Shells

PalmWe used to play on the seashore, mostly digging holes that would soon fill with water. We would have loved for starfish and seahorses, like the ones we saw in other children's plastic buckets, to suddenly inhabit them. Sometimes we went to the reefs where the rocks fiercely sheltered the snails. I was never able to bring myself to eat them. They had the strength of the sea in their bodies and their taste, perfectly camouflaged in their surroundings. If the waves wouldn't let us swim, we would look for crabs in the crevices of the rocks. It wasn't easy to fool them because our little feet betrayed us, and they would soon retreat into dives impossible for us. Some of these species are now protected, and although I'm relieved I was never the cause of their disappearance, it pains me to know they are in such a fragile state.

Clams, mussels, oysters, clams, sea snails, dates, and scallops, among others, have been an accessible food source for coastal communities since prehistoric times. In classical antiquity, they were already prized by both fishermen and wealthy Romans. The former consumed them as an easy and free source of protein; the latter, on the other hand, ate them at refined banquets. In Apicius's cookbook, oysters and mussels appear cooked with garum, raisin wine, leeks, cumin, and wine. During the Middle Ages and the modern era, their consumption remained, but it was limited and associated with populations that lived off fishing. Master Robert, the Coach Book (16th century) describes how to prepare tellinas, which must first be placed in cold water to release the sand inside. They are cooked in two ways: toasted on embers, in salads with herbs and spices, and warmed in almond milk with aromatic herbs.

Relationship with the sea

The earliest Menorcan cookbooks from the 18th century reflect a very close relationship between the sea and the island's inhabitants. Fish and shellfish are frequently mentioned, with recipes that demonstrate how integrated marine products were into the diet. Friar Roger transcribed different ways of cooking cockles, dates, and other larger mollusks such as the horn clam, from which the fish was used while the entrails, considered rough and unpleasant, were discarded. Pedro Ballester, in De re Cibaria, He writes that if he wanted to remove the fish, he had to hang the horn on a stake. Over time, with the weight, it would detach, and then he only had to boil it. The engraved and smooth cockles and the clams (from the English shellThey will feature prominently in several dishes from Menorcan cookbooks, cooked very simply over embers and warmed with cloves and pepper on board. Another highly prized bivalve on the island is the date mussel, one of the most strictly protected marine species in the Mediterranean today. Its appearance resembles a date palm, and it lives embedded in rocks, where it excavates a small tunnel for shelter. Harvesting it requires breaking the surrounding rock, which destroys the entire coastal ecosystem. Therefore, its capture, sale, and consumption have been prohibited for decades.The art of cooking, Friar Roger's are cooked with rice on grills. De re Cibaria They are made in mayonnaise: they are boiled and parsley, garlic, chopped bread and pepper are added on board.

In Mallorca, copinyes recipes are also usually simple, cooked in their own water with spices. Some more elaborate versions involve making a paste with cooked fish, capolat (a type of sauce), and sofrito (a sautéed mixture) using flour and milk. The copiñas (small clay pots) are then filled and baked in a drum oven or in the oven. Pegelidas (small, round fish) are very popular in Ibiza and Mallorca, where they are eaten raw, boiled, or toasted. Popular Mallorcan cuisine (Sóller, 1931) It is recommended to boil them first to loosen their shells and then sauté them with onion, garlic, and parsley.

The recipes we have for these mollusks, although not abundant, show us a simple cuisine that respects and makes the most of the resources the sea offers. For today's recipe, I've adapted Fray Roger's smooth cockles, an excellent way to make a quick and tasty appetizer that can be adapted to different types of clams.