In the ear

PalmThe tables were lined up in two long rows on either side, occupying both sides of the house. The work was finished; only the water, like spirits, danced in the cauldrons. The butchers chatted, shouted, and laughed. The madam gave the orders, and in an instant, the excitement subsided. Deep plates of rice appeared, followed by the boiled bones, and then the freshly made sausages and the old sobrasada from the previous year's slaughter—a veritable dialogue between past and present. Some asked for sugar to sprinkle on the sobrasada spread, and then came the ensaimadas, the peanuts, the oranges, and the dried apricots, coated in honey. The madam would pinch the pastry with two wooden sticks to caress it; she had fried them at the last minute so they would arrive at the table hot and crispy. After the tripe, some pastries remained on the plate, and I imagined them listening to the conversations until the honey sealed them in.

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that fried pastries were among the first sweets ever cooked. This is the case with buñuelos, orejones, crespells, and pestinyos, among others, which are made in a similar way. Orejones are a very old and traditional sweet typical of various regions in the Catalan Countries, especially in the interior of Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Balearic Islands. Although the name and shape may vary slightly depending on the location, they share a common base: a thin dough of flour, milk, lard, and eggs, fried and sugared, often flavored with ingredients such as anise, batafaluga (a type of aniseed), or orange or lemon peel. Due to its composition and preparation, it's a sweet that allows for large quantities, has many variations, and is ideal for parties and celebrations.

Slaughter and the Last Days

In Mallorca, dried apricots are primarily associated with pig slaughtering and the final days of the season. The first recipe book on the island to mention them is the compilation by Friar Jaume Martí Oliver, which briefly explains a recipe for a pastry made with crushed sugar, chaja flour, and eggs. These very thin crespells are gathered into a guatlereto shape (a fan-shaped garment ornament worn by women around their necks to close their shawls), fried, and served with honey and sugar. The recipe by Alcántara Peña in Mallorcan cuisine (1886) indicates that the flour should be ground on a day with little wind and sifted with the help of a very fine sieve, so that from one almud (a unit of dry measure) comes a bowlful of good Inca flour. In The practical cook (Felanitx, 1935) the white wine paste, while in others, collected by Antoni Tugores in A memory of Mallorcan cuisine (2004) use milk, anise, cazalla, or water. In Cuisine of a time and a country (2024), the same author writes another curious recipe, from Son Carrió: dried apricots stuffed with cream and prepared like a fried rubiolet.

In the case of Menorca, dried apricots (oranos or uranos) were eaten on June 23rd and also after the harvest and beating of the wheat. In the kitchen of Ca n'Squella, they are made with eggs, butter, oil, and sugar, while in the two recipes in the book 19th Century Cookbooks (Bárbara Soler and Bárbara Oliver) are made only with flour and eggs. Pedro Ballester indicates that milk, butter, or oil can also be added. In Ibiza, orejitas are a dessert associated with weddings, served after the banquet as a gift for the guests. Besides incorporating ingredients such as anise liqueur, batafaluga (a type of almond candy), or lemon zest, orejitas or Ibizan orejitas are distinguished by being thicker and by their shape, cut with the help of a serrated pastry cutter like the one usually used to make apricots.

Dried apricots take on their own shapes and flavors: very thin and crispy in some homes, thicker and more flavored in others, a festive treat or a summer memory. But they all stem from the same root, the same way of using and transforming the ingredients to share them.