El Poble Nou de Benitatxell is dressing up this weekend to pay tribute to one of its culinary gems: the broad bean (because "in April, in El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, there are a thousand broad beans"). The town hosts the Mitjafava Fest, an unmissable event for lovers of good food and local traditions.
The activities kicked off with the Fava Gastronomic Days, where local restaurants and bars prepared traditional arròs amb fava (rice with beans) alongside original culinary creations. The festival's climax will come on Sunday, April 6, with the Tapifava Festival, where innovative tapas, known as tapifaves, can be sampled in the Plaza de les Pesqueres for €2 each.
The Councilor for Festivals, Mayte Roldán, highlighted the versatility of this legume: "It's incredible that such a humble legume can be used to create such sophisticated and original dishes. I'm convinced that residents and visitors will enjoy the event and the gastronomic creations in the form of tapas that fuse traditional and innovative cuisine."
Among the culinary proposals, the following stand out: Dried bean taco, its cream and jam with smoked mackerel and the Cheek brioche bread with broad bean, onion and caramelized pod with truffle mayonnaise of the Restaurant La Cumbre, bean rolls and mini bean burger from Ca Toni Mònica, the bean coca from La Coqueria, the broad beans with cuttlefish and bean omelet from Entreibéricos or the squid with broad beans from Loving Fresh.
There will also be international options such as Xiao-long-bao with pork and broad bean filling of Mil Restaurant Beniasia, the Baby broad bean mousse focaccia with flame-grilled eggplant, roasted pepper, sun-dried tomato, and salted fish and rice risotto with 'fava pelà' from the Antiquary Pizzeria or the vegetarian broad bean spring rolls and spiced broad beans Sofia's Asian Restaurant Flavors. For vegan cuisine lovers, La Despensa will offer Fava bean falafel with tahini sauce and homemade broad bean and oyster mushroom burger and La Cuina de Xaro will serve a vol-au-vent with broad bean hummus.
Sunday's event will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a lunch service provided by the El Portalet Bullfighting Club. Tapifaves will be served at 11:00 a.m., and at 12:30 p.m., the Oxigen group will liven up the tasting with live music. Finally, at 13:30 p.m., the prizes will be awarded for the homemade wine, longest-grained fava, and longest-grained fava competitions.
The festivities aren't limited to Sunday. On Friday, April 4, chefs Ferdinando Bernardi and Ausiàs Signes will perform a cooking show, followed by a concert by Estela Malonda. On Saturday, April 5, the day will begin with a craft market and children's attractions. In addition, the BioMoscatell Association will organize guided tours of the experimental bean plantation and the Moscatel experience for the five senses.
Folklore will also have its place with popular dance by the Grup de Danses Morro Falquí and the Colla La Llebetjà, as well as a performance by the Muixeranga de la Marina Alta. In the afternoon, children can enjoy a play area and a children's show by Ramonets, while adults can enjoy a village afternoon snack with tapas and performances by Sandra Monfort, Soulomonics, La Xe-ranga, Primavera Valenciana, and DJ Trapella.
