Ibiza in Autumn: Salt, Squid and the Slow Season at the Table
As the clubs close, Ibiza's kitchens turn to salt flats, red mullet and slow farmhouse cooking. Here is what to eat on the island this autumn.
When the closing parties wind down in October, Ibiza shows its quieter side, and many islanders think it is the better one. Autumn here slows everything down. The flavours deepen, mushrooms return and pork takes centre stage, with menus built around earthy, seasonal dishes. For anyone who loves to eat, this is the season to be on the island.
A Salt Fair Turns Ten
This month the Fira de la Sal in Sant Jordi celebrated its tenth anniversary. Workshops, food and island traditions filled the fair, although rain forced the cancellation of Sunday's programme. The fair is held each October in the Ses Salines natural park, and it honours the sea salt that shaped Ibiza's history. Its signature dish is ossos amb col, pork bones with cabbage, served on the opening day. On the Sunday, visitors can usually watch a recreation of the manual salt harvest as it was done until the 1960s. That flaky white salt is worth carrying home. A finishing pinch lifts a plate of tomatoes, a grilled fish or a simple boiled potato.
What Is at Its Best Now
The island's tourism authority lists pomegranates, grapes, avocados and apples among the autumn fruits. The vegetables include cauliflower, pumpkin, peppers, green beans, aubergines and sweet potatoes. The sea is generous too, with bonito, tuna, red mullet, conger eel and mackerel in season. Local cooks also turn to carob, sobrassada and pork, and the cooler weather brings back the stews and casseroles that were set aside in the summer heat.
Two traditional dishes suit this time of year. Bullit de peix is built around Mediterranean fish and potatoes, and it remains one of the island's defining recipes. Sofrit pagès, the farmhouse classic, is a slow, comforting dish that Eating in Ibiza, the island's food-promotion club, revisited in a feature published on 21 October.
The local table has a sweeter side as well. After the harvest, the Can Rich winery near Sant Antoni offers guided tours that end with three wines, the island's Hierbas Ibicencas liqueur, cured meats, cheeses, bread and organic olive oil.
The Autumn Food Calendar
Autumn is also the season of Ibiza's food fairs. The island's gastronomic calendar lists the Calamari Gastronomic Fair in October and the Octopus and Red Potato Fair in November. In December, Sant Llorenç holds the Fira de sa Matança, the traditional slaughter fair. In Ibiza Town, the dTAPASxIBZ gastronomic route opened on 21 October. It is an easy way to graze through the old town's kitchens.
Eating well on the island does not need a long itinerary. A morning at a village market for the first pomegranates and a crate of peppers can become a long lunch on a terrace. The meal might be red mullet with a little sea salt, a pumpkin dish, a slow stew and something sweet made with carob or almonds. The light turns golden in the afternoon, and the island is calm enough to enjoy it without hurry.
If you would like to enjoy that kind of autumn table at your villa, World Private Chefs would be delighted to arrange a private chef in Ibiza for you.
