Menorcan chamomile, the little sun that blooms around Saint John

Bep Al·lès/Ciutadella - Among the most delicate and singular experiences a foodie traveller can discover in Menorca is Menorcan chamomile, an endemic plant with small, bright yellow flowers that seem to hold within them the colour of the Mediterranean sun.

Menorcan chamomile, Santolina magonica, is usually gathered around Saint John, when the island’s landscape is at one of its most intense moments. It is much more than an aromatic plant: it belongs to popular culture, traditional knowledge and that ancient relationship between people, the land and the plants that have accompanied everyday life on the island.

Its medicinal properties are well recognised and it is also valued in organic farming, where it is used to help control pests and diseases affecting other plants. This double value, both domestic and natural, makes it a small treasure of Menorca’s botanical heritage.

Menorcan chamomile is a Gymnesian endemic species: in the whole world, it only grows in Mallorca and Menorca. Its late flowering is typical of some ancient Mediterranean plants, formed at a time when the Mediterranean climate did not yet exist and springs and summers were rainier. For this reason, some of these endemic species carry millions of years of history.

For those seeking a more authentic Menorca, chamomile is a subtle experience: aroma, landscape, health, tradition and natural memory. A small yellow treasure that deserves to be observed, respected and valued.