Sílvia López is an enterprising agricultural engineer from Altura (l’Alt Palància). As a result of several projects based on organic agriculture with olive trees, with horticultural and aromatic plants, almost a year ago it started producing cereals from old and traditional varieties of our area with a company with a very suggestive name: Era.
Before starting to grow these cereals, Silvia did a huge job of reproduction in sufficient quantity from the few seeds she received from the National Phytogenetic Resource Center (CRF) to Alcalá de Henares. He also took advantage of deepening his knowledge in Mallorca within the Department of Agri-Food Quality of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of the Balearic Islands and, following this, I met Guillem, of the Mill of Sant Antoni in Manacor, where many old varieties that he discovered are ground (such as the Valencian red wheat variety). He has also had contacts with him Sogorb seed bank (l’Alt Palància).
After three years of this previous work, has sown fields between Alt Palancia and Aragon, taking advantage of family-owned land. The aim has been to start recovering five types of flour from five ancient varieties. As for the wheat, produces spelled (a famous table), Florence Aurora, Aragon 03 i Khorasan (popularly called kamut or wheat of Egypt). Also, But, grow an ancient variety rye.
Another interesting point is that it uses a stone mill, which guarantees a very artisanal and small scale that does not degrade the benefits of the cereal, because it is at a lower temperature as in a metal mill.
In addition, we can find bread made with this flour in ovens in the city of Valencia, such as baked Terra de Pa, in Patraix, where they are absolute followers of Era (in fact they have projects in common that we will soon get to know). In this oven the basic breads, d’olives, multicereals and de ségol 100% they are made with Silvia's flours. Also the recommended cocoa and lime cookies, made with the Aragon wheat variety 03.
Where you can find Era flour?
- On your website
- Terra de Pa (Patraix)
- Point of Taste (Old City)
- Sensat Ecobotiga (Maritime towns)
- Biosophia (Eixample)
- We are Food (at Saidia)
- The Clean Wheat (consumption groups)
- The Perigall orchard (San Antonio de Benaixeve)
XAVIER BENAVENT / MARTINA MONLLAU
