Paisaje del que la familia Marí Mayans extrae, desde hace más de un siglo, los ingredientes para elaborar destilados de manera artesanal con 25 tipos de plantas que componen su recetario, como el licor de frígola (tomillo), el de palo y, por supuesto, el de hierbas ibicencas. ENG They say Ibiza is different in summer than in win- ter. But that’s not entirely true, because when club tourism, the one centred around big nightclubs, comes to an end, another kind of attraction emerges, one that’s full of flavour all year round: its cuisine. Ibiza combines island tradition with haute cuisine, both supported by high-quality, locally sourced produce. Black pork, lamb, olive oil, wine with Designation of Origin, salt, organic produce and honey, all with a seal of quality, come together with local fish and seafood to create a palette of flavours that flourishes at this time of year. ‘We don’t do trendy cuisine here; we do traditional food, but done well. Nothing goes to waste, whatever’s lefto- ver gets reinvented,’ explains Nuria Riera, owner of the Ca n’Alfredo restaurant. Located in the heart of Ibiza Town and founded in 1934, it’s an institution that values locally sourced produce and respects the island’s traditional rec- ipes. Here you can enjoy cocas (flatbreads), ensalada payesa (Ibizan salad), fritá de pulpo con patatas (octopus and pota- to stir-fry), or borrida de ratllada (stew made with ray fish), along with traditional desserts like flaó (mint-flavoured cheesecake). Monkfish ‘suquet’, yes, but also mole In Cala Vedella, in Sant Josep, you can enjoy the sea in both senses. Just a few metres from the shore lies Moisés Machado’s restaurant Cana Sofía, which pays homage to the Mediterranean with fish and seafood from the island. ‘We don’t like complicated things, we want the flavour to stand out, not the technique,’ he says. Here, you must try the Ibizan garlic prawns with sea tripe and chickpeas as well as the monkfish suquet. The island offers a broad range of innovative cuisine, and it’s also protected from the outset by institutions such as Eating in Ibiza, the Product Club for the Promotion of Tourism in Ibiza. ‘We want to showcase the richness of our sea and our land, always favouring local producers,’ they say. One of the island’s best culinary ambassadors is French chef David Grussaute, from the Unic restaurant in Platja d’en Bossa, one of Ibiza’s five Michelin-starred establish- ments. His menu is an exercise in sublime creativity, offer- ing dishes such as moray eel with verdinas (green beans) or potera squid, caught using a hand line, snails and chlo- rophyll. ‘It’s contemporary cuisine blending French and Mediterranean influences,’ they explain. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that everything here happens in view of the sea and sunsets, even if you’ve only come to eat. Both experiences can be enjoyed at Cala Bou, in Sant Antoni, from the terrace of the Can Salia hotel, before stepping into its Taste of Salia restaurant. Miguel López is the chef here, reinventing local products with creations such as katsu sando de porc negre with ancestral mole, a highlight from his menu. ‘If the product isn’t good, there’s no point in manipulating it,’ he adds. From honey to liqueurs One of Ibiza’s most little-known products carries a Protected Designation of Origin: honey. Whether it’s multi- floral, clover, thyme, carob or heather, Vicente Marí Torres, president of the Ibiza Beekeepers’ Association, sums up what this product means to the island: ‘It’s not just honey; it’s the landscape made into food.’ From this very landscape, the Marí Mayans family has been extracting ingredients for over a century to craft artisanal liquers using 25 types of plants in their recipes, including frígola (thyme) liqueur, palo liqueur and, of course, Ibizan herb liqueur. Licor de hierbas de Marí Mayans // Marí Mayans herbal liqueur. © Pedro Díaz Ayala Vicent Marí, presidente de la asociacion de apicultores de Ibiza // Vicent Marí, president of the Ibiza Beekeepers’ Association.