The lamb, protagonist in the Easter Sunday table

Bep Al·lès / Ciutadella – The cuisine of Easter in Menorca revolves around lamb and its meat, as it was also in the main celebrations of the island, and which is also the case in the Jewish and Muslim Easters.

According to Archduke Luis Salvador de Austria in his "Die Insel Menorca", at the beginning of the 19th century there were between 53,000 and 60,000 sheep on our island, which at present can only exceed 15,000 more or less, since from the 40s of the 20th century Friesian cows were replacing sheep, as were the farms dedicated to livestock, and not for the sale of meat, but for dairy production with the production of curds to take to sell in El Caserio and Coinga, and by the way the production of cheese from Menorca, which in those years was practically dedicated to local consumption.

But the lambs, although in smaller quantities, continued to be preserved on the island and also the customs of the peasantry related to this biblical animal. In that agricultural and livestock-based society, the owner of the farm gave the sharecroppers a portion of the lamb during the main celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter, as well as the big peasant festivals such as the tosas and the "mesurades". According to the land and the economy of the settler or lord, they had the right to a quarter or a whole animal that they chose from the herd, maintaining that order of hierarchy from greatest to least. This lamb, at Easter time, was brought to the village, to their families and with it they made the dishes of the gastronomy proper for the holidays, which in addition to the meat empanadas, also made other dishes that are almost lost today such as blood with onion, or fried blood accompanied by potatoes; or the braids that are nothing but the intestines of the lamb. Other dishes related to the use of the Easter lamb were panaderas, made with the necks and breasts of the lamb. The tripas (callos) of lamb with tomato, lamb broth, the ribs in the oven with potatoes and tomato, which in Ciutadella we call comida al horno and in the eastern part it is called perol.

But the true protagonist of the Easter meal was the lamb in the oven, especially one of its legs and shoulder blades. It also depended on the number of diners, since many times they had to use both legs to make the empanadas.

The lamb in the oven in Menorca, or the leg of lamb in the oven, was not only the ágape of Easter Sunday, but also used to be Christmas Day in the countryside, as well as other celebrations such as San Antonio or Pentecost, popularly known in Ciutadella as Cincogema.

The leg of bien was mixed with pieces of pork bacon, sobrasada, garlic and olives. It was sprinkled with white wine or brandy, and left to bake.

It was accompanied by new potatoes also baked. By the way, the first dish that was served on the table was roast lamb, which was also a dish of celebration and profit, because in those years where the economy depended on good or bad years, everything was profited and nothing was wasted. They even ate the heads, legs and tongues of the lamb.