Taste of Malaga goes down a storm in Greenland

The fame of Malaga's cured meats, oils and cheeses has reached the North Pole. Sabor a Málaga products have just landed in Greenland thanks to the Malaga adventurer Manuel Calvo, who is taking part in Operation Iceberg together with the Dingonatura Foundation.

"They are creating quite a sensation," Calvo said as he shared products with local Inuit people from the village of Qaqortoq, some 3,939 kilometres north from Malaga city. The foods are part of the supplies for the Arctic challenge expedition and makes up the regular diet of the ten travellers who have embarked on the project. Their provisions include chorizo and sausages from Yunquera, cheeses from different areas of the province, cane honey from Frigiliana, dried figs from Almáchar, jams from Benalauria and oil from Ardales. In total, 25 kilos of local products that make them feel closer to home.

The expedition members arrived in Greenland on 12 July with the aim of studying the state of the glaciers. If all goes well, they will return at the end of the month.

Regarding the idea of stocking up on Malaga products, Calvo said that his wish was to keep to the Mediterranean diet as far as possible, for which they have had the collaboration of the Diputacion, Malaga's provincial authority. Although supermarkets are within easy reach, the food is very different and the products from Malaga are ideal for the expedition members because they don't have to cook them.

Calvo said that the Malaga products were prized at a meal they had this week on the island of Unartoq, where they shared a table with a family of fishermen and hunters who treated them to Arctic trout and a side dish of pasta. As a token of courtesy, they brought chorizo, cheese and olive oil. "They were especially amazed with the oil because we recommended that they add some to the pasta and they were bowled over".

On a personal level, the travellers make special use of dried fig cakes, which they use as energy bars for the hardest days, and have toast with jam for breakfast. "I have to ration the products from Malaga because otherwise they would have all been used up on the first day. Every time I bring out a chorizo or a sausage there is shouting and a party," Calvo said.

The aim of the expedition is to raise awareness about climate change. The adventurers plan to travel more than 300 kilometres over 16 days and bring part of an iceberg back to Malaga, which they will later leave to melt somewhere in the city to symbolise what is happening to the planet as a result of global warming.

The mission will also be an opportunity to highlight the struggle and the spirit of self-improvement, as among the travellers are five young people from Malaga who have overcome cancer. The expedition will be documented in its entirety.