GASTRONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS FROM THE BALEARIC ISLANDS

Balearic cuisine is a reflection of traditional Mediterranean gastronomy, respected for its uniqueness, variety and opulence, infused with fresh, ripe and all-natural products. The favourable climate and year round warm temperatures of the Balearic Islands helps natural products grow and bloom into some of the most flavoursome foods in the Mediterranean.

Delicious island fruit and vegetables ripen in the Balearic sunshine and vary throughout the year, whilst its unique geographic position means that fresh seafood and fish are available all year round. In the Tramutana mountain range luscious olive groves produce juicy, olives full of flavour and the citrus fruit orchards in the Soller valley grow the most aromatic citrus fruit in Europe.

Ibicenco cuisine (from Ibiza) is characterised by fresh, local ingredients used in traditional recipes that have been passed on for generations. A typical Ibicenco dish is Guisat de Peix, a fish stew made with fresh fish, tomatoes, beans and potatoes infused with local herbs and spices. Locals are also fond of deserts such as Flao, a soft cheese tart made with spearmint, typically enjoyed after a satisfying meal overlooking the sea. Hierbas Ibicencas is a true representative of Ibizan gastronomy. A digestive liqueur that has been produced on the island for over two hundred years, Hierbas Ibicencas is made with a combination of the extracts and flavours of a variety of plants.

Mallorcan cuisine offers a taste of the cultures that has shaped the island's personality. Fresh seafood and fish dishes are the most popular in Mallorca and are used in the renowned Sopes Mallorquines along with home grown vegetables. Ensaimades, sweet pastries filled with toasted custard or a sweet pumpkin filling, are one of the many gastronomic delights of the island and are eaten for breakfast, as a snack or for desert.

The island responsible for the creation of mayonnaise, Menorca, also boasts an impressive and exquisite gastronomic scene. Queso de Mahon is a typical Menorcan produce enjoyed on fine summer evenings and washed down with delicious local wines. Despite its size, Formentera, the smallest of the Balearic Islands certainly serves a memorable culinary punch. Surrounded by sea, fresh seafood such as lobster and shell fish as well as freshly caught fish grilled and served with local vegetables are typical meals found in local restaurants, served with chilled wine from the area such as Terramoll and Es Cap de Barbaria. The influx of Italian tourists which has slowly increased on the island over the last decade has had an important impact on Formentera's cuisine, where traditional Balearic dishes can have a subtle Italian finish such as seafood risotto, alongside Balearic rice dishes and paellas.

The Balearic Islands have long been recognised for the quality of food offered but now, a range of exciting gastronomic developments firmly put the Balearics on the map as a top gastronomic destination. Below is an outline of some of the most exciting gastronomic developments in the Balearic Islands.

MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANTS IN THE BALEARICS

Collectively the Balearic Islands now have a total of eight Michelin stars of which seven are in Mallorca and one is in Formentera. Two of the Michelin stars were awarded in 2015; to Simply Fosh and Andreu Genestra located in Palma de Mallorca.

Simply Fosh, run by British expat and culinary legend Marc Fosh, serves traditional Mediterranean cuisine with fresh and local produce. Located in the Hotel Convent de la Missio, Simply Fosh is Palma de Mallorca's premier culinary destination with a menu that changes seasonally.

Also located in Palma de Mallorca, Andreu Genestra restaurant , named after its owner Andreu earned its Michelin star for its own take on traditional Mallorcan gastronomy. Andreu Genestra travelled across Europe working with some of the most influential characters in the culinary world before opening his own restaurant in Palma.

In 2014, the gastronomic scene of the Balearics was awarded another Michelin star, the first for the island of Formentera. The Cani Dani restaurant, located on the smallest of the Balearic Islands, received the star in recognition for its traditional cuisine that uses quality local products.

The other Michelin starred restaurants include; Es Moli d'en Bou run by Tomeu Caldentey in Coma in the municipality of Sant Llorenç. ( www.esmolidenbou.es), Zaranda located in Capdella on the island of Mallorca (www.zaranda.es), El Jardin in Mallorca run by Maca de Castro (www.restaurantejardin.com), Es Fum run by Chef Rafael Sanchez in Palma de Mallorca (www.restaurant-esfum.com) and Es Raco des Teix located in the mountains of Deia on the island of Mallorca and run by owner and head chef Josef Sauerschell (www.esracodesteix.es).

