Murcia's confectioners are innovating with 'Murciatone,' a variation of the Italian 'Panetone,' but made with products and fruits from the Region of Murcia.
The 'Murciatone' has two Ciezan roots in its preparation: on the one hand, Cieza peaches are one of its ingredients, and on the other, master Ciezan pastry chef Joaquín Ramos is one of its creators.
The ingredients that make up this sweet, which is being sold this Christmas and will continue to be sold in the future, are entirely from Murcia. This sweet is made by cold-infusing sourdough with orange blossom water, and includes lemon and orange from Murcia, raisins from Bullas, Jumilla, and Yecla, boiled apricot from Caravaca and Cehegín, but with a Cehegín alcuza (a type of apricot), almonds from Sierra Espuña (Alhama de Murcia and Totana) and Campo de Cartagena (Fuente Álamo, Torre Pacheco, San Javier, La Unión, San Pedro del Pinatar, and Los Alcázares), and cantaloupe melon from Lorca, Torre Pacheco, and Mar Menor, salt from San Pedro del Pinatar, and of course our Cieza flowering peach.
The nearly 30 members of the Regional Association of Pastry Entrepreneurs of the Region (AREPA), to which our neighbor Joaquín Ramos of Las Delicias belongs, have been working on the 'Murciatone' recipe for several weeks.
The official presentation of this new product took place this past Tuesday afternoon at the large Christmas tree installed in Plaza Circular, Murcia, where 150 free Murciatones were distributed, resulting in a total of around 4,500 servings.
The initiative, which thousands of citizens expressed their appreciation for, aims to promote Murcian pastries and local raw materials under the slogan "Discover the smell and taste of the Region of Murcia in a single bite. 'Murciattone': handcrafted with products from the region."
The presentation of the circular plaza was attended by the Regional Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Environment, Javier Celdrán; the Mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta; the City Councilor for Tourism, Jesús Pacheco; and the President of Arepa, Ricardo Ruiz, among others.