The Calentita Press 3rd Edition

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Calentita Press 3rd Edition

Welcome - to Five Years of Calentita It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Calentita Food Festival and Street Party 2011.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Calentita. In 2007, armed with ten patio tents, some red carpet and a few flags, Calentita welcomed its first guests to sample the delights of Indian, Moroccan, Llanito, and Spanish food, and of course the eponymous Calentita. It was an instant hit with the bank holiday crowd - most stalls sold out before the midnight hour.

Now in 2011, the event has grown substantially. The number of stalls and food types has more than doubled, the number of people attending has quadrupled and the event has, I hope, become an important cultural date in the calendar of Gibraltarian life.

In recent years, besides the Indian, Moroccan and Llanito stalwarts of the festival, Calentita has also celebrated Gibraltar's historical roots with Genoese, Sicilian, Portuguese and British stalls. It has celebrated our increasingly diverse community and our involvement in far flung regions of the world with Chinese, Nepalese, Sri Lankan and German stalls. New stalls for you to enjoy at Calentita 2011 include Kenyan, Hong Kong Dim Sung, Irish, Greek and South African.

Calentita is about eating great food and having a great night out. But it is also about encouraging all of Gibraltar together, to celebrate what is best about Gibraltar. Our complicated and tumultuous geo-political history, our love of food, our patchwork of cultures and traditions - but most of all our diverse community and excellent human relations.

Apart from the food and music, the Ministry of Culture have once again arranged a fantastic fireworks and laser display, which will take place during Calentita. There will also be dance displays by Urban Dance and the introduction of the Miss Gibraltar contestants.

I hope you have a very enjoyable Calentita!

Owen Smith, Organiser.

What’s On

Key Information

Contents

20.00 hrs Closing time for Calen tita Competition Sub mission at the Informa tionTent 20.30 hrs Dance Display 21.00 hrs Calentita Competition Winners Announced 21.30 hrs MissGibraltars’ 22.30 hrs Fireworks and Lasers 23.00 hrs Urban Dance Display

Calentita! will take place on Friday 10th June 2010 in Casemates Square. The events starts at 8.00pm. This year is the fifth year that the festival takes place and it is likely to prove as popular as ever so you better get down to the Square early. But remember, Calentita! doesn't start until 8.00pm. To make sure that everyone can get ready on time please make sure that you do not try to buy any food before 8.00pm. This year there are a record 25 stalls so there will be plenty of food varieties to choose from.

During Calentita! there will be a number of performances taking place. The performances this year are by Urban Dance. The performances will take the form of floor shows, taking place on a low stage in the middle of the square. The performances will reflect Gibraltars mix of cultures.

As is now traditional, the Miss Gibraltar contestants will also be presented to the public at Calentita! This year Calentita! takes place just a couple of weeks before the Miss Gibraltar competition itself, so this will be one of the last chances to see the contestants in public before the new Miss Gibraltar is chosen.

Following on from the success of last year, this year the Ministry of Culture will repeat the fantastic fireworks and laser display that so wowed the crowds at last year's event. This year the display is organised by Events Unlimited. Set to music the show will last for nearly 20 minutes, and will start at 10.30pm.

The whole event will finish at 1am. There is plenty of time between 8pm and 1am during which you can eat and drink your fill.

Queuing at stalls is always a bit of an issue but please be patient and buy in bulk! Remember - all the people running the stalls are volunteers and they want to enjoy the event just as much as you guys do.

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Event Credits Calentita is organised by Word of Mouth Calentita Press Credits Published by Word of Mouth Editor: Owen Smith Contributors: Jonathan Scott, Tristan Cano, Elena Scialtiel, Gabriel Moreno, Jennifer Ballentine, Christina Cortes, Tommy Finlayson, Darion Figueredo, Owen Smith, Rebecca Figueras Photography: Figgy Photography, Jonathan Scott, Angela Cano, Owen Smith Distribution: Hour Concierge Stock Photography & Illustrations: Istockphoto Printing: Ingrasa Artes Graficas SL

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Minister´s Welcome.

Fast Food - Slow Food Are We What We Eat? Chickpeas in Other Cultures When Food was a Luxury Committed to Calentita Fresh is Best Calentita Abroad The Political Diet Standing on the Edge of the World Gibraltar 711 Fireworks Stalls at this Year´s Calentita Stalls at this Year´s Calentita Andalucia in 5 Easy Dishes Taking Part is Winning Pa-todos Five years of Calentita Five years of Calentita Recipes Recipes Digging for Food Meet the Miss Gib’s Meet the Miss Gib’s The Calentita Competition Cultural Diversity on the Stage Puppet Project The Rock that Dreamed Me

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Minister´s Welcome Dear Reader, Thank you for picking up this "Calentita" newspaper. Every year the Spring Festival sets out to quench the Gibraltarian's thirst for culture; it's prepared mainly by Gibraltarians for Gibraltarians. The Ministry for Culture enjoys a good working relationship with many local cultural organisations and we are confident that these are mutually beneficial partnerships. This year, once again, I am very pleased with the variety of events offered by the festival: fine arts, theatre, music, dance and, of course, a food fiesta.

Gibraltarians love good food and I am, therefore, extremely happy that "Calentita" serves as our grand finale. I think you'll agree it has worked well so far, with lots of delicious plates to choose from. Whether you're adventurous and sample new foods, or go for your tried and tested favourites, I'm sure that you'll find something to suit your personal taste. The informal atmosphere created at Casemates Square is always very lively but not chaotic. I know that some choose to buy food and eat it elsewhere - perhaps taking it home for dinner, or indeed for lunch the following day - but, on the night, Casemates is very much a place to walk around and mingle with family and friends.

"Calentita" has gained a good name for itself and I am hopeful that this year's event will be another great success. This year we will have another spectacular fireworks display to cap off the night, as we know this has proved very popular in the past. Of course, we have done our utmost to ensure safety during the display and are confident of zero fall-outs. It should be a great way to punctuate the end of "Calentita" for young and old alike.

I would like to extend my thanks to all the entities that have contributed to the Spring Festival this year and to everyone who has attended one or more of its functions. It is essential that our actors, musicians, dancers and cooks are supported and it makes me proud that Gibraltarians are so very good at supporting local events. On the Rock, we're like one big extended family and we always show a keen interest in the events produced and presented by fellow Gibraltarians.

The Ministry of Culture presents "Calentita" by arrangement with Word of Mouth and I would like to praise the organisers and everyone who contributes to making this night so enjoyable. Its success belongs to all Gibraltarians collectively since they take great pride in making this a very friendly event. Given the support "Calentita" has enjoyed since its inception, I am certain that this event is here to stay. Long may it continue!

Edwin J Reyes Minister for Culture

Fast Food - Slow Food The history of 'fast' or 'convenience' food can be traced back to Ancient Rome where bread and wine were sold on street stalls. Roman society suffered from all the pitfalls you would associate with today's increasingly urbanised societies and since the average family house tended not to have a kitchen, most meals would be purchased from street vendors and eaten 'on the go'.

Centuries later and naturally we all still need to eat. However just as in Ancient Rome, our fastpaced lives mean that most households do not have the time to prepare two meals a day. It is therefore no surprise that fast food outlets offering the convenience of quick meals without the fuss, have become such an important part of our everyday lives. Even though every country has its own trends, fast food is as prevalent in the US where burger joints battle it out with fried chicken, as it is in the UK where the sandwich is still king. Whereas noodles tend to rule the roost in Asia, tacos are número uno in South

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America and falafels are the fast food of choice in the Middle East.

In Gibraltar a Moroccan-style kebab is just as common as a torta patata or a spinach pie.

Whilst a slice of spinach pie may not be the unhealthiest of meals, fast food outlets, particularly in the West, have been criticized for their high-calorie, high-fat foods that include supersize meals and unlimited carbonated drink refills. The global fast food franchises have also been criticized for their aggressive advertising campaigns and for the lack of nutritional information and healthier eating options offered to their customers. Although they have been forced to comply with stricter guidelines in recent years, critics argue that these global brands are not doing enough to curb the rising levels of obesity, particularly among children, which is said to be linked to the increase in worldwide fast food consumption.

As a result of this, organisations like the Slow Food movement have come to the fore. Slow Food is an international non-pro-

fit organization based in Italy which was originally formed in protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome in 1986. It describes itself as an ecogastronomic movement whose joint mission is to promote better food and the preservation of the traditional technologies and communities involved in their production. Although it was originally promoted as an alternative to fast food, its goal can be more particularly described as the preservation of regional cuisine encouraging the farming of sustainable foods and of small local businesses. The Slow Food organisation boasts over 100,000 members in 132 countries.

The success of the Slow Food movement is growing an its message has been gathering momentum in recent years. This is particularly the case in Europe where there appears to be growing awareness of the negative health implications of eating fast foods and a year on year increase in Organic food sales. In the US the take-up appears to be far

slower and despite the media success of films like Super Size Me and Eric Schlosser's bestselling book Fast Food Nation there are still about 60 million American adults who are classified as obese. Whilst fast foods with typically high saturated fat and calorie contents are not solely to blame, the growing number of obese Americans together with increasing levels of type-2 diabetes and heart disease in the country are certainly a worrying trend. This is not to say that there is no place for fast food in our lives. It is unlikely that there will be any immediate changes in the way urban dwellers live and fast food will always be the quick and easy option for those people who are always on the go. Problems arise however when people regularly eat high fat, sugar and calorie meals with little or no nutritional value and do not balance this with fruit and vegetable portions and an active and healthy lifestyle. Foods like hamburgers, kebabs and fries are fine as an occasional treat, but if you find that you're on first name

terms with the burger flipper at your local takeaway, it may be time to re-evaluate your relationship with fast food.

Fast & Slow Food - Facts -A standard burger, fries and carbonated soft drink meal sold in a burger outlet has about 1,500 calories, or  of an average person's recommended daily allowance.

-There are more McDonalds restaurants on the planet than there are Gibraltarians. These burger joints are spread across 126 countries and six continents, surely a far wider web than even Llanitos have cast.

-The Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Arizona is a medical themed fast food restaurant whose Quadruple Bypass Burger is made with just under a kilo of beef and boasts an artery clogging 8,000 calories and offers free food for any customers weighing over 160kg.

-The UK Slow Food movement was started in 2005 by Graeme Kidd and now has in excess of 2,000 members.

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Are We What We Eat? Jennifer Ballantine Perera Often, when we consider food in a social context, we think of a good restaurant, perhaps even one we can recommend to friends, or of a favourite recipe, possibly one handed down through generations and a firm family favourite. Then there are the staples that become part of the culinary mix of any country, and dishes that become recognised as cultural markers of a particular community. Calentita has, for example, become one such marker of culture in Gibraltar - to the degree that every year we celebrate the Calentita Festival, which functions both as social culinary event and as a marker of the ethnic mix if not cultural hybridity found in Gibraltar. The diversity of foods available during the festival goes some way to explain how Gibraltar's cultural past surfaces in the present, and how we can, to a great extent, package this as a product to be consumed. At the same time, this very diversity raises a number of questions as to our focus on calentita as the national dish - why has calentita become such a marker instead of, say, torta de acelgas or calabacines rellenos, or fish and chips? Are we taking calentita too much for granted or, should I say, are we reading too much into calentita as a cultural signifier?

As we walk around the food stalls at the festival we quickly realise that these consumables before us are a result of influxes and influences, of migrations and trade routes - of global events.

