És Firó in Sóller
It is traditional to have snails before the Firó. It is not possible to avoid this festival when you are in Sóller. Everyone is getting ready for the ‘war’; equipped with fake swords and ancient blunderbusses, harmless but dreadfully loud fireworks and dressed in their best tailor-made farmer’s costumes (which will probably be ruined during the battle).
The Firó is one of the largest events in Sóller. This is the day when the Moors intruded Sóller and the battle won by the Sollerics is celebrated by re-enacting the situation every year since the victory. It is a whole day event starting mid morning and continuing right up to the early hours of the next morning. I have to salute them for their spirit and enthusiasm, but I much prefer to participate in a less violent and diplomatic way by complying with the tradition to have snails.
“Why have snails during the fiesta?” I questioned my Catalan language professor, eager to discover another fable that even my well-knowledged husband do not know about.
“Because they are the largest at this time of the year” was his logical reply. And so much imagination I had about how snails would have played their part in the battle. Errr, how? Obviously, it was just too much imagination. Therefore, having snails is not a tradition, it is a seasonal ingredient at it’s best.
Our garden is full of snails and I have never taken any opportunity to hunt for them. Antonia, our neighbour, enjoys her time hunting for snails in our garden after rainfall. And every time she appears with a bucket full.
These snails are fed on flowers and vegetables for a week to ‘clean’ their interior. Not to mention thorough cleaning to remover all possible grit and sand and whatever that they have been crawling on. I am not put off by the thought of that. My imagination could easily be tuned off and focused solely on the plate of delicacy in front of me.
My husband and I had it in Ca’n Gata. It was a last minute decision. The few places we went to before had run out of snails and we were mentally prepared that we may not have any until the following year. Still keeping our hopes high, we marched towards Ca’n Gata.
Ca’n Gata is a family run restaurant serving traditional Mallorquin food. They worked only during lunch hours but have recently started to do dinner services as well. With it’s cobbled stone flooring as you enter, the place used to be a wine shop. It is small but comfortably sits four tables, with an average of twelve people. However, do not be fooled by the size of the entrance and the entrada because right through the bar into the deeper end of the room is another enclosed interior and a garden.
We queued for almost an hour (which is not normal) but we were craving for snails so much that we are happy to wait. The lady in charge, although busy, was keeping us informed about the wait and also apologised for the wait. Ca’n Gata serves menu del dia at €9.75 onwards which includes bread and olives with a choice of water or wine. The menu is depends on what is in the market.
After the search and the wait, the anxiety for fearing that they will also run out of snails is put to rest. I am sure that snails are done differently in every family. The dish served in Ca’n Gata was definitely worth the wait. The broth is full with depth of flavour. Peppery, spicy and slightly salty served with aioli sauce. It is definitely going to be my yearly feast for snails.
Or I think it is time we ask Antonia for some of the snails that she reaps from our garden.
Ca’n Gata
c/ Sa Lluna, 51
07100 Sóller (Mallorca)
+34 971 638 634
