Carnivals Last Tuesday: the embers that empty Ciutadella and ignite memory

Bep Al·lès/Ciutadella - Yesterday, Tuesday 17 February, Ciutadella’s urban centre was practically deserted from midday onwards. It was no mystery: people did what you do when Last Tuesday of Carnivals arrives. Off to the countryside, off to the residential areas, off to any corner with glowing embers and good company. And at the heart of it all, as always, a liturgy of smoke and happy, sizzling fat: sobrassada cooked over the embers, along with traditional dishes such as pig’s trotter pudding, crespellets, pudding of sweet potatoe, and grilled meats.

For foodies, the day is an accelerated masterclass in aromas: the sweet scent of paprika rising with the flame, the texture shifting from firm to creamy when the sobrassada “sweats” at just the right moment, and that perfect contrast with toasted bread—crisp, yet soaking up every drop. Some add a thread of honey, others top it with island cheese to melt, and some defend absolute purity: sobrassada, bread and embers, no embellishments. All versions share one thing: Menorca in a bite.

Still, it is both regrettable and worrying that some want to rename Carnival Last Tuesday as “Sobrassada Day”. This is not merely a matter of words: it is collective memory, the popular calendar, and identity. Sobrassada is one of the protagonists—perhaps the main one—but the traditional name “Last Tuesday” speaks to far more than a product: it speaks to a way of living the final day of Carnival, of gathering, and of celebrating the end of the Darrers Dies (Carnival Last Days) cycle with fire, bread and good company. Let’s keep the name Carnival Last Tuesday, so that future generations continue to talk about it and bring friends and families together around sobrassada cooked over the embers.