Even if we examine, for example, the introduction of French cuisine and cookery techniques in the culinary market we only have to look back to the French Revolution when chefs fled their country carrying with them their skills and traditions all over Europe, including Gibraltar. Evidence of French cuisine surfaces in a number of different ways and it would be interesting to investigate the extent to which French cuisine is embedded in Gibraltar food culture. Class, of course, is another issue that needs to be examined when researching food and culinary habits, but the theory goes that Genoese influences hold the key to what has become recognised as a Gibraltarian food culture, and there is some historical evidence to support this. At the same time, where and how do these Genoese traces surface, and are they more prevalent than, say, elements of Spanish cuisine that would have also been influenced by the spread of Genoese migrations. And what about North African in-

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fluences, present through the early arrival in the eighteenth century of Sephardic Jews from the Barbary Coast to Gibraltar, and the more recent influx from Morocco in the second half of the twentieth century. We enjoy Maltese influences, traces of which could be further dug out, and culinary delights introduced by the Indian community in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Then again, spices were already in use globally, but the opening of the Suez Canal, also known as the Highway to India, in November 1869, connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and with this came new shipping routes and abundant if not relatively immediate access to ingredients from the Asian continent. And where does good old English cooking come into this very impressive mix? All the more impressive when we realise that other countries enjoy variant although not dissimilar dishes to ours.

Indeed, it has been widely suggested that the origins of calentita, a chickpea flour dish similar to the Italian farinata stem from Genoese migrations to Gi-

braltar and the Iberian peninsular, which started before 1704.

The chickpea, or garbanzo, the main ingredient in calentita and variations found along the Ligurian Seat is a native of southwest Asia which has been cultivated for over nine thousand years. The kabuli variety, more common in the Middle East and Mediterranean and the type used in calentita, is a larger, creamy yellow legume as opposed to the smaller, dark desi variety. The name chickpea stems from the bean's Latin name, cicer. Interestingly, in the botanical name, Cicer arietinum, the second word means 'ram-like', denoting the bean's resemblance to a ram's head including the curling horns. The chickpea is a key ingredient in Middle Eastern and Indian dishes: hummus is a chickpea spread that is popular in the eastern Mediterranean and can be found globally in local supermarkets.

At the same time, chickpeas are the most popular legume in India where they are hulled and split to make chana dal, and ground into flour to make pakoras, papadums and other fried morsels.

The chickpea has therefore un-

dergone any number of transformations within different societies and cultures.

Other versions of calentita can be found along the Ligurian Sea coast from Nice to Pisa: in France it is referred to as socca, and in Tuscany, cecina. However, a similar dish to calentita in its method and use of chickpea flour is karantita, which is found well beyond the Ligurian Sea, in Algeria. Is there a connection, I wonder, between calentita and karantita - especially when they sound so similar and when we consider the well documented connections established soon after 1704 between Gibraltar and the Barbary Coast to provision the Garrison with food. Gibraltar lost her cultivation grounds, her campo, following the Anglo Dutch action of 1704 and this very fact deprived Gibraltar of her primary source of food production, leading to the importation of food provisions from different parts of the world, in particular from the Barbary Coast.

The Seraphic Jews from that area became major food purveyors for the British in Gibraltar - these founding Jews also brought

Calentita has come to signify, or so my theory goes, an important repository not only for Gibraltar's social, culinary and ethnic past, but also a vehicle for present-day articulations of a culturally diverse Gibraltar

with them customs and languages and a food culture. So calentita may not be a so distant relative of karantita, after all, the humble chickpea is a legume that has travelled far and can contribute much to theories of migrations and adaptations.

It is nevertheless difficult to determine how or when calentita became known as such, but the terminology is attributed to the fact that the dish was sold in the street by vendors who would shout out caliente, hot, in Spanish, as a means of touting their wares. It has been suggested that the food product, be it farinata or karantita, became associated with the daily cries of caliente to become transformed into calentita, something intrinsically Gibraltarian - and therein lies the key.

An interesting aspect here is that we are talking about street food - about a product that is accessible to all, both in terms of cost and visibility, and these elements go some way to suggest why calentita can be considered as a communal food product that cuts across social if not class barriers. It is a very basic commodity - not a more complex, expensive festival type dish - and in this sense, calentita is a unifier. Still, let us not forget the vendor carrying his large pan of calentita on his shoulders, which he would sell a slice at a time, a practice that continued until just after the first half of the twentieth century, rendering his cries and wares very vivid in our collective memory.

The fact that so many Gibraltarians still remember the presence of this vendor is crucial to my theory since we do not have to dig deep into our past to draw upon some other cultural signifier to make our own.

The fact is that not only are we dealing with an accessible food product, our memory of it is also very accessible, and this, I would suggest, renders calentita a very plausible and seductive symbol of Gibraltar's food culture. We do not have to work too hard at this exercise of cultural recovery, for this is our endeavour when we refer to calentita as our national dish. Neither do we have to invent nor construct it out of nothing.

To this end, calentita has undergone further transformations - no longer is the dish merely an inexpensive and handy source of street food of a specific ethnic origin, one which denotes a particular emphasis. Instead, calentita has come to signify, or so my theory goes, an important repository not only for Gibraltar's social, culinary and ethnic past, but also a vehicle for present-day articulations of a culturally diverse Gibraltar.

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Chickpeas in other cultures: the Levant has got balls - falafel balls, that is!

By Elena Scialtiel Chickpeas are a bit of a staple food across the Med, becoming essential to nutrition in cultures where meaty produce were scarce and the population had to draw its protein intake from alternative sources, mostly legumes.

So they came up with the inventive and yummy substitute called falafel, the famous... meatless meatball. Falafel is in fact a ball or a patty made of ground chickpeas, mixed with onion, garlic and mild spices fried in vegetable oil and served in an assortment of fashions, from snack to appetiser, from star starter to main course, in single portion or on a centre-table deli platter of salads and dips to share and socialise around.

These fritters are perfect for vegetarians, vegans and for dieters, because no animal (besides man) is involved in their making, are low even in unsaturated fat, yet they contribute significantly to a balanced daily dose of carbs and protein, and are high in soluble fibre, which helps to lower cholesterol.

They also contain mineral salts, like phosphorus to sharpen your grey matter, potassium to prevent muscular cramps, iron for your red cells, and anti-aging zinc; and vitamin, especially of the B group, useful for vegans and for all those who steer clear from eggs and dairy.

Besides being healthy - and even

healthier if baked until crispy instead of fried - falafel is filling, because the chickpea's complex aromatic chains take their time in being processed by the stomach, heaven-sent quick-fix for keeping you away from the fridge until dinner.

But first and foremost, falafel is delicious and can be eaten any time, thanks to its 'portable' version stuffed in a pocket of pitta bread, or wrapped in a tortillalike wheat pancake, with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, hummus and tzatziki, sold by street carts or booths strategically placed at busy crossroads.

However, it becomes the centrepiece of elaborate meals when eaten convivially around a table, laden with bowls of fresh salads, grilled vegetables and spicy sauces, like the above mentioned hummus, but also with pickled vegetables, roasted pepper relish, and baba ganoush (creamed roasted eggplant with or without yogurt, but with one as generous as compulsory input of garlic).

So popular in the Middle East, falafel has taken by storm even the local outlets of iconic American food chains, which serve it in wraps and in burgers, and its base dough has in return invaded America as the vegetarian option for spaghetti with meatballs, sloppy joes and even meatloaf!

The origins of falafel are however controversial: every country of the Levant claims paternity to a dish which has beco-

me the Arabic response to American hotdog and Italian pizza.

Legend suggests falafel comes from Egypt, invented by Copt Christians as meat replacement during Lent, whence it spread to the entire Eastern Mediterranean from the busy port of Alexandria.Other sources place their origin well farther in the remote past, claiming that Pharaohs used to enjoy already the falafel's forefather. Others place it farther in space, supporting the theory it comes from India, and its name

is a corruption of Sanskrit pippali, meaning long pepper, since the Arabic word falafil is the plural of filfil, meaning both 'hot pepper' and strangely enough, 'fluffy thing'.

Lebanon is the country where falafel is most revered and consumed, while Israelis are commonly credited for making it portable, and somehow westernised, stuffing it in edible bread handy 'containers', which has sometimes raised political issues about copyright infringement.

Wherever it comes from, falafel is going everywhere fast as the flagship of Levantine cuisine, setting major competition to its meaty counterpart shwarma: British supermarkets stock doit-yourself kits, and it has taken a place of honour on pub grub menus alongside curry, quiche and bolognaise. In Gibraltar you can find it at a couple of bistros where it is tinged with local flavour thanks to side helpings of olives, piriĂąaca, coleslaw and potato salad.

madan fast to the extended family reunited around a big table, and it marks the beginning of a long night of togetherness and merriment, sometimes stretching until sunrise, when the fast restarts.

It is served with lemon and turmeric and is usually accompanied by hardboiled eggs sprinkled with cumin and dried fruit, like dates or figs, and traditional

sweets made with fruit and honey.

While this recipe originates from Morocco and it graces traditional menus as far east as Algeria, the similar name hareera, designates a wintry pudding in Pakistan and North-Western India, made with wheat starch, sugar, nuts, oil and cloves, a real panacea for mountainous climate.

Chickpeas in other cultures: at the heart of Ramadan nights

By Elena Scialtiel Calentita isn't the only popular recipe in Gibraltar where chickpeas are absolute superstars: imported from Morocco, we can enjoy the hearty and heart-warming soup harira, a meal with high nutritional value packed in a bowl, traditionally reserved for grand occasions like Ramadan and weddings, but delicious anytime as an energizing pick-me-up.

In Morocco, the preparation of harira is a ritual which starts from the careful selection of ingredients at the market. The holy month of Ramadan approaching, roadsides become clustered with improvised stalls, manned by women in stripy aprons and pompon-rimmed straw hats, selling onions and tomatoes.

They take them to the market, or just to any main road closer to their farm, straight from the fields, often on donkey-back in wicker baskets, and customers

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mob their rustic and folkloric outlets to land themselves a sizeable share of this fresh crop at very competitive prices.

It is a quaint picture indeed watching colourful customers and even more colourful vendors weighing onions on rudimental scales, or just estimating their worth by lifting up the heavy braided strings of stalks, where from the plump golden bulb dangle proud, filling the air with their tangy aroma, harbinger of festive nights and convivial delights.

Although vegetables are picked with the utmost care, they are not what make harira... harira: its staple ingredients are in fact chickpeas and lentils, which replenish the body of proteins after a long day of fasting, along with spices, rich in mineral salts.

The recipe is carefully balanced to offer the best part of the daily intake of nutrients, including carbs, mostly in the form of rice, and is usually vegetarian,

even if the solemnity of the occasion calls for beaten eggs, and morsels of lamb or chicken to be added in the stew.

The result is a creamy thick soup where whole chickpeas float in a film of olive oil topped by coriander leaves.

With such variety and number of ingredients required, harira is best cooked in large quantities, and is regarded as more than a simple hunger-busting dish.

From shopping for it to digesting it, harira is a social affair, the very symbol of family ties and auspicious new beginnings, particularly when eaten by newlyweds as their first shared breakfast.

Because of its elaborate method, preparation often requires teamwork: women gather in the kitchen to peel tomatoes and dice onions, and harira ends up being seasoned not only with saffron and ginger, but also with a good pinch of saucy gossip.

Its consumption is meant to be teamwork too. It is usually served at nightfall to break the Ra-

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When Food was a Luxury The Great Siege through the eyes - and the stomach of young Giovanni Bresciano

By Elena Scialtiel Gibraltar is renowned for its thriving food culture: wherever we turn, there is something sweet or savoury to snack on, and the abundance and variety of it on dinner tables and restaurant menus alike often lead us to take it for granted and abuse it.

Alas, until not long ago, food was a precious commodity for the average Gibraltarian, faced with malnutrition more often than we care to listen to our grandparents' recollections, especially when the garrison's supplies were subject to the caprice of wars, sieges, conspiracies and provisions boycotting.

If you want to dodge the stodgy historical essays about the dire side effects of the Great Siege on demographics, a congenial serving of murder mystery narrative is instead highly recommended to the curious unwilling to endure the tedious.

Fall of a Sparrow is the prequel to the critically acclaimed The Murder in Whirligig Lane, by former teacher Mary Chiappe and local retired paediatrician and amateur historian Sam Benady, who has made a name for himself with his extensive research on the history of epidemics and yellow fever in Gibraltar.

The novel is a lively insight in to Gibraltarian life at the times of the early Great Siege, seen through the eyes of Giovanni Bresciano, a patriotic teenager who joins the army to proudly defend what he feels to be his country, despite the fact that his father is Genoese and refugee and his mother an Englishwoman.

