The Es Bosc Vell estate in Petra was the setting this Thursday for the visit of some fifteen international gastronomic prescriptors to learn about the production system of Mallorcan porc negre, the only native breed of pig on the Balearic Islands. The prescriptors, who came from countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland and the United States, highlighted the quality and high level of animal welfare of the Mallorcan black pigs after visiting the farm. “We have come to see the high quality products of Mallorca and these pigs are a very special case, because they have a lot of space in the open air and this is very positive,” said Philipp Elsbrock, director of the German magazine specialising in gastronomic products, ‘Falstaff’.
TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
This reverse trade mission was coordinated by the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and organised by ICEX (Spain Exports and Investments), a public business entity linked to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. The event was attended by the Regional Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mae de la Concha, and the Director General for Food Sovereignty Policies, Aram Ortega, who emphasised that these actions are “essential to make our produce known outside Spain and thus internationalise the product, and that this gives it more prestige”. Luis Miguel Herrero, head of ICEX in the Balearic Islands, explained that the aim of these missions is that “the prescribers get to know the products and the companies, and then write favourably about them in the media where they work”.
The international opinion leaders tasted products made with Mallorcan black pigs. Specifically, sausages, chickpea hummus with essence of Mallorcan black pig sobrassada, Mallorcan black pig neck fillet and ensaimada made with Mallorcan black pig saïm with almonds from the PGI Almendra de Mallorca.
Pairing with Mallorcan and Eivissa wines “with a lot of personality”.
Mallorcan and Eivissa wine also accompanied this meal. The sommelier of the Zaranda restaurant, Josep Juhé, chosen as the best sommelier of the Balearic Islands 2022, was in charge of the tasting. Four wines were served, one for each of the dishes. The appetizer was paired with an indigenous single-varietal white wine, from Giró Ros, from the Pla i Llevant DO of Mallorca; the first course was served with an indigenous single-varietal red wine, from Manto Negro, from the Binissalem DO; the second course, with an indigenous single-varietal red wine, from Callet, from Vi de la Terra de Mallorca; and the desserts, with a sparkling white wine from Vi de la Terra de Eivissa. One of the invited prescriptors, who specialises in wine, stressed “that the wines of the Balearic Islands have a great future, they are pleasant and have a lot of personality, and furthermore, Mallorca has many native varieties, such as gorgollassa, giró ros and mantonegro, and many interesting wines are made”.
The reverse cheese mission in Subaida and Son Vives
The journalists and opinion leaders are travelling to Menorca this Friday, 1 April, to learn about the process of making Mahón-Menorca PDO cheese. The reverse mission will consist of a visit to the Subaida estate to see how the cheese is made, followed by a visit to Son Vives, where they will take part in a session on the sensory analysis of the cheese by an expert taster from the Regulatory Council of the Mahón-Menorca PDO. They will also have the opportunity to taste the product with a menu based on croquettes, eggs, jams, cakes, sausages, wine and oil from Menorca. Every year 3,161 tonnes of cheese and 2,500 tonnes of cheese under the Mahón-Menorca PDO are produced in Menorca.