Small though it may be, Ibiza still has an astonishing variety of deliciously edible products which contain the very essence of the island. Its soil, sea breezes, sunshine and rainfall all combine to produce the 'taste of Ibiza' when we consume its products.
Take honey for example, as at the moment a study is being carried out with the aim of giving the honey produced in Ibiza its own denomination 'Mel d'Eivissa' to set it apart from other honey. Island bee-keepers say that the mix of pollen from wild thyme, rosemary, other herbs and carob gives Ibiza honey a unique flavour which should be preserved.
Meanwhile over in Miami one of Ibiza's best wines, a 2002 Es Divi, from San Jose bodega Vins de Tanys Mediterranis is representing the island in the 5th International Wine Fair. The wine, a red made from monastrell grapes grown on 100 year old vines, should do well in Florida which is the second biggest market – worth $1700 million a year – in the united States.
Finally, the production of salt, which relies solely on sunshine and seawater, has dropped by 18% this year to 39,400 tonnes. One of the main reasons for this is the heavy rains we had last winter which diluted the water/salt concentration in the ancient salt pans.
Ironically, much of the salt which is exported from Ibiza arrives back here in the form of bacalao – cod which is heavily salted to preserve it on the long journey from Scandinavian countries. The first thing we do when we get the fish is to soak it in water overnight to extract all the salt before cooking!