As the Spanish saying roughly goes, “Seek from the sea grouper, and from the land, lamb”, a recommendation that seems conceived especially for Ibiza, considering that, in years gone by, lamb, along with kid goat, pork and fowl, were the only meats available on the island, while grouper was held as the best fish that could be served at any...
Restaurants in Ibiza, Es Torrent included, usually serve an appetizer when people sit down, typically consisting of a little bowl of ‘all i oli’ sauce, some olives and a basket of the island’s characteristic country bread. Each restaurant has its own special touch, some making the sauce stronger, some milder, some adding a hint of tartness with a few drops...
When preparing traditional Ibicenco mariner’s stews, restaurants tend to use fleshy cuts of fish with few bones. In “bullit” or “guisat de peix”, for example, the most common varieties are grouper, scorpionfish, John Dory, monkfish, snapper, bream, etc. But, fishermen themselves will use all kinds of fish, some of which, though bonier, are truly tasty. Among these, the most noteworthy...
In less than a month, on 20th April, Es Torrent will reopen its doors and officially kick off the season. Counting this one, 32 summers have come and gone since 1986, when we first christened that little wooden shack – which has evolved into the restaurant we have today, ever retaining the beach-bar spirit that has always characterized us. Es Torrent...
Throughout the year, every village in Ibiza celebrates its patron saint festival in the time-honored fashion. These events bring together two main ingredients in order to invoke the alchemy of Pitiusan culture, namely, folklore and gastronomy. “Ball pagès” is the name given to the traditional folk dance of Ibiza and Formentera. Ancient and rural in character, it is, in fact, an...
Ibiza has been harvesting its extensive salt pans for over 2,600 years, when the Phoenicians inhabited the island. Until the arrival of tourism, the salt industry was the principal source of income for the Pitiusan archipelago and provided work for hundreds of islanders. However, beyond Ibiza, the use of salt as a gastronomic element is even older. Today, the Es...
The red prawn, the lobster, the crayfish, the clam, the razorfish, the oyster…these exquisite varieties of seafood are known all over the world thanks to their gastronomic excellence and superb flavor. There is, however, another shellfish, just as delicious but less touted – perhaps due to its easy availability and reasonable price at the fish market – so much more...
Fish from Ibiza constitutes one of the island’s most characteristic and exquisite products. But how can we identify it? How can we really be sure that what we have before us is a specimen caught in Pitiusan waters? For, as in any other European city, tons of fish from far and wide arrive every day in Ibicenco markets. The answer...
In a previous post we discussed the pig slaughter, one of Ibiza’s most important gastronomic traditions, as well as the typical dishes that are prepared in conjunction with this festive occasion. Today we will turn our attention to the sausages that come from it: sobrasada (red sausage) and butifarra (black sausage). In days gone by, Ibiza was an island on which...
The history of Ibiza cannot be understood without its fishing activity. Thanks to archaeologists, we now know that even in Phoenician and Carthaginian times there was organized fishing. The industry escalated under the Romans, who set up factories to preserve fish and garum – the ketchup of the day, made from fish flesh and innards – products which were then...