The main plot follows his efforts to solve a double murder

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case, while surviving his first fortnight in the British army and battling his hormones tangled in the jealous blooming of his childhood friendship with barmaid Bianca.Within this frame, Fall of a Sparrow is a diorama of the Eighteenth Century garrison, mostly dominated by the hurry and flurry of building, repairing and strengthening fortifications, as well as the fear for an uncertain future and the incumbent famine.

With the Spaniards blockading victuals both from land frontier and sea, the soldiers find themselves stuck in a rut of dried salt pork, porridge and stale bread, washed down by some sorry surrogate for ale, and blackstrap, the as cheap as fiery mixture of wines sold in the town's taverns, because the top of the crop is obviously commandeered for the top brass.

And with rations becoming smaller and more rancid every day, in times when potatoes and rice are a treat, it isn't time to be fussy for Giovanni, the son of a merchant who has always prided himself with providing abundantly for his wife and children, drama-prone stepmother and her disillusioned daughter.

However, swapping the relative comforts of his boyhood for the hardship of army rations in his newly achieved manhood isn't a seamless rite of passage.

Soon, his personal battle with hunger pangs almost obscures his initial enthusiasm for serving and defending his country, when he is drawn to chew on stringy salt pork, or compelled to gulp down porridge without dwelling on its taste, or lack of it, as long as it eases the cramps and doesn't make him gag.

So unpalatable is the salty meat for idealistic Giovanni that he's happy to trade it for bread from an even happier comrade - which is a paradox, considering the scarcity of protein they were faced with.

Even worse, to his horror he notices that his porridge is alive and kicking! Yes, kicking with weevils. His friend jollily explains to him he can either pick them out of it before eating it, or just swallow the grub whole without minding too much of its contents!

And so Giovanni puts up a brave face and makes virtue of necessity, since starvation is the gloomier alternative, to the extent that when the military cook offers him some cabbage leaf, he feasts on it as if it was manna!

Furthermore, the spectre of scurvy and smallpox lingers on the malnourished dwindling po-

pulation and when Giovanni's little sister Lucia is hit, he doesn't hesitate to steal some lemons from the army larder to relieve her symptoms. Thus, a handful of mushy lemons, like the icky ones 21st century consumerism would lightly toss in the dumpster, makes the difference between life and death, and miraculously sets ailing Lucia on her

convalescence path, teaching us a valuable lesson on the value of vitamin C. Of course, the focus of this page-turner isn't food, and appetite doesn't hinder Giovanni's deductive skills in following the many leads - and dead ends - towards solving his case.

Although he blatantly jumps to conclusions, luck and comradeship make him succeed in pre-

venting the assassination which could have changed the history of Gibraltar.

Although 100% fictional, he becomes a real patriot in the riveting finale, where naive fervour and youthful gallantry, seasoned with a pinch of recklessness, are the main course of the banquet in honour of the origins of the Yanito identity.

Fall of a Sparrow is the prequel to the critically acclaimed The Murder in Whirligig Lane

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Committed to Calentita Calentita - thousands of people coming together to celebrate our vibrant, multicultural and harmonious community. It's a statement about the Gibraltarian identity, a recognition of the roots of that identity and a chance to explore its many different cultures through the universal language of food.

But a big event like Calentita doesn't just happen; it depends on a lot of people putting in a lot of hard work. Anyone who's experienced the finale to the spring festival over the past 4 years will know that those working at the Indian stall don't shy away from hard work. They have earned a reputation for endurance at the event - each year, late on, when other stalls have sold out, the chicken tikka rolls, kebab rolls and vegetable biryani just keep on coming!

"I remember being told to expect 6,000 people the first year, but we weren't sure whether that was perhaps a bit optimistic" says Vikram Nagrani, long-standing president of the Gibraltar Hindu Community. "We took a risk in ordering lots of supplies and thankfully it paid off!" Vikram works with a committee to prepare a long task list every year in

preparation for the event. They start planning a month before and have strived to improve their offerings year on year. "It's a lot of fun, but it requires good organisation, so we always try to build on what we know has worked in the past."

Ensuring that there is enough food to serve on the night, at the

breakneck pace that it flies from the tent, is no small feat. A few local restaurants help prepare big pots of sauce and marinated chicken in the 24 hours leading up to the night, while a number of individuals put together exquisite home-made samosas and other delights in their own kitchens.

Last year, the team operating the

Fresh is Best Have you ever asked for something simple at a restaurant, only to be served a dish that you know came straight out of a jar or a tin?

If you're happy with that, if your idea of a restaurant is a place you go to avoid washing up afterwards, then bully for you. If you're after something more from a restaurant, then maybe you should chat to Idan Greenberg.

"The bottom line is if we don't make it, we don't serve it." Idan runs Verdi Verdi, a small cafe on Cornwall's Lane where a wholesome, home-made philosophy reigns supreme. "Eating is not just about hunger, it should also be about the eating experience.

All five senses should be indulged when dining," Idan states emphatically. Having spent some time studying in France, Idan has picked up the French boulangerie's passion for bread.

"Something as simple as freshly made bread, served warm with butter can be so, so tasty."

They're proud of their bread at Verdi Verdi. Idan and Duncan (his trusty sidekick) don't grind their own flour, but all their loaves are made fresh, from scratch.

It's home-made bread, kneaded with their own hands. "There's some-thing authentic and unique in that." It's also quite indulgent;

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Idan's sandwiches have been known to be some 10cm deep!

Idan is Jewish, so Verdi Verdi is a Kosher eatery, but he insists that first and foremost it's a restaurant serving good food: "everyone wanting good food is welcome".

The falafel is perhaps their signature dish. "It's very common in the middle east, but we serve it our own way. We use our homemade chili jam garnish and freshly-made pitta breads."

They're big on vegetable soups and boast about their 'fish of the day'. It's not your traditional menu, but it's wholesome and tasty. "We like spoiling our customers. Our desserts are particularly gen-erous and indulgent."

Again, all desserts are 100% home-made. "We love brownies, banoffee pies and cheese cakes."

Reflecting upon his insistence on cooking dishes from scratch using fresh produce, Idan confirms that it's probably more time consuming and more expensive.

"But it's good and therefore it's worth doing." Unsurprisingly, he's a big fan of the local market: "It's a delight! High quality fish, fresh vegetables & quality herbs can be bought locally... We're privileged."

He suggests you visit it if you haven't been in a while. "Delicious aubergines and the best tomatoes in the world!"

You can find Verdi Verdi in Cornwall´s Lane.

stall on the night was 25-strong, but many others had contributed in the build up.

"Everyone pitches in", says Vikram, who you might spot on the night coordinating the Indian tent with a calmness that belies the high-tempo operation Calentita demands.

"It's great to be a part of the

community coming together in such a positive way. It's for a worthy cause".

The Gibraltar Hindu Community have raised between £2,000 and £3,000 each year, donating to a various local causes: Women in Need, AKIN, Mount Alvernia, the Hindu Temple and St. Martin's School. But Vikram stresses just how much of a team effort it is. "It's not just those from within the Hindu Community who contribute. We have many other partners who make it possible. We have to thank Anglo Hispano, Saccone & Speed, Lewis Stagnetto, Ramsons and Cisarego in particular, for kindly donating their produce so that worthy charities can benefit from the proceeds on the night."

The Indian stall has been a key component of every Calentita.

No doubt the demand for chicken tikka will be just as great this year as it has been in the past. And you can be equally assured of the fact that Team India will be up to the challenge! "It's always been a successful event. We've found it rewarding and fulfilling to be involved.

Calentita is entertaining and fun, but I think it also gives us all a sense of belonging."

Calentita Abroad Jonathan Scott says: My wife Catherine and I honeymooned in Italy last summer. We spent a few days in Cinque Terre, which is in Liguria, close to Genoa. On a hot July morn-ing, while walking in Manarola, a small village not too disimilar to Catalan Bay, we stopped at a small shop to buy a cold drink.

The shop was a delicatessen and we were fascinated to see they were serving something resembling both our torta acerga (theirs was torta pascualina) and calentita. We had heard of 'farinata' (meaning 'made of flour') but hadn't tried it yet, so simply had to. As compared to your ave-

rage calentita, it was less oily and thinner. It was tasty but not as rich. Still, lovely to get a taste of Gibraltar on the west coast of Italy.

Mark Montovio says: You can still see calentita being sold by street vendors in Morocco the same way it used to be sold in Gibraltar years ago: same shape, same tin pans, and it's very popular there. I actually believe that any dish using chickpeas in Gibraltar comes from Moroccan tradition, rather than Spanish, but of course I'm no expert on this! I recently came across a Moroccan version of callos in Marrakesh: much spicier and without pork, of course, but equally delicious! Spain was ruled by the Moors for years and their influence is marked there, but I have never seen anything similar to calentita in Spain.

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Calentita Press 3rd Edition

9

The Political Diet

The Hon. Haresh Budhrani QC is the Speaker The Hon. Joe Bossano MP is a former of the Gibraltar Parliament; he likes his food but cook and still enjoys spending time in Moira Walsh is a spokesperson the kitchen. He also has an interesting is not so hot on cooking... story concerning the tortilla de patatas.... for the Progressive Democratic “I was away from Gibraltar for eight years (bet“I was on route to Geneva where I was Party. She's also a devoted grandween 1967 and 1975) while I pursued my educaattending a conference as Chief Minister. mother with very Gibraltarian tion in England and, at the risk of stating the obWe stopped in the area of Savoy in eas- taste buds... vious, I missed my mother's cooking most. Whi“Torta de Acelgas (or Chard pie) le the survival instinct helped me to quickly 'ac- tern France. I knew that the Duke of Sa- is one of my favourite typically voy was an ally of England when she took quire a taste' for boarding school and University Gibraltarian dishes. The ingrerefectory 'cuisine', I always looked forward to co- Gibraltar in 1704. And the first census ta- dients include pastry and eggs ken in Gibraltar some years later shows ming home for holidays and to my mother's whofrom Britain, acelgas, garlic and lesome food. She was a brilliant cook, even though that Savoyads, people from that area, were olive oil from Spain and Edam an important part of Gibraltar's populaI say so myself, having mastered not only the full cheese from Holland. Two of its range of Indian delicacies but also a variety of Chi- tion at the time. So, given that some of our ingredients Acelgas (chard) and ancestors are from Savoy, I thought it nese, European and, of course, Gibraltarian fahard Edam cheese (queso de bola vourites. It is a pity she did not pass any of those would be interesting to see what their cui- duro) can be easily purchased in sine is like today.

I don't eat too much in genes on to me because I can't cook to save my Gibraltar around Easter time but life! While Indian and Chinese food was and con- the evenings, so i ordered something I are difficult, or in the case of chard, thought would be light a Savoyad ometinues to be readily available everywhere in Enimpossible to find in the UK. So gland even to those on student budgets, Spanish lette. Low and behold, the waiter turned when we lived in the UK, either up with a 100% llanito tortilla!

Maybe it's restaurants were very few and far between in thothe pie flew to the UK courtesy of se days and I certainly never came across any whe- been with us for longer than we think.” my in-laws or we flew to Gibralre I could have indulged myself with food which tar to savour this very tasty dish!”. had a local flavour. I particularly missed sardinas rellenas and carne como callos - to name but two from recollection - so it had to be home for holi- “Being third generation Maltese and married to a Spaniard,

gives rise to a very interesting and varied culinary experience”

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Damon Bossino is a lawyer and political analyst with an interesting palette...

“Being third generation Maltese and married to a Spaniard, gives rise to a very interesting and varied culinary experience. On the Maltese/Gibraltarian side I have had the benefit of experiencing the delights of eating dishes such as "Fideo al Relleno". In its essence it is a pasta (usually penne) dish, with an accompanying sauce, mixed in with the pasta, comprising cheese (lots and lots of it) and garlic (again lots and lots of it). The Spanish contribution comes from Salamanca (which is where my wife's family is from), in the shape of an "hornazo", which for want of a better word is a pie with chorizo, lomo and egg mixed inside of it. Not to be confused with the "bollo hornazo" which we normally have here at Easter and is sweet. The Salamanca variety, although a pleasure to eat, is probably a health hazard if you have high cholesterol. One thing you appreciate in the variety is in fact how different the Gibraltarian food culture is from the Spanish”.

