A Day in the Desert (Part II)

PalmIn the previous article, we discussed the origins of cheese up to the Middle Ages and how this food allowed for the use and preservation of milk. At that time, it was already consumed with meals and was also an ingredient in dishes. Sent Soví's Book Cheese was an important ingredient in sauces such as almadroc and ajo escasos, among others. In both cases, the cheese was chopped with garlic until a paste was obtained, which was then thickened with warm water. Egg yolks were added to ajo escasos, especially if the sauce was to accompany meat. Cheese was eaten raw or cooked in various ways, either boiled or fried. Boiled cheeses were small pieces of soft cheese used to accompany vegetables such as squash and spinach. They weren't boiled for too long and were usually added to the pot shortly before the end of cooking. It was also common to eat them at the end of a meal. The same was true for fried cheese. To cook it, slices of fatty cheese were cut and coated in a batter of flour and yeast. They were then fried and served dusted with sugar. Other important recipes include fritters and raolas, which are made from the same ingredients as the cheese slices, except that the cheese is grated and mixed with the risen batter and eggs. The raolas are fried by the spoonful, while the fritters are the size of an egg. Both are fried in lard and served with sugar. These recipes, as we will see, are the forerunners of some of the cheese recipes that appear in later Balearic cookbooks.

Cheese has a deeply rooted and diverse presence in our islands, both in its production and in the cultural and gastronomic role it plays. Each island has developed its own ways of making and eating cheese, despite sharing certain characteristics. In Menorca, cheese seems to have been present since the Talayotic period, or so indicates the discovery of ceramic remains that could have been used for its production. Both Arabs and Christians made reference in their writings to the island's significant production of cheese, meat, and wine. In the 13th century, these products were exported throughout the Mediterranean, but it wasn't until the 18th century that exports expanded into Europe, consequently increasing production. Since the port of origin was Mahón, it was mistakenly known as Mahón cheese or Mahón cheese, even though it was produced in other parts of the island.

Austere accompaniment

Cheese, a staple food for Menorcans, as Pere Ballester says, will take shape in a wide range of sweet and savory recipes; it will be a simple yet flavorful accompaniment and an ingredient in emblematic dishes. One of the first cookbooks where we can find different methods for cooking with cheese is theArt of cooking, by Friar Roger (18th century). The Franciscan friar transcribes some raolas cooked with sheep brains, cheese, eggs and sugar, fried by spoonfuls in butter, which directly refers us to the medieval formula of Sent Soví's BookOther interesting options include the egg omelet with fresh cheese and the walnut, cheese, and raisin tart. Caulas Recipe BookA contemporary of Friar Roger, he added an important recipe to this repertoire: queso con queso, made with very fresh cheese to avoid it being too salty. The Menorcan aristocratic cuisine used cheese in recipes as diverse as cheese flamencos (tocino de cielo) from the recipe book of the Salort family of Ciutadella and the raolas of ca n'Squella, direct descendants of the medieval recipe. Pedro Ballester, on the other hand, includes in I would receive (1923) the method for making cheese fritters, copied from the first one we mentioned, almost 600 years later. He also transcribes others such as macaroni, puff pastry tart, and flaon, where today's product will be the main ingredient for the filling or to provide the necessary flavor.

In Mallorca, the cheesemaking tradition is more dispersed and domestic. Antoni Tugores will transmit different ways of cooking it in A memory of Mallorcan cuisine (2004). Recipes such as cheese with béchamel sauce, pickled soft cheese, glazed cheese, cheese with chard, and cheesecake will be interesting ways to use it.