Nordic Spotlight: Mallorcan Hierbas with Nuria Basilio

I was asked in the beginning of the week if I could introduce more Nordic Artists in the paper and I would love to, but the research didn’t give me any leads to new introductions I’m afraid. So, if you are a Nordic artist working on the island and want to be introduced in the Daily Bulletin feel free to contact me! Hopefully more to come!

I did speak to Stefan Lundgren that runs amazing Lundgren Gallery together with his wife Pärnilla in Son Castello. They are one of the few selected people that help Tate Museum in New York choose art for the museum and always have interesting exhibitions on display in their Gallery. Stefan says “We currently represent 14 artists emerging, but also established artists, mostly belonging to a younger generation. The programme’s focus is on interdisciplinary, concept-oriented, and space-based approaches in a variety of media: including sculpture, photography, painting, drawing, video, sound, and performance. “In addition, Mallorca Landings offers a residential function for our artists. We also offer a highly discreet personalised art advisory service.”

I had a busy week visiting Valldemosa and helped a friend with a Hierbas/Herbs workshop. The visitors where 30 travel agents from UK that arrived on a cruise ship and had 6 hours of fun on the island before they had to go back to the boat again. They arrived with jeeps over the Tramuntana Mountain and got drenched by the very unstable September weather. But the herbs were waiting and made them very happy quickly. Mallorcan Hierbas is a digestive drink made with the base of Anis liqueur, something that is very typical for Mallorca as many of you already know. You can find 3 different types: dry / seco, mixed/mezclado and sweet/dulce.

First spring in the Llucmajor house I bought together with my now ex-husband we had Mallorcan friendsover to help us with the huge, abandoned garden. The eldest of the family, Paula, taught us how to make our own Hierbas, like you were supposed to when in Mallorca and you own a Finca. “There is no Mallorcan family with a finca that does not do their own” she said. “You have the base herb that you will always find fresh fennel and most fincas on the island have that growing wild”, she explained. “After adding that you need to collect 7 different herbs or spices growing in the garden. Depending on the area and what is existing in the finca the Hierbas liquor will be unique.” We easily found fennel, lemon and orange, rosemary, salvia, and lemon verbena but the last few were a challenge. Paula who knew me well by now said “you are also allowed to put something personal so if you have a coffee bean or two that can be a good ingredient.”

As I am Swedish and love coffee, I too thought it was a fantastic idea. My husband was not too happy about the coffee bean and insisted on doing his own bottle after that. The workshop, in a Valldemossa hotels beautiful garden, was prepared all according to the covid regulations with plenty of space and each participant got their own bottle to prepare the Hierbas Liquor that they preferred. Fennel went into the bottles with help of a small stick and along came different citrus peels and spices. To finish, they had to make their own label and as a nice souvenir we packed them with extra caution for them to survive the trip back to UK by boat and airplane. Hopefully they love it and bring plenty of tourists back for next season.