21.07.2022 - Binissaida
The second edition of Binissaida Gastronómica, but above all the award obtained at the "London Olive Oil Competition Awards," indicates that this is our gastronomic year.
A prize-winning oil
That at home we have a treasure in the form of an olive plantation is something we have known for some time. Having it confirmed to us at an international competition, where the quality of the olive oil we produce in Sant Joan de Binissaida was evaluated, is the confirmation of that certainty. That is why we could not be happier when, last June, the jury of the "London Olive Oil Competition Awards" awarded our oil the silver medal in the quality category.
The production of olive oil is one of the pillars of the global project of Sant Joan de Binissaida. More than 1,200 producing trees fulfill the purpose of returning to the root of oil, in our eagerness to provide the estate with a space to develop an agricultural project in line with the biosphere reserve values that Menorca holds. 664 trees of the arbequina variety and 660 of koroneiki rise a few meters from the main building. And throughout the year, this space is cared for, watered, and protected using sustainable practices, both in the use of natural resources like water and in maintaining the optimal health of the olive trees. This is why in 2021, we obtained the qualification of organic farming from the Autonomous Community.
Receiving a silver award at an international competition like the one in London, where the best oil producers in the world compete, is the cherry on top of the year when Menorca is the European Region of Gastronomy. And Sant Joan de Binissaida contributes to that title with a local product like oil.
II Binissaida Gastronomic
Shortly before obtaining the silver medal for our oil, we had another small joy. This time, within the dry walls of Sant Joan de Binissaida. For the second year, we were able to celebrate the Binissaida Gastronomic day, with which we want to link the recovery of our land with haute cuisine.
This time we collaborated with the chef Jordi Vilà, chef of the alkimia and alkostat restaurants and National Gastronomy Award 2021. Vilà crafted a perfect discourse between local product and culinary tradition. He delved into the past, present, and future of Catalan cuisine, exploring the limits of this gastronomy, which, starting from tradition, also opens up to the most radical contemporary ideas. He did this accompanied by local Menorcan products, especially fresh fish and seafood. But also with other elements very present in Mediterranean culture such as olive oil, which we supply from the estate. However, to relive the experience that was our II Binissaida Gastronomic, we recommend you read José Carlos Capel in his Gastronotas. It is difficult to recover the smells and flavors if they have not been felt firsthand, but the journalist has given us an idea of how Vilà managed in the kitchen of Sant Joan de Binissaida.