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10 Calentita Press 3rd Edition

Standing on the Edge of the World There are times when being a Gibraltarian can, admittedly, be frustrating. Not many people live in a city they can't leave without showing their passport. Especially once you've lived away, it can be hard to come to terms with our own lack of a larger country.

This is not to say that Gibraltarians can't live happily anywhere they please, adapt and make their lives there, and grow to feel at home whether in Britain, Spain or anywhere else, while always being able to return here and feel like they belong too. However, many people elsewhere grow up knowing they can go two hours down the road, and still be within the same country: that their town is not alone in the centre of a crossroads, touched by so many cultures yet not fully integrated into any.

By Christina Cortes Gibraltar is known for many things: for our iconic Rock and our equally iconic Barbary macaques, for our status as one of the last remnants of the British Empire, and for the ongoing conflict with Spain over this. It is known by the scientific community as one of the last outposts of the Neanderthals, and by historians for all the civilisations that have lived or passed through here since then. Readers may recognise our hometown from Molly Bloom's famous monologue at the end of James Joyce's classic "Ulysses" - some may know us in a more modern capacity as the tax heaven in the hugely popular Millennium trilogy of novels by the late Stieg Larsson.

One of Gibraltar's most famous mentions in all of world literature and indeed culture, however, is as one of the Pillars of Hercules in Greek and Roman mythology: between our Rock and the Jebel Musa mountain across the Straits in what is now Morocco, we represented the end of the known world, beyond which even Hercules did not travel. We are famous, then, as a gateway between worlds: for being at the limit of what is known, at the edge of something new. We are both a monument, and a stepping-stone. It isn't a bad thing to be famous for.

Gibraltar can be seen as a gateway, as a crossroads, as a connection. Almost entirely su-

rrounded by water, we've always associated ourselves closely with the sea, especially the Mediterranean: a naval base, a commercial port, rich in marine life, and historically a haven for travellers. With the colours of the sea all around us, and its breeze constantly in our faces, one could almost imagine Gibraltar as the prow of a ship facing into the ocean.

Yet, Gibraltar also stands at almost the narrowest point of the

Straits. On a clear day you can see the striking outline of Morocco across the water, and remind yourself that behind that silhouette lies a whole massive, diverse continent - and behind us, the Iberian peninsula at the edge of Europe. Other countries and continents come to mind here, too. One cannot think of the Atlantic, just beyond the west, without thinking of the huge, faraway unseen mass of the Americas; and then we have the Mediterranean to our east, the "midd-

le sea" where some of the most ancient civilisations in the world came to fruition, and often battled each other across its expanse. Gibraltar is at the crossroads of two continents and two mighty bodies of water: it is no wonder that the figure of the Rock on the horizon has been so iconic for the many people that have stopped here on their way through history, or that it still captures our imagination.

Gibraltar has found its own cultural identity, too, as a middle point between many elements.

So often, we are defined between the two poles of Britain and Spain. The UK mainland is a faraway island with little geographical similarity to us, but it is our colonial power and Gibraltar as it is now has grown up under the 300 years of its stewardship, taking on its language and institutions. Spain is our next-door neighbour, and we share with them our climate, much of our food, some of our way of life, and in many cases our ancestry: yet their refusal to relinquish their sovereignty claim has long antagonised Gibraltar, reaching its apex in Franco's closing of the frontier, which is largely credited with inadvertently cementing Gibraltar's sense of its own unique identity.

Making this all more than a question of British rule and Spanish proximity is the vibrant combination of other cultures and religions coming together in Gibraltar: Genoese, Maltese, Sindi, our historic Jewish community, and many more. Gibraltar, like any other community, is not without its tensions: but arguably for such a small city, we all coexist remarkably well, and the diversity of cultures represented here is really something to be celebrated, even as we unite under our British sovereignty or the "llanito" banner.

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Yet, far from being handicapped by this potential sense of isolation, Gibraltarians are actually pretty adaptable, and cheerful about it. It is astounding how often people from other countries have told me they've met a Gibraltarian before, considering our relatively small population.

Being a Gibraltarian can be a true blessing in this world where cultures are increasingly communicating and intermingling. Being neither English nor Spanish, nor entirely anything else except ourselves, we are given a unique perspective, outside of the confines of merely "belonging" to one big country and accepting its stereotypical national characteristics without noticing (which is easy, though avoidable, for citizens of a bigger country). We can see and enjoy the best (and ignore the worst!) of so many different cultures from where we stand.

Far from being small-minded, we are well placed to become truly open-minded about the world we live in - and yet have this town to come back to, with its own unique character and sense of community, its history and modernity, its diversity and sense of unity, evolving over the years yet maintaining a charm that's enduring as the Rock it's built on.

As a symbol of all this, just think of two national drinks.

From the English, we get our love of tea with milk, an oddity in much of the rest of Europe but hugely cosy and warm to anyone who's grown up with it, drinking tea at home, at work and even on the beach from a thermos flask! From Spain: our cafelito, delicious coffee served in a little cup or glass, and exceptionally good with churros. In Gibraltar, unlike most of Britain or Spain - you can get both equally well made. It's a small pleasure perhaps - but an enduring and comforting one that contributes to quality of life, and you can't ask for much more than that!

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Calentita Press 3rd Edition 11

Gibraltar 711

This year marks 1,300 years from 711 AD, largely cited as the year in which the Muslim occupation of Gibraltar began. But as Tristan Cano discovers, not everything about the story is as straight forward as the history books may suggest.

The history of human settlement in Gibraltar can be traced back tens of thousands of years to the Stone Age. Gibraltar was thought to have been one of the last sites of regular occupation for Neanderthal man and the socalled 'Gibraltar Skull' which was blasted out of a quarry on the Rock's north face in 1848 was actually discovered eight years prior to the remains found in Germany's Neander Valley. As a Gibraltarian man myself, I sometimes wonder what life would have been like for me if the words 'Gibraltar man' were synonymous with the same meaning 'Neanderthal man' has nowadays.

There is historical evidence of their having been Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman visitors to the Rock in the centuries that ensued but the next key date in Gibraltar's history was 710 AD

when a small brigade consisting of about 100 Berber cavalry and 400 foot soldiers led by Tarif ibn Malik Nakli landed on the Spanish mainland close to Tarifa. It was after Tarif, that Spain's kitesurf capital eventually took its name. Tarif did not visit Gibraltar but a successful plundering of the area meant that he returned to Africa with a sizeable booty and the stage was set for an incursion by a larger force the following spring.

This time the raid was led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad, a Muslim Umayyad general who was in command of the garrison at Tangier, under orders from Musa ibn Nusayr. Conventional wisdom cites Gibraltar as having been his disembarkation point and hence, it is said, that the rock known by the Romans as Mons Calpe became Jabal Tariq, meaning literally, Mountain of Tariq. The simplified account of proceedings goes onto say that it was not long after his 711 AD landing that the foundations of the original Moorish city of Gibraltar were laid, centering around a structure positioned where the

Tower of Homage now stands.

However a more sceptical analysis of these facts may suggest that not all of the above is entirely accurate.

Firstly - as to whether the Mountain of Tariq was in fact named after Tariq at all. It is said that Tariq himself named the Rock Jabal Al Fath which means literally the 'Mountain of Victory' and it was gradually over time that the Rock became known as Jabal Tariq. However there are those who say that instead of 'Jabal Tariq' it may rather have been 'Jabal Tarek' which means 'Mountain of the Path' denoting Gibraltar's role as a stepping stone for the Islamic conquest of Europe. The use of the word 'Tarek' (meaning path) and not 'Tariq' (after Tariq ibn-Ziyad) is also in line with the fact that it is uncommon for places to be named after persons in the Muslim world. The name was later corrupted by the Spanish to become 'Gibraltar' and its original name was therefore banished to conjecture.

There are also doubts over whether Tariq did in fact land his expeditionary force within the geographical boundaries of what is now Gibraltar. By all accounts he is meant to have avoided the closest route across the Strait taken by Tarif aiming to land his army in the Bay 'close' to the mountain. Whilst the Rock offers few natural anchorages there is a possibility that the isthmus or the area of Red Sands may have offered good landing spots for Tariq.

On the other hand, when you consider that Tariq's primary aim was to conquer Iulia Traducta,

located close to where Algeciras now stands, a landing in Gibraltar would have been largely impractical. Not only because of the distance he would need to cover to get to Algeciras, but also because, located across the Bay and in full view of that City, he would have denied himself the potential element of surprise. Arab chroniclers have claimed that Tariq attempted a landing further up the Bay, possibly in the area between Campamento and the ruins of Carteia but was repelled

by Christian defenders. It is believed by some historians that a second unobserved landing was more likely attempted on the Mediterranean coast, possibly along the beaches between La Atunara and Alcaidesa. From here Tariq could have waited for his full force to land and travel by land to the area of Puente Mayorga where he could launch an attack on Algeciras.

Finally, there are questions over Tariq's supposed settlement on the Rock. We must remember that Tariq's was a substantial and far more powerful force than that of Tarif who had preceded him a year earlier. Unlike Tarif, Tariq's intention was not a mere 'smash and grab' but was the vanguard of a serious invasionary force intent on wresting control of Hispania from the Visigoths. It could be argued therefore that Tariq would have been occupied with far more important issues than building a fortress on the Rock.

Indeed just a few months after landing he had led a famous Moorish victory over Christian Visigoths led by Roderic on the banks of the Guadalete River.

Not wanting to be outdone by his

Fireworks This year the display is being produced by Events UnLimited, featuring pyrotechnics by Alchemy Fireworks and lasers by LasysEurope and starts 22.30 hrs. The fireworks and laser show will be inspired by the flavours of Gibraltar, featuring music from some of the various cultures and traditions that have influenced the culture of The Rock. The soundtrack is guaranteed to provide something for all the family, from upbeat dance tunes to music from the musicals, classical tracks and atmospheric ambient pieces. The artists are equally varied, reflecting the melting pot of Gibraltarian culture with influences from the UK, Spain, Italy, North Africa, China and India to name but a few. For further information about the fireworks display contact Events Unlimited at events@gibtelecom.net

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protégé Tariq, Musa himself crossed the Strait with a sizeable army in 712 AD and together with Tariq pushed on via Merida, where a bloody siege ensued, to the capital Toledo. Many more battles were won along the way as Tariq and Musa continued north through Spain until, within seven years of landing, all of Iberia was in Moorish hands.

A more likely alternative to Tariq's building of a settlement or fortress on the Rock would have been the construction of a look-out post of some description, possibly close to where the Tower of Homage now stands; a location which provides an excellent vantage over the Bay. The first major settlement on the Rock would therefore have been built many years later during the 12th Century, when the Medinat al-fath (City of Faith) was constructed during the reign of Almohad ruler, Abd-al-Mumin.

By way of postscript to the above, Musa, in obvious gratitude for Tariq's tireless work, had Tariq stripped of his command and publically whipped. This did not go down well with the Caliph in Damascus who summoned both Tariq and Musa before him for judgement. This time it was Musa who was stripped of all his possessions and shamed into living his last years as a beggar. His legacy though was substantial.

It was Musa who was responsible for extending Muslim rule over much of North Africa and it was after him that the Jebel Musa Mountain located in northern Morocco and visible from Gibraltar took its name.

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12 Calentita Press 3rd Edition

Stalls at this Year´s Calentita 1. South African

2. Ye Olde Sweet Shop

Albert and Jules Gonzalez

Ye Olde Sweet Store

Bringing the distinct taste of South Africa to Calentita, this is most definitely a stall not to be missed. If you have ever been to South Africa you will know how important the "braii" (BBQ to you and me) is. If you've never been this is your chance to find out and to sample the goodies - Boer Sausages and Burgers on a Braai, Bunny Chows (unique to South Africa) mild curries served in hollowed out bread. Spare Ribs in South African barbeque sauce and Chakalaka sauce.

