourite sweets.

The annual algarroba harvest is during September and October. You will see Mallorcan farmers beating long dark carob beans off their trees with long sticks. Unfortunately, in Mallorca over the last few years Algarrobo trees are more and more neglected. The cost of manpower is too high nowadays to harvest the carob pods and the cost per kilo too low. So, as with the majority of traditional cultivations, the carob tree has been in recession.

But all is not lost. Carob is an organic product and completely vegan and a developing market does exist, companies are looking at new ways to use these abundant crops and there is also a recovery foundation to help save the trees. In collaboration with APAEMA  – Association for the Ecological Farming Production of Mallorca, the Mallorca Preservation Foundation is funding the regeneration of 2000 non-productive carob trees in Mallorca from 2020.

For three generations, the family business of Es Garrover de Mallorca has been dedicated to the production and transformation of carob beans for animal consumption. However, Juana Verger decided to grow, process and sell organic Mallorcan carob intended for human consumption too.

Under the brand Johannis, Es Garrover de Mallorca produces a wide range of wonderful carob products. The passion dedicated in returning that superb qualities of carob to human consumption is a wonderful example of how talent and determination can return to agriculture and return the lost treasures of our ecosystem back into our diets and support our good health.

 https://www.esgarroverdemallorca.com/

I hope if you able, you will try some of these products. The Carob tree is very much part of the landscape of Mallorca and it would a terrible lose if they disappeared.