The Horeca fair in Palma is only open to people who work with food and has an invite. I was lucky enough to get to visit thanks to a good friend of mine. There were lots of stalls with food, desserts, drinks, table wear, equipment and uniforms from suppliers who are showing their products and looking for new clients. As you probably know Mallorca is dense with restaurants, hotels, bars etc so there was quite a lot of visitors as well.
There were talks and competitions and all sorts of things happening but I chose to focus on the produce to see if I could discover some new gems.
And I did, a few things really caught my attention.
Can Cavall Blau presented their locally made orange liquor. Think aperol but natural (no additives or colorants!) and more spices, delicious as a spritz or on the rocks. Mmm… I’m pretty sure I could taste summer.
Not the best photo but… At this stall I tried the best sashimi scallop I’ve had in my life. I was unfortunately more focused on conversation and tasting than taking pics… I promise I’ll get better. And I guarantee there will be more about these scallops here in the future.
Over to Catavinos to try a bit of cava. These guys have a great selection of wine both from Mallorca and other parts of the world!
Golden oysters straight from Atlantis, I mean Brittany.
I don’t really have a sweet tooth but if you put them in front of me I will eat them…
Salt from Es Trenc. The other side of the island from my perspective. Later this spring I’ll go visit their factory where they harvest the salt from the mediteranean. Next their stand there were local olive oil, I forgot to take a pic but I will pay one of the local producers visit later down the line as well. Both the salt and the oils were marked with “dominació d’Origen” which is a stamp of quality given to local products that fulfil the requirements.
I spent a couple of hours talking to old and new (for me) suppliers with beautiful products. I prefer using local and seasonal produce in my cooking but sometimes it’s nice to pick another organic and sustainable piece to add to the plate.
The horeca food fair was more than inspiring, I went home and started a whole different menu for 2025. The way it’s looking now I’ll have one menu for more traditional Mediterranean and middle eastern food, many of my clients of course want Mediterranean flavours since they are visiting Spain. As usual, farm to table style as many of the fincas where I work have their own veggie garden.
In addition I’ll develop a fun, more experimental menu that flirts a bit with asian flavours (personally that’s usually what I crave in summer), fresh and zesty, light and flavoursome. These dishes are still in developing stage but I thought I’d share some of them here with you as they are being perfected.
What would you prefer, traditional mediterranean or mediterranean with asian influences?