If Gibraltarian Desserts just isn't sweet enough for you then make sure you pay a trip to the traditional sweets on offer at the Sweet Stall. Boasting a tantalising range of modern and traditional sweets there is sure to be something for everyone at this stall.

3. Information Tent Word of Mouth If you have any questions or queries during the event this is the place to head. Word of Mouth staff will be on hand to assist you with any enquiry you might have. It's also the place to drop off your entries to the calentita competition.

4. Scottish Sharon Moir Making its debut at this year's Calentita is the Scottish stall. Boasting the quintessentially Scottish Haggis, Neeps and Tatties as well as the Scottish dish "stovies". There are not many dishes that can boast a famous poets praise - but thanks to Rabbie Burns, Haggis can…

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm : Weel are ye wordy o'a grace As lang's my arm.

5. Irish

6. Sicilian

O' Reilly's Pub

Pizzahut

Another first for Calentita - enjoy an authentic thick and steaming Irish Stew, miniature Bailey's Cheese cakes, all rounded off with a glass of the black stuff - ice cold Guinness.

Some of Gibraltar's most traditional dishes draw their inspiration from dishes originally created by our Italian forefathers. Bringing a very distinct taste of Italy to Calentita this Sicilian stall will specialise in Italian Pizza.

7. Kenyan

8. Bread and Cakes

Lianne Azzopardi and Catarina Canessa

Crumbs Bakery

Visit our Kenya Stall and help local volunteers Lianne Azzopardi and Catarina Canessa fundraise for an Actionaid project, which will see them building a much needed school in Marafa, Kenya, later this year. This is a chance to help provide a community with much-needed classrooms, as the school is currently mud-walled, uninhabitable and without toilets, and create a conducive learning environment for the children.

We will be making Kuku Paka (Kenyan Chicken Curry) and Kibama (Banana Bread).

Hope you come and visit our stall :)

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Enjoy the best of local breads and cakes served up by Crumbs Bakery. Their tasty morsels are sure to make your mouth water. Having already established themselves locally as a popular bread shop and bakery, this is certainly not a stall to miss.

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Calentita Press 3rd Edition

13

9. Chinese, Cinman

10. Montaditos

Kowloon Restaurant

"Los Mojitos"

Authentic Chinese food served the way you have always enjoyed it. Look out for local favourites Mini vegetable spring rolls, Crispy fried won tons, Egg Fried Rice, Vegetable noodles, Sweet and sour chicken, plus other dishes. This year we are raising money for Cancer Research in conjunction with Relay for Life and MS.

We will be selling freshly made montaditos with a variety of ingredients to include Serranitos and 3 choices in sauces and some very tasty sangria as well. We are a group of 12 friends fundraising for the RIFCOM Atlas to Sahara Challenge Charity Trek in November 2011 and we have called ourselves 'Los Mojitos'. RIFCOM is a non-profit charitable organisation run by volunteers from Gibraltar and Spain. Please visit http://www.rifcom.org/

11. Calentita Gibraltar Youth Service A group of young people will be selling Calentitas at this stall. They have been running the Calentita stall for the past two years and the group love being involved in this event as it is the most interesting and vibrant community event Gibraltar has in its social calendar. Every year we are amazed at the diversity Gibraltar has as a community.

This is something we forget but should actually be celebrated with such events. The funds raised will go towards a summer programme of activities for the committed service users.

12. Photo Booth Laguna Youth Club Make sure you come down to the Photo Booth to capture your Calentita Moment for ever - lights, camera, speech bubble, calentita? Action! Let the Figgy Photo Booth be a part of your calentita experience and capture the moments that you will never want to forget. Step right in with your family and friends, grab a prop and get creative. Free of charge - or make a charitable donation.

13. Paella

14. Gibraltarian

Swave

Gibraltar Cheshire Home Support Group

Always one of the most popular stalls at the event. Despite each giant paella being sufficient to provide several hundred servings, this tent is always kept busy all night making more than one. A fantastic and tasty example of Spanish cuisine enjoyed in Gibraltar.

15. Cup Cakes Cupcake Gibraltar Last year their ornate cupcakes sold out in just minutes. This year they are more than doubling their offering, not just in terms of quantity, but also in terms of cupcake flavours, icings and toppings. Look out for the Oreo which features an entire orea atop the cupcake.

17. Caribbean Denise Bacarisa Gibraltar has an important connection to the Caribbean - during the Second World War a large number of Gibraltarians were evacuated to and live in Jamaica. This stall re-establishes that important connection with the Caribbean through tasty foods from one of Jamaica's neighbours Barbados - look out for chicken, fish cakes, hot-pot stews, reti as well as many other tasty Barbadian dishes.

20. German Tristan and Ming Ming Serving up the very tasty German dish "Wurst Bude" - a traditional German sausage served with a side of potato salad - the German tent always has queues winding round the tent...but always in the most orderly of fashions.

22. Hong Kong Dim Sum Flora Lam and Kimme To Dim sum is a Cantonese term that literally means dot heart or order heart, or can be interpreted as snack. Classical dim sums include dumplings and rolls in a variety of ingredients such as beef, chicken, pork, prawns or vegetarian ingredients. They are cooked by steaming, frying and sometimes other methods. Traditional freshly made dim sum will be available at Calentita Hong Kong stall this year. Don't miss out!

This year look forward to torta de patata, torta de acelgas, croquetas and other local favourites. With the expert assistance of some of Gibraltar's top local eateries this stall will be as always, not one to miss.

16. Sri Lankan Renu Bartolo This is my first time representing Sri Lanka at this food festival… The reason I am taking part in this event to demonstrate to people all the wonderful food that we have in Sri Lanka and to show how different they are to Indian food although we are neighbours geographically.

18 & 19. Indian The Hindu Community of Gibraltar Always the most colourful stall at Calentita this year the Hindu Community are once again going all out to keep up with demand with two LARGE stalls. Look out for local favourites samosas, curries, masalas, chicken tikka, biryani and many more dishes.

21. Mexican Made In Mexico This year Gibraltar’s small Mexican community is represented by local Restuarant “Made in Mexico”. Make sure you pop on down Mexico.

23. Greek Childline This year Childline Gibraltar has decided to surprise and delight with the flavours of Greece. We will start you off with an aperitif called "Ouzo" which always accompanies the "Meze" (Greek style appetizers). This is not for the faint at heart, so if you think it might be too much for you we can dilute it in to a "Greek Kiss" (Ouzo with orange juice)…and we're off to a good start…OPA!!!!

24. Llanito Desserts Sarah Sheehan and Friends

16. Jewish

Throw the diet plan out the window, for the second year running, a stall dedicated just to the most popular course on any Gibraltarian menu...dessert. Puddin de pan, arroz con leche, mantecados, you remember it, they're making it.

Verdi Verdi / Amar's

25. Moroccan

Although Jewish members of our community are unable to participate directly in this year's Calentita, they are well represented through their food - the almost iconic Japonesa de Amar for those with a sweet tooth, and falafel and humus from Verdi Verdi for those more inclined towards the savouries. Look out for the sign at Calentita so you know where to buy.

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Moroccan Community Association From their traditional sweet meats, to harira the Moroccan soup, chiken briwat, lashing of sweet mint tea, and the superbly popular pinchitos, the Moroccan stall is not one to miss. Selling as fast as they can cook this stall is worth the wait!

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A taste of Andalucia in 5 Easy Dishes

By Tristan Cano Gibraltarian food can be described as a fusion of many different cuisines, just as Gibraltarians themselves are a mix of the many cultures and nationalities who have settled on the Rock. A traditional British dish like 'cod and chips' is as much a testament to Gibraltar's background as a distinctly Mediterranean plate of fried rosada or gallo. Whilst they are not a million miles apart when it comes to taste or application, both arrived on Gibraltarian plates by very different means.

Although there are some aspects of Gibraltarian cuisine which are distinctly British, Italian or Maltese, it stands to reason that due to Gibraltar's location, Spanish and particularly Andalucian culture and cuisine would be influential on our diets.

Our geography and natural landscape make it unsuitable for agriculture, meaning that much of the fruit, vegetables and grains we eat are imported from Spain.

We fish in the same waters and many of our favourite foods are merely variations of Andalucian dishes which have trickled their way across the border throughout the centuries. It is therefore with this in mind that Tristan Cano visits five of Andalucía's most vibrant cities and explores their links to Gibraltar together with key aspects of their cuisine.

SEVILLE Situated just a two hour drive from Gibraltar, Seville is Andalucía's largest city and home of some of the region's best known historical monuments. It is also renowned as being one of Andalucía's centres of gastronomy, providing some of the region's finest and most varied culinary experiences. Its Barrio de Santa Cruz is certainly worth a visit, as much for the beauty of its picturesque plazas, as for the abundance of excellent tapas bars scattered along its cobbled walkways.

Seville's Torre de Oro is less auriferous that you would imagine but was, like our own Tower of Homage, built during the Almohad Dynasty. As was Seville's most famous monument, the 93-metre-tall Giralda Tower which was designed at the end of the Twelfth Century by prominent Islamic architect Ahmad Ibn Baso. Baso was renowned, amongst other things, for having laid out the original city of Gibraltar including the Great Mosque which was located where the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned now stands.

There are many dishes which are professed to have originated in Seville, including Gazpacho a cold tomato soup which is renowned the world over. Howe-

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ver one traditional Sevillian dish which is also a particular favourite in Gibraltar is Huevos a la flamenca. This dish has many differing versions depending on the individual chef and, generally speaking, the leftovers that are available to throw in to it. It typically consists of fried tomato mixed with diced Spanish ham and either peppers, peas or green beans and served on a bed of chips or fried potato chunks. The 'huevos' are added before placing the dish in the oven and are therefore poached in the tomato sauce. Whilst many a Gibraltarian may claim their own version to be best around, Triana which is Seville's old gypsy quarter, and said to be the home of flamenco music, is as good a place as any to enjoy this iconic Sevillian dish.

CÁDIZ Founded by the Phoenicians as a small seasonal trading post in the 12th Century BC, Cádiz is the most ancient still-standing city in Western Europe and the closest to Gibraltar of the 5 cities featured. The old town is almost completely surrounded by water which has been as much a key to the City's success throughout the centuries as to its downfall, having made it a sought-after prize for army upon army of attacking invaders. Despite a turbulent past, the local Gaditanos now prefer to concentrate on some of the more important aspects of Andalucian life: excellent food, fine wines and Sherries and long hours spent relaxing on sandy beaches.

Cádiz has played a prominent role in Gibraltar's history as the originating port for many a Spanish naval attack on the Rock.

More crucially, however, it was the taking of Cádiz and not Gibraltar which was the primary aim of Admiral Sir George Rooke when in 1704 he set off to claim control of the entrance to the Mediterranean. As it happened, and despite boasting an impressive fleet of fifty two English and ten Dutch ships of the line, Rooke had misgivings about a further attack on Cádiz following his disastrous attempt to take the City two years earlier. Gibraltar was considered a more than adequate consolation and on 1 August of that year an Anglo-Dutch force under Rooke's command sailed into the Bay of Gibraltar.

Just three days later they took the Rock in the name of Charles VI,

Holy Roman Emperor.

Because much of the region's fishing industry is located nearby, seafood is a particular speciality.

Cádiz therefore boasts more than its fair share of marisquerias offering the freshest seafood and shellfish with the fritura Gaditana perhaps the most famous dish of them all. It's essentially a plate of mixed fried seafood similar to the type available in many Gibraltarian restaurants and in the beach bars and chiringuitos in nearby Spain. Although the varieties of fish will vary depending on the season and the day's catch, squid rings (calamares), white anchovies (boquerones), red mullet (salmonete), dogfish (cazón) and baby squid (puntillitas) are amongst the most common inclusions.