San Juan Gourmet Market opened in Palma

San Juan Gastronomic Market opened this summer in Palma in the emblematic S'Escorxador cultural centre.  Following investment of more than two million euros, the market will be open all day, every day throughout the year and offers tapas as well as traditional Spanish market supplies. Visitors to Palma can enjoy 17 food stalls, a cocktail bar, coffee stall and patisserie, terraces and spaces for cooking classes, private tastings and show cookery.  www.gastronomicosanjuan.es

NEW RESTAURANTS

SANT ANDREU

Part of the same restaurant group as the renowned Patron Lunares, Sant Andreu is located in the heart of Palma and offers a mix of modern and classic Spanish design, with tiled flooring, a tapas and coffee bar and rustic elements such as a display of dried red chillies and ropes of garlic bulbs. Open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sant Andrew serves a range of tapas, such as Sobresada (cured sausage) with Mahon cheese or octopus and potatoes, as well as the famous Mallorcan ensaimadas (a type of warm coiled pastry) and a choice of international cuisine, fresh fish and local and international wines. www.santandreupalma.com

LA ROSA VERMUTERIA

Opened this summer with a design to reflect Spain's old fashioned drinking establishments, La Rosa Vermuteria commemorates the custom of “la hora del vermut” or “Vermouth time” when aperitifs and tapas are enjoyed.  With a retro aesthetic, market cuisine, pintxos and classic tapas such as La Gilda (olive, guindilla pepper and an anchovy served on a cocktail stick) or mussel croquettes.
Serving good quality produce, cured meats and preserves, La Rosa Vermuteria is a great new spot for food lovers and is popular from 8pm (especially from Thursdays to Saturdays).
www.larosavermuteria.com

New design restaurant GP Café opens in Palma
Located in the heart of Palma on Paseo del Borne, GP Café is the first Spanish opening of the Ginza Group, designed by the prestigious Barcelona based interior design company Lazaro Rosa Violan. Blending traditional Spanish features such as low hung fans and woven baskets with clean Scandinavian lines, pendent lamps and marine colours, GP Café creates a comfortable and contemporary space which perfectly reflects its Balearic location.

www.facebook.com/gpcafepalmaborn

WINE TASTING IN THE BALEARICS

Formentera boasts a long standing wine making tradition where the local wine is cherished due to its unique taste; a result of using ungrafted grapevines during the wine making process, where in most European countries grafted vines are used.

Terramoll and Es Cap de Barbaria are two wine tasting shops in Formentera famous for high quality products. The wines have been made exceptional thanks to the care given to the grapevines and the attention to details carried out throughout the entire wine making process.

Wine tastings at Terramoll are open from Tuesday to Fridays at 19.00PM. The tours include a guided visit around the vineyard and the shop, a menu of three wines and an aperitif with Balearic products. www.terramoll.es   www.capdebarbaria.com

Ibiza has an important wine tradition due to the strong influence through the history of the Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians. The wines produced on the island are deeply aromatic, provocative and balsamic due to the local varieties of grapes that are used such as; Monastrell (mountverde) and Granacha (Grenache) in terms of red wines, whilst Malvasia stands out amongst the white wines. Ibizan wines are primarily produced in Sant Mateo, Buscatell and Sant Josep. A number of wineries offer wine tasting tours: Can Maymo in Mateo on the north of the island, Can Rich which is the biggest winery on the island situated in Buscatell and Sa Cova in San Mateo. www.bodegascanmaymo.com www.bodegascanrich.com  www.sacovaibiza.com

Wine making has also been a part of Mallorcan living for centuries and has always been a part of the island's gastronomic scene. Mallorca's main wine producing areas are Es Binissalem, Pla i Llevant and the areas around the Tramuntana mountain range. Local varieties in Mallorca include Callet, Manto Negro and Moll, all made with a different variety of grape making unique and tasteful wines.

Like its neighbours, Menorca has a strong wine making tradition however production was interrupted after the end of the British rule and several times thereafter. Locals have had to work hard to revive the wine industry on the island. Over the past few decades several vineyards have begun to cultivate different varieties of grapes in a bid to revitalise the trade. The island now counts four wineries that offer both wine tastings and guided tours around the vineyards: Vine Sa Cudia in S'Albufera des Grau Nature Park, Vinas Binifadet near the village of San Luis, Ferrer de Muntpalau in Es Mercadal and Bodega Vi de S'IIIa in Alaior. After years of determination, Menorca now has an IIIa de Menorca regional wine denomination that includes red and white varieties.

www.vinyasacudia.com/uk/malva.htmlwww.binifadet.com/en/ www.bodegasmenorquinas.com/

-ENDS-

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