- Hundreds of locals and visitors have enjoyed an incredible atmosphere thanks to the diverse gastronomic and leisure events in which the ‘fava poblera’ has been the main protagonist.
Last weekend, hundreds of locals and visitors enjoyed an incredible atmosphere thanks to the wide range of gastronomic and leisure activities in which the ‘fava poblera’ was the leading protagonist.
The festival started last Friday afternoon with the conference ‘La Cova de les Bruixes: new research’, given by the Professor of Archaeology at the University of Alicante Feliciana Sala Sellés. The evening continued with a great gastronomic event. The chefs Miquel Ruiz, from El Baret de Miquel in Dénia, and Fran Burgos, from La Fava in Benidorm, offered a showcooking in which they prepared dishes with ‘fava poblera’. Afterwards, the attendees were able to taste their tapas to the rhythm of the music of the duet Tàndem, who enlivened the evening.
Last Saturday morning there was also a great family atmosphere with the workshop and storytelling ‘We are what we eat’ and the dansà of the Grup de Danses Morro Falquí and the Colla La Llebetjà. In the afternoon, first of all children enjoyed the massive concert by Dani Miquel, who was followed by the inimitable Xàtiva singer Pep Gimeno “Botifarra”, who filled the square even more. In the evening, the public enjoyed good food and live music with the groups La Xe-ranga, La Trocamba Matanusca, Niuss and Dj Cate.
Yesterday, Sunday, broad beans were very present in the most gastronomical side of the Mitjafava with the Tapifava Festival and the contest for the longest broad bean and the one with the most “gallons” (seeds). Francisco Llobell’s 45-centimetre bean won the prize for the “fava més llarga” (the longest broad bean), and the “fava amb més gallons” (the broad bean with the most seeds) was that of Félix Rojas, with 11 seeds.
Another attraction was the traditional homemade wine contest organised by the Biomoscatell Association, which has taken over from the former Neighbours’ Association after the death of its president, Pura Bolufer, last year. The councillor, Mayte Roldán, dedicated an emotional speech of gratitude to her: “Pura, wherever you are, this is for you”.
The jury declared Andrés Beltrán the winner of the white wine, with Josef Fässler second and Pep Bolufer and José Roque third. For the single varietal Muscatel wine, the first prize went to José Maria Catalá, the second to José Francisco Mayans and the third to Francisco Cuesta. The red wine prizes went to Jordi Bolufer in first place, to José Francisco Mayans in second place and to Natalia Gonzalo in third place. And in the case of the single varietal wine went to Juanjo Vidal (first), José Andrés García (second) and Toni Catalá (third). The Council congratulated all the participants for keeping the tradition of artisan wine alive in town. In addition, the jury highlighted the high quality of the wines this year, as well as the high level of participation, with 25 people registered.
The concert by Bass Duo rounded off an unbeatable morning that vindicated the most 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, 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 many possibilities.