CÓRDOBA Córdoba was originally founded in Roman times and became one of Europe's largest cities, supposedly being one of the first to reach one million inhabitants. It was the capital of Al-Andalus and a centre of culture and learning which was considered to be the spiritual heart of Islamic Spain. Centred around the imposing Great Mosque (la Mesquita), the largest in Spain, Córdoba's historic streets are an eclectic mix of the many different cultures and religions which have lived there through the centuries. These cultural influences are reflected in its many historic buildings and unique architecture, not to mention the labyrinth of cobblestone streets lined with orange trees and some of the most charming squares you will find in all of Andalucía.

Córdoba's Great Mosque boasts a mix of Muslim and Spanish architecture making it in many ways an analogy of the city as a whole. When the Moors were ousted from Córdoba at the end of the 15th Century, the zealous Christian rulers tore out its cen-

tre and built a cathedral inside the Great Mosque's main prayer hall. Much the same happened with our Gibraltar's Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, however unlike our Cathedral, much of Córdoba's Great Mosque is still intact, albeit devoid of its once remarkable symmetry. Whereas little remains of our Cathedral's patio of orange trees, the Great Mosque's Patio de los Naranjos remains a virtually untouched example of a Medieval Moorish

courtyard.

There are two dishes which stand out as being uniquely Cordovan in origin. Firstly there's Salmorejo, a cold vegetable soup made with bread and tomatoes and sprinkled with hard-boiled egg and Serrano ham. Like gazpacho this soup is served cold though it's generally much thicker and can be employed in many other ways such as sauce for dipping or as a garnish for meat. There can be nothing more typical however than a Cordovan flamenquín. It consists of a long tube of pork which is wrapped with Serrano ham, breaded and then deep fried. It's a bizarre looking food item which resembles a large breaded sausage and can be served-up at lengths of up to 40cm in some restaurants. The best flamenquines can be found in restaurants near Puerta de Sevilla or in Córdoba's Jewish quarter which tend to be housed in traditional Cordovan buildings with elegant central patios which serve as dining rooms.

MALAGA Malaga lies at the heart of the Costa del Sol and is Andalucía's second largest city and the sixth largest in all of Spain. It is the birthplace of Picasso and nowadays home to Andalucía's largest airport which is the international gateway to the Costa del Sol. Although many of us will pass through the airport regularly, not all of us will have ventured into Malaga's centre, which like so many other Andalucian cities retains a very distinct personality, consistent with its Islamic past.

Aside from the Alcazaba, an 11th Century Moorish fortification, Malaga is overlooked by the 14th Century Castillo de Gibralfaro which is set in dense pine and eucalyptus woods. This castle was named after a Phoenician lighthouse which once stood in this location (gebel-faro meaning 'rock of the lighthouse') and was built by Yusef I of Granada. This great Sultan is closely linked to Gibraltar through the Gate House of our own Moorish Castle (located between the Moorish Castle Social Club and former Plater Youth Club), which bore a nolonger-visible dedication to him above the gate.

Like Cádiz, Malaga prides itself on its seafood and the mile upon mile of beautiful coastline visible from the Castillo de Gibralfaro are as noteworthy for their superb golden sands as for their many excellent chiringuitos. There are few better places than here to enjoy sardinas al espeto which literally translated means 'skewered sardines'. Fresh sardines (which are neither gutted nor cleaned) are pierced with a sharpened shard of bamboo cane and then cooked in the embers of a fire which burns traditionally on the back of an old fis-

hing boat. The espetos are set at an angle so the sardines cook in the heat and not in the smoke and the fish are turned half way through cooking. Although coarse sea salt is added during preparation, lemon tends to be avoided as they are said to detract from the sardines' natural flavours.

GRANADA Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Granada was a stronghold of the Nasrid Dynasty, Spain's last great Moorish kingdom which stood alone after Seville and Córdoba had fallen to the Catholic monarchs. It remains one of Spain's most spectacular historical World Heritage cities and its Alhambra Palace must surely be one of the most well-known and recognisable man-made landmarks on the planet Gibraltar itself once formed part of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada and was an important base port providing the Nasrids with a link to North Africa. It was however, during the Merinid occupation of Gibraltar that the socalled Gate of Granada was built in the 14th Century, in the area which later became known as the Northern Defences (the 'Jungle').

Although only remnants of this gate survive, it was once the main entrance into the City and reveals the important connection between Gibraltar and Granada during this period.

Although 'tapas' are said to have originated somewhere in Andalucia, the inhabitants of Granada emphatically claim that they were invented in their city.

Tapas supposedly originated as wine or sherry glasses were covered with bread or meat (literally lids or 'tapas') to keep the flies away. Bartenders would use salty meats like chorizo or Spanish ham which would make their punters thirsty and would therefore increase their alcohol sales. As each bar tried to outdo each other with ever more elaborate (and no doubt saltier) varieties, tapas evolved and eventually become more important than the drinks themselves.

Whether or not Granada is the actual home of tapas, it remains one of the few places in Spain where tapas are provided free of charge as an accompaniment to drinks in almost every bar in the City.

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Pa-todos What dish is most typically Spanish? There are thousands of Spanish recipes and flavours to explore - and explore we should.

But along with the tortilla de patata, it is the paella that is common to most of Spain's regions.

You might say its popularity has something to do with the way the dish reflects the country's deep maritime roots. Or you could just say it tastes delicious!

The paella is thought to have originated in Valencia, perhaps as far back as the 15th century (some 500 years ago). However, it wasn't until the 19th century that its popularity saw it spread across Spain, acquiring regional influences in the process. (An Andalusian paella won't necessarily taste the same as a paella from Valencia, let alone one from Galicia.) The original Valencian paella was enjoyed by countrydwelling peasants, who used rabbit, beans and whatever vegetables they could get their hands on.

But when the dish made its way to coastal areas, the rabbit and beans were replaced by fish and shellfish, and thus the seafood paella was born.

This paella de marisco is accepted as an authentic paella in Valencia, where, more than

anywhere else in Spain, the dish has a special place in people's hearts.

At festivals, it has become customary to prepare enormous paellas. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, in 2001 Valencian restaurateur Juan Galbis made the world's largest ever paella, feeding a phenomenal 110,000 people!

Johnny Garcia's paella is not quite that big. But it is big. Each paella can feed 500-600 people, which is no small feat. For the past 4 years, Johnny and his brother Adrian have prepared paella at Casemates for Calentita.

Rather than prepare various Spanish dishes, they prefer to concentrate on making the Spanish dish, and on making it taste yummy.

Spanish cuisine is renowned for its health benefits and fresh ingredients. And true to that idea, the Garcias insist that everything must be cooked from scratch on the night as a paella loses some of its flavour when it's reheated.

"Hombre, it's harder to do this way", Johnny tells me, "but it's worth it as we don't lose any of the aromas or flavours... No debes tener prisa en cocinarla".

Not cooking it in a rush translates to about an hour and a half

per paella on the night. Given the size of the dish, all the ingredients are supersized, as is the effort.

Johnny and Adrian take great care to ensure the rice doesn't stick.

But apart from conscientious stirring, what makes their paella taste great? "Claro, lleva pescado fresco, el arroz, marisco, agua, tomate and fresh vegetables".

What marisco? And what seasonings do the Garcias use? "Nunca se dice toda la receta!"

Given its popularity in Andalusia, it is unsurprising that Gi-

braltar too is fond of the paella de marisco.

On the night, Johnny and Adrian will attract long queues of people waiting patiently for their plate of typical Spanish cuisine. Some ask for various servings to take home for relatives (or so they say), while many come back for seconds. So how many big paellas will the Garcias get through at Calentita this year? As many as people demand, but probably 2 or 3 large dishes (i.e. 1000 - 1800 servings).

They enjoy a very good rapport with the organisers and are more than happy to be involved in the event. "Se pasa super bien.

El ambiente esta buenisimo y la gente super simpatica". Johnny explains that Gibraltarians know not to expect the same service you would at a restaurant. "It's a date for the diary, an evening for families, a special day."

So, I ask again: what are the special ingredients in his paella?

"Que pesado! El secreto se mantiene - que no te lo digo!".

Taking Part is Winning

By Jonathan Scott "Disfrutamos de la paliza que nos damos," says Ali laughing. He makes a lot of sense when he tells me it's always much more pleasing to do something because you want to, rather than because you have to. For Ali Doussi and the Moroccon Community Association, Calentita is just that; it's very hard work, but they take great pride in being part of something so quintessentially Gibraltarian. He tells me how difficult it is to organise, cook and serve while the queue of people waiting to be fed grows faster than they can cook the pinchitos! But it's a dilemma that Ali and his team are only too happy to take on every year.

"We want to contribute to la buena imagen de Gibraltar... pero lo que pasa es, short of staff" says Ali, in perfect llanito. He explains that preparing the large quantities of food requires a large space, but that they have to make do instead with a small kitchen.

Along with his team of about 12 (all volunteers, naturally), it takes about 2 days to prepare the thousands of pinchos for cooking. About 75 kg of chicken, 75 kg of beef and 75 kg of lamb are

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diced, then the fat's removed, then they're placed in the marinade... and then they're threaded onto the skewer, ready for their now famous BBQ on the night. Ali's team strives to keep prices very, very accessible, practically cost price in fact. "Lo que se gana es la colaboracion con la gente de Gibraltar."

The Moroccan pinchitos work exceptionally well for Calentita.

Not just because they have that distinctly smokey flavour of the BBQ while still being tender and juicy... beautifully tender and juicy! Mmmm.... But it's not just that. They work well because they can be eaten very easily on the move. Ali is very aware of the fact that people like moving around the square on the night, "es parte del ambiente, rey".

What it means is that other traditional Moroccan dishes, like the tajine, are far less practical and therefore less attractive for Calentita. They'd also take longer to cook. "We could do them, pero seria dificil and we couldn't do as much."

But don't worry, there are other classics that will feature on the night. In fact, you could even have a 3 course meal at this one stand. For starters, some traditional soup, so often a feature of special occasions in Morocco -

the harira. For mains, along with the chicken, lamb and beef pinchitos, you can also choose from kufta - the cigar-shaped, spiced meatloaf. Oh, and cous cous.

And, if like me you've got a sweet tooth, you could top it off with a scrumptious Moroccan cake and wash it down with some mint

Gibraltar Regiment and is proud that, more and more, Moroccan dishes are making their way in to the camp's menu. He says there's much more demand, among the Rock's soldiers, for the likes of cous cous and Moroccan-style chicken. Judging by the Moroccan stall's popularity at Ca-

tea. Discussing these classics with Ali, he convinces me that even with the most simple dishes, there is a traditional method of preparation that makes the taste authentic.

Ali Doussi was born in Tangier, but has spent most of his life here on the Rock. He inherited his passion for food and love of the kitchen from his mother, who he describes as an excellent chef.

He works as a chef for the Royal

lentita, it's not just the soldiers.

I think that Gibraltar is fascinated by Moroccan culture.

Many of us make the short journey across the Strait to glimpse another way of life, on another continent. In the 1970s, however, the journey was made in the opposite direction. With the Gibraltar-Spain land border closed, hundreds and hundreds of young Moroccans came over to work here. Some forty years later, Ali

tells me there are 1,116 Moroccan nationals living on the Rock; largely a diminishing, ageing population. But one that feels very much a part of Gibraltar today.

Ali feels more Gibraltarian than Moroccan. He has more friends here, returning to Tangier just once every 10-15 days to see his wife and family. Unfortunately, visa restrictions don't permit them to live on the Rock with him, so he relishes the summer holidays when they're allowed to visit.

"Hombre, es muy dificil dividir tu vida entre Gibraltar y Tangier.

Dividir tu sueldo."

Despite this hardship, Gibraltar is Ali's home and Casemates has a special significance. For him, the square is a great testimony to our community's cooperative spirit. Like everywhere, there are some issues, but in the main, he tells me, relations between the Moroccan community and other Gibraltarians have been excellent. And nowhere is this better exemplified than at Calentita. "Siempre ha ido muy bien para nosotros, y divertido."

Ali and his friends embrace the chance to be part of - and be seen to be part of - the fabric of Gibraltarian culture and proudly share their Moroccan heritage. "Un encanto participar in this very Gibraltarian day."

