Raolas, a dish that comes to us from the Arabs (I)

One of the oldest gastronomic preparations that we have in Menorca and Mallorca are raolas, also called flirtatious in the eastern part of the island or as we find them in ancient manuscripts with the name “ravoles”. In our kitchen we will find meat, fish, vegetables, legumes or eggs among others… although in Menorca the most typical and typical are endive, which is what we call escarole.

Raola is, according to the great Catalan master and gourmet Jaume Fàbrega (author of the books “The Kitchen of Menorca” and “The Kitchen of Mallorca, among many others), “a medieval preparation with a name of Arab origin that is still made in Menorca and Mallorca and which can be defined as an oblong mass of minced meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, legumes, potatoes, etc., kneaded with milk or another liquid and fried, once coated or dipped in beaten egg, flour and bread crumbs”.

Raolas already appear as “rorolas” in the “Libro del Coch” by Maestro Robert de Nola in the 15th century and are made, just as they are done now, with the help of spoons to achieve their more or less round shape.

Due to its Arab origin, we can also say that raola is one of the evolutions of falafel, as it is the sister or first cousin of croquettes, but without bechamel. Meatballs, meat croquettes and other similar preparations were born within the framework of medieval cuisine with the evolutions of Arab and Hebrew cuisine that became Christianized.

In our recipe book we will find cod raolas, endive, chard, spinach, cauliflower, whitebait, sea nettles, hake, dogfish, monkfish, vegetables, chickpeas, chanterelles, meat… and because they were also a dish of use, they were also made with the leftovers of the dishes, as was the case with stew that in times of scarcity, where nothing that nourished could be thrown away.

ART DE LA CUINA

The first evidence we have of the preparation of raolas and also of its recipe is found in the book “Art de la Cuina”, written by the Franciscan Fra Francesc Roger in the 18th century and in his manuscript, the oldest cookbook in the Islands, tells us about “various types of meatballs and ravoles,” and gives us the recipe for “mutton ravoles,” made with lamb meat, cut very thinly with a knife and using, as was customary then, many species and herbs such as saffron, cloves, mint and parsley. Once the raolas are fried, they should be very “red”, says Fra Roger, who dresses them with honey, sugar and cinnamon before serving them hot on the table.

From the same ciutadellenc manuscript we find an “Another different plate of ravoles”, where the raolas are made with “moltó” (lamb) brains, eggs, grated cheese and sugar, which once fried with butter, are served hot, and seasoned with sugar and cinnamon, which is one of the most common seasonings in “El Art de la Cuina”, where Francesc Roger also uses these ingredients in fish balls and other meat, egg and fish dishes.