Another rainy January day, another memory of a pleasant sunlit coastal town some place hot. Or warm, at least. This time we were talking about Menorca’s old capital, the delightful port of Ciutadella, situated on the island’s western coast facing Majorca, whose mountains are plain to see from the mouth of the fjord-like harbour.

In fact you catch a ferry over to Alcudia in Mallorca if the mood takes you. But why leave Ciutadella?  Strolling around the myriad streets which rise from the inland end of the busy harbour is a treat, thanks partly to the excellent tapas we enjoyed in bars surrounding the ancient working market in the heart of this historic town. 

We found some particularly good little places in and around the market. The small square with its arcades has a central area where fresh fish is sold and this is  surrounded by small stands under attractive old arcades.

It was the Arabs who introduced a who new cuisine to the island many centuries ago with ingredients such as rice, almonds, oranges and lemons, and spices like saffron. In addition, Menorca, has now been established as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, partly because it boasts some of the best produce of the Balearics which makes the cuisine varied and utterly unique.

Ciutadella was founded by the Carthaginians, and became the seat of a bishop in the 4th century. After being governed by the Moors for several centuries, Ciutadella was recaptured during the “reconquista” by men serving Alfonso III and became part of the Crown of Aragon. 

During the Middle Ages, Ciutadella became an important central Mediterranean trading port. In 1558, a powerful Turkish Armada of 140 ships and 15,000 soldiers, put the town under siege for eight days entered and decimated the place. The town was defended by only a few hundred men. All of Ciutadella's 3,099 inhabitants who survived the siege were taken as slaves together with other inhabitants of surrounding villages. In total, 3,452 residents were sold into slavery in the slave markets of Istanbul.