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 Food and Drink |
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Food in Menorca
Menorca is abundant with unique culinary inventions and this fact is to be expected since this Spanish island is very fortunate to have been blessed with rich agricultural expanse that produces the freshest vegetables and other chief ingredients that are needed to come up with the finest dishes. Menorca is also lucky to be encircled by clean fresh sea water which explains the best Menorcan seafood pleasures, most especially the well renowned “caldereta de llagosta,” which is a delicious lobster stew.
Then again, the remarkable character of Menorcan cuisine did not just come about on its own. Several civilizations such as the Moors, the Catalans, the French and the English have contributed a lot to the island’s gastronomy and many Menorca restaurants make available these delightful dishes.
Cheese, the well loved dairy product, has been produced since very early times in Menorca. Proudly, every town in Menorca has a cheese making industry.
In this day and age, much local and international recognition has been given to the Menorcan cheese, having received a lot of awards such as the INTERFROM Award in Paris, France. Menorcan cheese comes in a wide selection of strengths and flavors. For example, the Mercadal cheese flavor is more suitable for those who are comfortable with the mild cheddar taste.
The island also serves as business quarters to a handful of Italian pizzerias, to quite a few Chinese restaurants and an exceptional Indian restaurant. In addition, the local specialty drink, Gin Xoriguer, which is distilled at the harbor of Mahon, is certainly worth trying.
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Two words that can adequately describe the Menorca menu are classic and mouth watering. Below is a list that will go over the main points of the indispensable foods to be tasted in Menorca.
· Lobster stew, or the “caldereta de llagosta,” which is most popular in the restaurants in the town of Fornells.
· Throughout the whole island, you may very well find a great selection of fish and shell fish, with sardines, sole, red mullet, squid, prawns, lobster and mussels as among the most easily recognized. Locals advice the tourists to be daring and try steaks or fillets of monkfish or rape (pronounced ra-pay), atún - tuna or mero - grouper.
· Other Menorcan specialties are oven-baked stuffed aubergines. Aubergines, more famous as eggplants, are a much loved component in kitchens all over the world. Since the occupancy of different cultures in Menorca, the locals have learned a lot of ways to cook and serve these deep colored aubergines that are easily accessible in the island’s agricultural areas. Aubergines are cored and stuffed with meat, rice, tomatoes and spices. Another aubergine dish of Moorish descent is the Imam bayildi, in which the filling is made of onions, garlic, tomatoes and parsley. Another way of cooking this vegetable is by roasting it, and afterwards baking it with mozzarella, parmesan and tomato sauce. However the aubergines are prepared, the Menorcan cooks will truly make sure that the finished product will satisfy the most discriminating of taste buds.
· Menorca also has a wide variety of sausages that include 'sobrasada' or ‘sobresada’ (which is made up of meat and bacon with a dash of paprika to aid in giving its red color), and 'camot' or 'cuixa' (black sausages flavored with fennel). Local sausages are by and large about 99% meat and are therefore very rich and tasty. These sausages are generally paired with bread when eaten.
· Flavorful and sweet pastries are also in abundance in the island of Menorca. One specific example is the delectable 'ensaimada' pastry, which is typically presented in a lovely box. Most Menorca inhabitants buy their bread on a daily basis, including Sundays. A traditional Spanish breakfast would include a cup of hot chocolate and croissant of ‘ensaimada.’
· Menorca also boasts of its variety of dishes with olives that go hand in hand with strings of dried peppers. The olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small trees that are usually found in the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region. With the island’s rich variety of olives, this flavorful ingredient is certainly an essential ingredient to many dishes of Menorca’s local gourmet. Olives and the processed extra virgin olive oil are never in shortage in almost all Spanish places, and thus can be purchased at reasonable price tags.
· The sumptuous roasted shoulder or leg of lamb is another one of Menorca’s specialties.
· Although it is a somewhat intricate dish to make, the Paella must be one of the basic food preparations that every Spanish cook has to know. It is a renowned favorite in the whole of Spain that it is almost a staple food. Menorca will of course always “step up to the plate” so to speak when it comes to coming up with Paella cooking. To the Menorca locals, Paella is an art, and it is truly a must-taste food in the island.
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Here are a few of the suggested places to fill up a hungry tummy in Menorca:
Café Baixamar (Moll de Ponent 17) For the best bites of cheese and sausages
Roma (Moll de Llevant 295) Delectable pasta and pizza eats
Valduero (Moll de Llevant 4. Tel. + 34 971 352 074) Rice restaurant with a romantic setting
Es Moli d’Es Reco (Es Mercadal. Tel. + 34 971 375 392) Best Oliaigua and Snails with mayonnaise
Ca’n Aguedet (Es Mercadal. Tel. +34 971 375 391) Best country style cuisine and sobrasada
Pa Amb Oli (Nou de Julio) Very affordable Menorca specialties
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