Editing Menorca (section)

=== Food and drink ===
[[File:Gin Xoriguer.jpg|thumb|upright|Bottle of Gin Xoriguer, the typical gin from Menorca. It is very often mixed with lemonade.]]
Wine production has been known on the island since ancient times, but it went into a heavy decline over the last century. Now, several new, small wineries have started up, producing wines locally.<ref name="Vinologue"/>

Lingering British influence is seen in the Menorcans' taste for [[gin]], which during local ''festes'' honoring towns' [[patron saint]]s is mixed with lemonade (or [[bitter lemon]]) to make a golden liquid known as ''Pomada''. Gin from Menorca is not derived from grain alcohol but from wine alcohol ([[Eau de vie|eau de vie de vin]]), making it more akin to brandy. It has the distinction to have [[Geographical indication|geographical identity protection]]. Probably the best known gin is Gin Xoriguer which is named after the typical Menorcan windmill which was used to make the first gin. One of the reasons it is also known as Gin de Minorca or Gin de Mahón.

[[Mayonnaise]] is thought to take its name from the capital of the island. According to this theory, it was first prepared by a French chef in 1756 as part of a victory feast after capturing [[Mahón|Port Mahon]], Minorca. In those days, sauces were prepared by combining cream and eggs. The French chef needed cream to prepare a sauce, but the cream was nowhere to be found. Therefore, he replaced it with olive oil, creating mayonnaise. The name mayonnaise originates from the capital of the island, [[Mahón]]. <ref name="Food Chronology">{{cite book |last1=Trager |first1=James |url=https://archive.org/details/foodchronologyf00trag |title=The Food Chronology |date=1995 |publisher=Henry Hold and Company |isbn=9780805033892 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/foodchronologyf00trag/page/163 163] |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheflerfoods |date=2022-08-27 |title=The Interesting History of Mayonnaise |url=https://cheflerfoods.com/history-of-mayonnaise/#:~:text=According%20to%20culinary%20historians,%20mayonnaise,by%20combining%20cream%20and%20eggs. |access-date=2024-08-22 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Also famous is [[Mahón cheese]], "formatge de Maó", a cheese typical of the island.

Sweets known as [[flaons]] are one of the typical gastronomic products of Menorca.