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Recipes for some Gibraltarian Favourites

By Tito Benady Our Gibraltar cuisine has been much influenced by the influx of Spaniards during the last two hundred years and by English cooking in the last fifty; the latter as a result of the evacuation to Britain in 1940 and the influence of women's magazines since then. Nevertheless there are some traditional dishes that are the hallmark of the Gibraltar cuisine; they are mostly of Genoese origin.

Calentita This is the most famous of our dishes. In Italy the farinata is usually made with wheat flour, water and oil, but in Genoa, where it is known as fainá, because Genoese is a Cockney Italian that tends to gloss over the last con-sonants of word, it is always made with chickpea flour. In the old days it used to be prepared in bakers' ovens and then sold by street vendors who carried the large metal trays on their head, balanced on a padded peaked cap to protect themselves from the heat of the trays. It is no longer sold this way, but as we now all have ovens in our kitchens and it is very easy to make many people make it at home.

To make it you mix chickpea (gram) flour with water, olive oil, salt and white pepper and let it stand for a couple of hours. You then bake it in a roasting dish, the bottom

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of which has been liberally sprinkled with olive oil, in a hot oven, at 220° centigrade for about an hour until the top is a golden colour. When you take it out of the oven you let it stand for five minutes to set before cutting into it.

The time it is baked in the oven must depend on the quantity you make. Gibraltar Favourite Recipes suggests two measures of water for each measure of flour, but I find that two and a quarter gives a better re-sult.

Panissa Is a type of polenta made with chick-pea flour, mixed with oil, water, salt and pepper in the same proportion as the for the calentita. The mixture is then slowly boiled stirring all the time. When it is cooked it is allowed to set on a plate. It can be eaten hot or when cold it can be sliced thinly and deep-fried in very hot oil until it is crispy. In Nice, which until 1860 was the Italian city of Nizza, the crispy fried panissa is known as soca.

Rosto This is the traditional Sunday dish. Given that most people did not possess ovens in the nineteenth century and that the meat that was obtained locally tended to be tough, this pot roast was very popular. Th elements that make up this dish are clearly of Italian origin but it seems to have been devel-oped locally and I have

not found equivalent recipes in Genoa.

You need a piece of beef weighing between 3 and 5 pounds, which is browned in a saucepan in hot olive oil with garlic and a bay leaf. After it has been browned on all sides it is taken out and the vegetables - carrots and turnips are tossed in the hot oil and then taken out and reserved. Remove skin and pulp from half a pound of tomatoes, chop them up and fry them in the oil in a medium heat for about ten minutes. Add two glasses of red wine and bring to the boil, then put the meat back in the saucepan and simmer for an hour and a half. After which you add the reserved car-rots and turnips and some mushrooms and cook for a further hour, adding sufficient water so that you have a nice sauce at the end. I find that peeled shallots, which have been slowly fried and caramelised for about half an hour, go well Serve the slices of meat on a bed of cooked macaroni, spoon the sauce of the meat over it and add grated cheese.

INGREDIENTS A joint of beef or veal 2 cloves of garlic 1 bay leaf 1 lb carrots  lb turnips  lb fresh mush-rooms I glass red wine  lb macaroni  lb grated cheese olive oil

salt ground black pepper Cima You take a piece of brisket from which the pieces of flank has been re-moved and you are left with a triangular piece of meat without fat. You make a deep incision in the smallest side, stuff it and then sow up the opening. It is then simmered in an uncovered saucepan for two to three hours, depending on the size of the piece of meat.

INREDIENTS FOR STUFFING 2 cups soft bread crumbs 2 crushed cloves of garlic 4 beaten eggs  lb salami or ham, cut small handful of pistachio salt 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 2 ozs grated cheese black pepper 2 tablespoons parsley Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spoon into the opening you have made in the meat.

Fifty year ago there was a cook from La Linea called Mariquita da Costa who was much in demand in Gibraltar for dinner parties and banquets. Her specialty was boning small chickens, filling them with a cima stuffing and then sewing them up before simmering them. These chickens were always called mariquitas in deference to their originator.

Minestra This is the usual Italian minestrone into which 4 tablespoons of chopped basil are stirred in towards the end. A minestrone is a vegetable soup made with white beans and fresh vegetables and flavoured with to-matoes; grated cheese is added when served.

The beans are essential but the fresh vegetables can be varied according to taste and availability.

INGREDIENTS (suggested!)  lb white beans soaked overnight 1 lb pumpkin or carrots (or mixed) 2 tomatoes (skin removed and chopped) 2 potatoes cut into small pieces 2 courgettes cut small  lb French beans 1 kohlra basil salt grated cheese Torta de acelga This is the local equivalent of the Genoese torta pasqualina, a popular Easter dish.

First you make the pastry.

Put  cup of water and  cup of oil in a bowl with a pinch of salt, beat well and slowly add plain flour to the mix-ture, stirring all the time, until it is firm enough to handle. Roll the mix-ture into a ball and roll out when desired.

Remove the stalks from three bunches of acelga (chard,

the West Indian kalaloo), or if the bunches are vary large, two will probably do. Roll the leaves and chop them finely then cover in boiling water to soften, drain and squeeze out the water. Stir into the chopped leaves, three cloves of crushed garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, two teaspoons of dried mar-joram, some chopped mint, 3 eggs and 200 grams of grated cheese, and mix well. If you do not have acelga or fresh spinach, you may use a kilo of chopped frozen spinach, which has been defrosted and had the water squeezed out.

Line a deep oven dish with half the pastry, spoon in the mixture you have made, make two wells in the mixture and break and drop an egg into each of them. Cover with the remaining pastry, brush over with milk or melted butter and cook in a medium oven for two hours.

INGREDIENTS For the filling 3 cloves of garlic 3 bunches of acelga 5 eggs 1 teaspoon died marjoram 200 grams grated cheddar salt and black pepper For the pastry  cup of oil  cup water pinch of salt and 400 grams of flour.

Adafina Jewish cuisine in Gibraltar follows the general pattern but there are some specific Jewish-Moroccan dishes. The great classic is the adafina, the normal Saturday dish, which is cooked overnight so that it can be served hot without breaking the prohibition of cooking on the Sabbath.

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 A joint of beef of about 2lbs (preferably brisket) 1 large on-ion 1 large cup of chick-peas soaked overnight 3 table-spoons pearl barley 6 boiled eggs 6 medium potatoes 1 heaped tea-spoon paprika 1 cup of rice with chopped garlic and saffron olive oil 1 or 2 heads of garlic salt The onion is sliced thinly and fried until it is a crispy brown. The rice is fried in a pan with the garlic, saffron and salt and then placed in a piece of butter-muslin and tied tightly so that it becomes a cake when it cooks and expands. All the ingredients are then assembled in a pot with plenty of water and brought to the boil, after which they are simmered for some 14 hours, preferably in a an oven at about 120º C. In the old days the pots were taken to the oven of Amar the baker, on Friday afternoon and collected on Saturday mornings, but today they are coo-

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Calentita Press 3rd Edition ked at home in a slow cooker or on a hotplate. Before serving, the eggs are shelled and the muslin is removed from the rice. The garlic will be soft and sweet.

A hallmark of this dish is its deep brown colour, some achieve this by frying the onion until it is almost black.

I do not like the flavour of burnt onion and I think that achieving the right colour with paprika is to be preferred.

A feature of Gibraltar's Jewish cuisine are the cooked Moroccan salads.

beef olives or rolitos de carne or ternera known in Malta as bragoli, have become one of the mainstays of the local cuisine.

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 8 pieces of thin beef or veal flattened as for schnitzels 6 rashers back bacon 2 hardboiled eggs chopped 4 tablespoons soft breadcrumbs 2 cloves of garlic, crushed salt and pepper (Some replace the bacon with chopped cooked carrots and olives) The ingredients are mixed Pimiento & tomato salad Skin two green peppers. and placed on the pieces of The best way is to grill them meat, which are then rolled up until the skins be-comes black, and fastened with a toothpick. then place in a plastic bag and INGREDIENTS FOR THE allow to cool. The skin should then be easy to scrape off. Sli- SAUCE 1 large onion ce the peppers in strips. Peel 2 tablespoons olive oil and seed two large tomatoes 2 cloves garlic (or 4 small ones) and chop up.

1 bay leaf Heat three tablespoons of 150ml wine flour olive oil in a frying pan and Roll the olives in flour and fry three cloves of garlic sliced thinly for a minute, then fry in the oil until brown all add the peppers and fry slowly over and remove, add more oil for ten minutes then add the to the frying pan and cook the tomatoes and cook rather more sliced onion until golden briskly for 15 minutes, add salt brown, add the garlic and bay leaf. Return the beef olives to to taste and allow to cool. the pan, add the wine and simmer for an hour.

Rolitos de carne A few middle class families Towards the end of the nineteenth century there was a did emigrate to Gibraltar and substantial Maltese immigra- their descendants still make tion. The immigrants were some traditional Maltese dismostly male workers who ma- hes. rried lo-cal or Spanish girls, (adapted from an article that so they did not make much contribution to Gibral-tarian originally appeared in the Gicustoms or cuisine although braltar Heritage Journal)

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Digging for Food

Jennifer Ballantine Perera is a self-confessed hispanist. But don't worry, that doesn't mean that she meets Alejandro Sanchez for churros on a Saturday morning; it means she's a scholar specialising in Hispanic studies. She's a social historian and a major aspect of her research has been Cuban literature and the development of a cultural identity within colonial and post-colonial constraints. Her focus in the last ten years has also been directed towards the Iberian Peninsula and in particular, Gibraltar.

The history of food in Gibraltar is therefore very relevant to Jennifer's academic focus. It's very easy to say that calentita, panissa and rolitos are our national dishes, but why are they are national dishes? How did they become our national dishes? Why are they important to us today? How did they come to be in the first place? Did our ancestors bring them from other countries or were they more-or-less invented on the Rock? These are the sort of questions that Dr. Ballantine Perera will ponder over for hours, days, weeks and months, dusting off old archives and bygone books to do her digging. Think of her as a local Lara Croft who uses research tools and systematic thinking rather than guns and

acrobatics. She searches for clues that, when pieced together, tell us something new about how Gibraltar came to be just the way it is, and how we came to eat what we eat.

Her academic studies turned to food culture while looking at Gibraltar's historical census lists and demographics to research language. She reflects upon how it's often said that modern-day Gibraltar was formed as one big melting pot of cultures. Jennifer tells me that cultures are always in a state of flux and this is evident in the introduction of certain foods in different cultures and societies. During the first one hundred years of British rule, the British influx was (naturally) considerable. Given the proximity, some Spaniards did cross over to settle here, though not in great numbers due to the many ongoing conflicts. But then there were also people coming to the Rock from Portugal, Malta and from the region Liguria and in particular its capital city Genoa.

There were also a significant number of Jews from the Barbary Coast who also brought with them their own culture and language. Yet, despite these massively diverse beginnings, and the fact that Gibraltar must have been a polyglot society, with many different influences, cultures and

languages, Gibraltar eventually became a bilingual society with English and Spanish dominating. The first question Jennifer poses, therefore, is: how and when did these languages dissipate?

And secondly: where else can we find the cultural markers in our present day society that indicate such diverse beginnings? Food is one such marker.

Food is a vehicle for transmitting culture; it tells us something about the culture that produces or even consumes the food - it also tells us something about the history of that society. For some years now Jennifer has been tracing the roots of this polyglot society, collecting historical evidence to describe why and how some foods have managed to stay on whereas others have not. In other words, the fact that calentita and panissas are popular in Gibraltar is not the end-point for Jennifer, it's where the research begins.

She digs up old cookbooks that have been passed on from generation to generation - still existing in homes today. Sometimes these carry handwritten notes, which can prove very interesting. Locallyproduced cookbooks are her treasure chests. She tells me about one that was prepared for forces personnel in the late 19th early 20th century, designed to help incoming families to source ingredients.

Those coming from the UK were advised on how to adapt recipes to reflect the food available locally. Right there, on those pages, are two cultures coming together, influencing those aspects of culture (and food) that stayed on and those that didn't. These are the tombs that Jennifer raids; they are windows through which she can look back at food culture many, many years ago.

