Farming
The 2012 wine harvest has started. It is always the […]
Customs & Traditions
Cooking and baking in Mallorca would be inconceivable without Saïm (Castellano: Manteca, Lard), just as cooking would be without olive oil. Saïm is pig fat in both its rendered and non-rendered forms, […]
Customs & Traditions
Time is relative. As Wikipedia puts it, time is used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change […]
Farming
According to legend, the pomegranate (Punica granatum) grew in the garden of Eden. The pomegranate is a great and versatile fruit; it has been cultivated and naturalised in the Mediterranean region […]
Animals
The eleven little piglets in my photo were fifteen days old or thereabouts when I took the photo a few weeks ago. All male piggies will be taken to the […]
Customs & Traditions
Pla i Llevant is a relatively recent wine region denomination, or, as it is called here in Mallorca, Denominació d’Origen. The denomination covers the region to the East of the […]
Customs & Traditions
Gatzolles, Trinxets, Ganivets, Porquers, Etxurats and Talós are the names for […]
Farming
When we first came to Mallorca, it was one of our first ambitions to have a lemon tree in our garden. We pretty soon succeeded in planting our very own […]
Animals
You may not be much into snails as a gastronomic treat or even as a pet but, this being a blog about Mallorca and its traditions and customs, snails it […]
Ecology
The Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (IMEDEA, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies) is a research centre, jointly run by the Consell Superior d’Investigacions Científiques (CSIC) and the Universitat de les Illes Balears […]
Customs & Traditions
One could argue that Mallorca lived a moment of advancement and prosperity during the period of Moorish jurisdiction. During that time (902-1229), progress was made by refining agricultural methods, by introducing […]
Felanitx
When my friend Andreu waved me down in the street a few days ago to tell me about a field of lentils (Lathyrus cicera) that he had discovered nearby I […]
Farming
One of my many Mallorcan delights is a small and delicate wild flower with up to twelve soft purple florets. They are wild gladioluses (Gladiolus italicus), also known as Common […]
Customs & Traditions
Out there in Mallorca’s vineyards, this year’s first young shoots have appeared. The grapes will start to form in May and will grow and ripen over the Summer, before the […]
Customs & Traditions
I am continually amazed about the cleverness and competence of Mallorcan farmers. Agriculture on the island may be on a historic low and in continuous decline but, the few pagesos […]
Farming
I am not trying to quote Charles Baudelaire today. The blossoming tree photo has nothing to do with his Fleurs du Mal. Instead, the tree flowers of spring attract bees and […]