- The Local Police tied with a 51 cm bean with Manel Roig and dedicated it to Gabriel Pastor, repeated winner of this award who passed away a few weeks ago.
Last weekend, hundreds of locals and visitors enjoyed an incredible atmosphere thanks to the numerous gastronomic and leisure options in which the fava poblera was the undisputed protagonist.
The festival started off last Thursday afternoon with a tasting of wines and their pairings by BonAmb sommelier Pablo Català, which was organised by BioMoscatell association. Last Friday, haute cuisine took centre stage with showcookings by chefs Ferdinando Bernardi, from Casa Bernardi in Benissa (one Michelin Star and one Sol Repsol), and Ausiàs Signes and Felicia Guerra, from Ausiàs Restaurant in Pedreguer (recommended in the Michelin and Repsol guides). Both restaurants prepared dishes with fava poblera and the attendees were able to taste them to the rhythm of the music of the pianist Estela Malonda.
Then last Saturday morning there was also a great atmosphere with the dansà of Grup de Danses Morro Falquí and Colla La Llebetjà, and the performance of the Muixeranga de la Marina Alta, who filled the streets of the town with a great display of popular Valencian culture. The guided tours of BioMoscatell association to the experimental field of broad bean in the town, a project for the retrieval and enhancement of this legume, and to the vineyard fields, including a tasting of its products, were also very well attended.
In the afternoon, first the public of children enjoyed the concert of Ramonets, followed by Sandra Monfort, who filled Les Pesqueres square. In the evening, the public enjoyed good food and live music with the groups La Xe-ranga, The Soulomonics, Primavera Valenciana and DJ Trapella.
Yesterday, Sunday, broad beans were very present in the more gastronomic side of the Mitjafava Fest with the Tapifava Festival and the contest of the fava més llarga (the longest broad bean) and the fava amb més gallons (the broad bean with the most seeds). This award served to remember those who are no longer with us. The Local Police, who tied with Manel Roig in the fava més llarga with a 51 cm fava, dedicated the award to Gabriel Pastor ‘the plumber’, who passed away a few weeks ago and was a fan of this contest, winning the prize on several occasions. In the fava amb més gallons, of 9 seeds, there was a triple tie between Francisco Llobell, Alfonso Torres and Antonio Marqués.
Another attraction was the home-made and traditional wine contest organised by the BioMoscatell association. The jury declared Sebastián Gómez the winner of the single-varietal Muscatell wine, with José Vidal in second place and José María Català in third. For the single-varietal giró wine, the first prize went to Antonio Pascual, the second to Pep Bolufer and the third to José María Català. The prizes for the white wine went to Natalia Gonzalo in first place and Pep Bolufer in second. And in the case of red wine, for José Sebastián Andrés (first), Raúl Andrés Estalrich (second) and Alfonso Torres (third). The Council congratulated all the participants for keeping the tradition of artisan wine alive in the municipality.
The Oxigen concert rounded off an unbeatable morning that showcased the local products of the municipality. A gastronomic showcase in which restaurants from the municipality reinvented the cuisine by creating tapas, in some cases from as far away as Asia or Italy, with the broad bean as the main ingredient. Once again this year, the tapas did not disappoint anyone. Everyone repeated. The restaurants surprised with innovative tapas and demonstrated their multiple possibilities.