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20 Calentita Press 3rd Edition

Meet the Miss Gibraltars This year the Miss Gibraltar contestants will make their public debut at Calentita.

With 10 entrants in this year's pageant it is set to be one of the most exciting competitions in recent times. Make sure you're in Casemates by 21.00 hrs to meet all 10 contestants as they introduce themselves…

This year the Miss Gibraltar Pageant takes place in the Alameda Open Air Theatre on Saturday 25th June 2011. It is one of the highlights of the Gibraltar social and cultural calendar and will be broadcast, as usual, live on GBC television.

No 1 Kirsty Victory

AGE 21 COLOUR OF HAIR Black COLOUR OF EYES Brown WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT I have entered this pageant because I have been told that it is a very enjoyable experience.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR I believe it's every little girls dream to be elected Miss Gibraltar. As a proud Gibraltarian I would be honoured to represent my country abroad.

Organised for the fourth year running by Christian Santos, of the eponymous Santos Productions, the show is set to be as enjoyable as ever, and who knows, perhaps we might find ourselves with another Miss World!

For more information check out the Miss Gibraltar website at; www.missgibraltar.gi

No 2 Naomi Gonzalez

AGE 19 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Brown WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT To gain a new experience and because as a child I used to tell my grandmother that when I grew up, I would join the Pageant.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR It would be an honour to represent our country abroad and be able to work closely with different organisations in Gibraltar.

www.calentita.gi

No 3 Amy Britto

AGE 21 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Hazel WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT My family has encouraged me to enter WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR I would like to represent my country and take a good experience from it

No 4 Chantal Canepa

AGE 24 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Brown WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT I have always enjoyed taking part in events like these; the backstage buzz, the social aspect of it, forming new friendships, etc.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR Being Miss Gibraltar would give me the opportunity to proudly represent my country, which I consider to be an honour.

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No 5 Michelle Gillingwater No 6 Natalie Crome AGE 23 COLOUR OF HAIR Light Brown COLOUR OF EYES Green WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT I've always had an interest in joining and this year I look forward to making new friends, working hard, enjoying myself and the exciting challenges ahead.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR As a proud Gibraltarian I would love the opportunity to represent my country and do my utmost to make Gibraltar proud.

AGE 24 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Green WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT To grow as a person, boost my confidence and most importantly to make new friends and have an unforgettable experience that I will always remember.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR It would be an honour for me to be able to represent my country abroad and within the community.

No 7 Amanda Galia

No 8 Gianna Robba

No 9 Rubaina Pincho

No 10 Jessica Baldachino

AGE 18 COLOUR OF HAIR Dark Brown COLOUR OF EYES Brown WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT The pageant will allow me to build my confidence and self-esteem.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR Being Miss Gibraltar would be a lifetime opportunity and if I had the chance to represent Gibraltar abroad, it would prove to myself, that I can surpass any obstacle emotionally and psychically in life.

www.calentita.gi

AGE 21 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Brown WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT I have entered this pageant because I know that this is the one time opportunity and a great experience in life.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR Being Miss Gibraltar would give me the opportunity represent my country as a proud Gibraltarian that I am.

AGE 19 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Green WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT: I thought it would be interesting to bring a different type of woman that is more interested in the military than dance and dresses WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR I want to bring a new image to Miss Gibraltar. Redefine the stereo type of Miss Gibraltar

AGE 23 COLOUR OF HAIR Brown COLOUR OF EYES Brown WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED THE PAGEANT Watching the show has always been a highlight for me. This year I have been encouraged by friends and family and thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and experience something new WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE MISS GIBRALTAR It would be an honour to make a difference to the community.

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22 Calentita Press 3rd Edition

The Calentita Competition

Pepe Palmero: Long time Calentita participant and Calentita Competition Judge.

www.calentita.gi

"Calentita es lo mejor que tiene Gibraltar", says Pepe casually. Gibraltarian exaggeration? Good old fashioned patriotism for our national dish perhaps? "It's important because it's ours and always will be". For Pepe Palmero, the chickpea dish reflects our cultural heritage - it tells a story of where the Gibraltarian people came from and how we evolved. Over the years, it's taken on an identity of its own. Families that cook calentita at home often follow a recipe that has been passed on from generation to generation.

But if it is "the best Gibraltar has to offer" in the kitchen, as Pepe claims, then why don't more restaurants serve it locally? "Hombre, it's an acquired taste. La calentita no es para todos." And he's right; it's not for everyone. If you grew up with your granny cooking calentita every Sunday, chances are you like it. If, however, you didn't, you're less likely to find it appealing. Regardless, there are only a few places that cater for the Rock's penchant. Pepe enjoys buying it, and other local favourites like tortilla de patata and torta de acelga, from the Tasty Bite. You can also find calentita at Amar's. But can you cook your own?

For Pepe, the choice of chickpea flour is of the utmost importance when preparing calentita. Apparently, it's not just a case of buying a pack from the shop on the corner: "como todo en la cocina, hay que empesar with good ingredients".

And despite being a very simple dish with few ingre-

dients (see page _ for a recipe), there are variations in the quantities used. The most common sticking point - if you'll excuse the pun - is whether or not to use eggs. "Yo siempre le hecho un par de huevos," says Pepe with a cheeky smile.

For the fourth year running, there'll be a calentita competition at Calentita! to find out who makes the best in Gibraltar. Do you make a good calentita? Maybe a family member does? If so, enter our calentita competition and you could win yourself a fantastic prize.

Taking part is simple - all you have to do is prepare your best calentita and bring it down to Casemates on Friday 10th June 2011. There are a couple of guidelines, so please make sure you stick to them.

1) Please register by filling out the appropriate registration form. You can get this by emailing calentita@word-ofmouth.co.uk with the subject line "Calentita Competition".

We will send you a form which you can then fill out and email us back. Registering helps us to run the competition smoothly but even if you don't you can still enter.

2) More importantly, on the night (10th June 2011), bring your calentita down to Casemates and bring it to the stall marked "info". Please make sure that you arrive before 8pm. Judging begins at 8.30pm with the winner announced at around 10pm.

3) To take part, please make sure that your calentita measures no more than 10cm x

10cm and is divided into squares of 2cm x 2cm. This will assist our judges in getting through all the entries: "nos vamos poner como el Kiko!"

There are probably as many variations of calentita as there are families cooking it on the Rock. So how does one choose between them? That difficult task belongs to Pepe and his judging sidekick - local broadcasting legend - Richard Cartwright.

So, what will they each be looking for in the calentitas on 'el Calentita night'?

- Pepe DOES NOT like it to be grainy - He DOES like the consistency to be creamy - 'cremosita' - with some crispy bits - Pepe DOES like salt & pepper, but he prefers to add it to his lik-ing / himself What about Richard?

- He definitely DOES like his food to be tasty rather than bland; Richard likes rich flavours.

- He DOES prefer it warm, but he doesn't mind cold calentita.

- Richard DOES like it to be crispy on top.

Good luck and happy cooking! On the night scores will be compiled and audited by Vasquez Consulting. Alfredo and Ramon are too young to remember Paloma, but Richard's voice is full of nostalgia as he recounts his memory of Gibraltar's last calentita street vendor. He tells me that he would always chuckle quietly when she got teased with cries of, "Paloma, como esta tu hermana?".

Richard Cartwright joins Pepe in 2011 to judge the Calentita Competition.

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Cultural Diversity on the Stage

Urban Dance are once again participating in this year´s Calentita, bringing a spectacle of colour and dance to the ever popular gastronomic extravaganza. As they have been doing for the past five years, this versatile dance group perform all sorts of different cultural styles, including Indian Bhangra, Arabian, Flamenco Fusion, Caribbean and Commercial styles, bringing something for everyone, and making this evening bursting with energy and en-

tertainment. The group, which has been established for the last 15 years, already has an extensive portfolio of performances around Gibraltar, at many events such as Miss Gibraltar, Fusion, and National Day Rock Concerts to name a few.

The Urban Dance Studio for the performing arts, located at Jumper's Bastion, holds classes for children 3 years and upwards, and specialises in Modern/Commercial, Hip Hop, and Contemporary.

Puppet Project

The young people who are service users of the Youth Centre have been working on a variety of different programmes this year such as Forensic Factory and more recently the 'Puppet Project'. This group of committed young people have been participating in weekly workshops delivered by Lizanne Figueras about Puppet making. The project has opened the opportunity to young people who are interested in the arts. The workshops have given opportunities for the exploration of cultures, food, customs and beliefs which are mirrored in the Calentita event which is where the public will experience their work.

This puppet art parade will be perfectly suited to feature as part of the 'Calentita' food festival event and it will be a chance to bring colourful, exciting and theatrical street art to this popular Gibraltarian event.

www.calentita.gi

The group also perform on a regular basis in Spain, in the Teatro La Velada and Palacio de Congresos in La Linea, Teatro San Roque, Casino San Roque, Tivoli World and Bahia Park.

The group has strong ties with Spanish school, Academia de Eva Sanchez from La Linea, and both groups perform together regularly, being a first in Gibraltar's dance history. Dance teachers at Urban Dance, Yalta Pons and Jolene Gomez,

are also the Modern and Contemporary dancer teachers at the Academia de Eva Sanchez. Urban Dance have also represented Gibraltar at the World Dance Championships in Germany, attended some intense dance workshops in Bari, Italy, were selected to perform at the Got To Dance Auditions in UK, and recently, achieved two 1st prizes at the Barcelona World Dance Grand Prix, highlighting the groups recent achievements.

You Are the Rock that Dreamed Me

by Gabriel Moreno Dream me now, under a Moorish moon, conceive me in the southern night, you hold the mirror of my mind, you thread petals in my dreams.

Rain on my summit of doubts, cross our straits of stagnation, you are the paradox of time, you are the theatre of belief.

As the ocean breathes into the sea, unfold me with your gypsy knife, you enhance the English verb, you release me from oblivion.

Shred the flags you knew and wore, hurl them out in western winds, you are the market of desire, you are the porthole of identity.

Design a voice of Saxon sound, give me songs of stones and gulls, you are the vision of the whole, you are the rock who dreamt me.

Tú eres el peñón que me soñó Suéñame ahora, bajo la luna mora, en la noche veraniega, tú posees el espejo de mi mente. tú hilas flores en mis sueños.

Llueve sobre mi cúspide de dudas, cruza el estrecho de la inacción, tú eres la paradoja del tiempo, tú eres el teatro del convencimiento.

Mientras el océano sopla sobre el mar, desenfunda mi ser con tu navaja gitana, tú embelleces el verbo inglés, tú me devuelves del olvido.

Rasga las banderas que conocimos, al viento del poniente con ellas, tú eres el mercado del deseo, tú eres la lumbrera de la identidad.

Diseña una voz de sonido Sajón, dame canciones de gaviotas y piedras, tú eres la visión de la totalidad, tú eres el peñón que me soñó.

www.calentita.gi

Gabriel Moreno Born in Gibraltar in 1977. Graduated in Philosophy and Hispanic Studies at the University of Hull, Yorkshire, (1995-1999). Studied literature at the University of la Serena during exchange year (1997). In 2003 commenced the doctorate on Hispanic literature at the university of Barcelona, completing the academic instruction.

Teacher of English at the University of Trujillo, Peru (2000), Cambridge School of languages, Naples (2005) and Institut de Idiomes, Barcelona (2006) and currently teaching at the Eden House School college, London. Published works include, Londres y el susurro de las amapolas, Omicrón, (2007), Voices from the blue, Omicrón, (2008), Cartas a Miranda, (2008), La barca enterrada, (2009), Los árboles plateados, (2009) and Identidad y Deseo, Omicrón (2010) Also wrote introduction to several poetry books including, Los bebedores de estrellas, Omicron (2008) Las Criaturas Celestes, by Israel Clará, collection Entre la rosa y la azucena (2010) and La trama perfecta by Daniel Busquéts, (2010.) © Gabriel Moreno, 2011 www.gabrielmoreno.yolasite.com