Royal salads

PalmOn the door frame of the pantry, between the hinges, a stain of oil had turned black with age. The previous owners had used it as a press for years to sand and peel herring on the day they were due to eat. They placed the fish between brown paper and pressed it against the door until it burst. The size of the stain indicated that it had once been a prized food for the house's inhabitants. The little effort made to conceal it remained a presence, the dark shadow of a fish swimming on the wood.

Herring, due to its preservation and ease of transport, was one of the most consumed fish in areas far from the coast. The same was true of cod, which is why both are part of many of our dishes. In the fresher cuisine typical of the summer season, they have accompanied seasonal vegetables in the form of salads. One of the most popular is thethaw, a salad prepared with baby tomatoes, grilled or spring onions, black olives, and shredded herring or cod. In some versions, the cod is pre-seared, in others it's simply shredded. Antoni Tugores also describes his greenhouse version, called candy and cooked with roasted vine tomatoes. Dried fish is the fundamental ingredient in the peasant salad, a traditional dish from Formentera and Ibiza. In this case, it's usually ray or owl, previously dried in the sun. It's then toasted, shredded, and preserved in olive oil. In addition to the fish, the salad is made with boiled potatoes, roasted and raw peppers, spring onions, and sponge cake.

Potato Salads

The Ibizan book Enjoy (1967), a reference to the island's traditional cuisine, describes a salad prepared with boiled potatoes, green beans, tender peas, or the legumes and vegetables characteristic of each season. A recipe that is similar to other very similar ones such as the bean salad or the harvester's salad that Antoni Tugores collected in Felanitx (Memory of Mallorcan cuisine, 2004). On this occasion, potatoes, beans, and eggs are boiled. They are then cut together with a tomato and seasoned with oil and pepper on a board. Potato salads are common in summer, also as a way to use up leftovers from the stew. One of the most popular recipes is the Russian salad, which was introduced into our cuisine at the beginning of the 20th century. In the same book by Antoni Tugores, we find the Manacor potato salad, a curious recipe, somewhere between a Russian salad, a Swiss roll, or a covered cake. To make it, you need to make a bed of crushed boiled potatoes. In the center, place carrots, boiled beans, olives, capers, a boiled egg, tuna, toasted peppers, and onion. Then, cover with a layer of boiled potatoes and eat cold. Other traditional salads include temple salad, in its many versions, and toasted peppers and eggplant. Pere de Alcàntara Penya mentions a recipe for roasted eggplants in Mallorcan cuisine (1886) that are grilled in long, thin slices previously tempered with oil and aromatic herbs. Some summer salads that we feel are so much our own appear in very recent publications. On the other hand, the term salad already appears in theMirror by Jaume Roig (late 15th century). In our recipe books it is mentioned for the first time in the royal salad of Llabrés Recipe Book (19th century), a salad made with endive, celery, and whatever else you like (depending on the recipe). It's then seasoned with oil and vinegar and accompanied with pieces of pumpkin, pomegranate, and powdered sugar. A striking dish, but far from the image of a light and healthy salad.

It's worth highlighting the importance of American products such as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes in the preparation of our salads, and without them, we might still be eating pumpkin and sugar with our lettuce.