The Traditional Food Commission of the Balearic Islands, attached to the Government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, yesterday approved the inclusion of the Porreres apricot and Ibiza honey in the Islands’ Traditional Food Catalogue.
As the government explained in a press release, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mae de la Concha; the Director General of Food Sovereignty Policies, Paula Valero; the heads of service of the Institute of Agri-Food Quality and Agriculture, representatives of the Porreres Town Hall and the Association of Beekeepers of Ibiza.
Last year a total of 12,600 kilos of honey were produced, with a market value of 315,000 euros
With these two new additions, the Catalogue now has 28 registered foods, 16 of which belong to Mallorca. Some of them are the Mallorcan ensaimada, black pig suckling pig, ‘gató’, Binissalem wine, capers, herbs and Flor de Sal de es Trenc, which was added last October.
With the inclusion of honey, there are now four foods from Ibiza in the catalogue, in addition to Ibiza wine, Ibizan herbs and olive oil.
The Catalogue, created in 2004, fulfils the objective of “preserving and revaluing the island’s food heritage”. For this reason, the Government stressed, it includes traditional Balearic foods, which must have been produced, processed or marketed for at least 30 years.
According to the Government, apricots have been grown in the Porreres region for many years, possibly more than a hundred. The product is usually marketed fresh, although in the past it was dried, along with many other variations, such as apricot jam, for example.
For its part, Ibiza honey is produced by bees from the nectar of flowers and from the sugary secretions of certain plants on the island.
3,225 hives
Today – the use of Ibiza’s honey dates back to 1660 BC – the island’s association of beekeepers has 3,225 hives, which represent 23.75 percent of the total in the Balearic Islands.
Last year a total of 12,600 kilos of honey were produced, with a market value of 315,000 euros, bearing in mind that the average price of this product is 25.54 euros per kilo.