The cake shop
Ca na Maru was chosen as the winner of the competition “El Dolç Talaiòtic”, with a small cake glazed with white chocolate, and made with almond, lemon, Minorca honey, local figat fig jam and rosemary. The vice-president and conseller for Culture, Miquel Àngel Maria, and the president of APAME (Menorca's Professional Association of Cake-making, Baking and Related Trades), Jose A. Jiménez, handed over the
5,000 euro prize to the winner at a ceremony held this afternoon at Menorca Museum.
The aim is for both residents and visitors to
associate this new desert with Talayotic Menorca, and have the chance to buy it at cake shops around the island. The event was also attended by the conseller for Economy, Josep Pastrana, and the island's director of Culture, Raquel Marqués.
The jury highlighted the creativity and originality of the entry by Mariluz Riudavets and Aleix Canovas of Ca na Maru, as well as the use of flavours so redolent of
Menorca's fresh, rocky landscape, such as rosemary, figat and lemon. The judges also appreciated the fact that it was a cake of appropriate size and consistency for transportation, as the contestants had to make provision for possible sale and shipment outside Menorca.
A total of five participants submitted desserts for the competition, all fulfilling the requirement that the dish should be an original creation that had not previously been put on sale. The other four finalists were El Diamante, Herbera Bakery, Pastisseria i Gelats Ca’n Sintes, and Pastisseria Artesana Lluís Febrer, each of whom received 500 euros and a Talayotic Menorca kit.
During the awards ceremony, the conseller of Culture wished to emphasise the importance of actions to publicise the Talayotic Menorca World Heritage nomination, beyond the specific field of archaeology and heritage conservation. "The nomination belongs to all of Menorca's society, and we are seeing an increasing number of public, business and institutional initiatives espousing the project and adding their own distinctive element to it. This Talayotic dessert is a new experience, destined to become a symbol of the way in which the whole of Menorca has signed up to this cultural venture," the conseller emphasised.
For his part, the
president of APAME stressed the technical quality of all the entries, and his hope that the initiative would help achieve Talayotic Menorca's World Heritage declaration by UNESCO. He also wished to thank all the participating businesses for their effort, as well as the altruistic contribution made by the jury members.
The event attracted a large crowd, and was rounded off with a family photo of the dignitaries and participants in the competition. The attendees then had the chance to sample Talaiòtica beer, an initiative courtesy of the nomination organisers, Menorca Museum and Grahame Pearce, derived from analysis and research into one of the most distinctive exhibits of Talayotic culture: the high-based beaker.
Jury members
The competition jury comprised: Pep Pelfort, researcher and director of the Gastronomic Study Centre; Marga Cursach, gastronomic researcher and member of the IME; Sonia Sintes, author of the gastronomic blog “Simfonia del meu rebost”; Santi Tadeo, manager of COINGA; Maria Mascaró; and Antoni Sansaloni, president of the Menorca Association of Cafeterias, Bars and Restaurants.
Organised jointly by APAME and the CIM, the competition “El Dolç Talaiòtic” represents a further initiative within the Talayotic Menorca Communication Plan. The winning desert will become the property of APAME, which will distribute the method and composition among all of its member organisations so that they can then put it on sale.