b-served Highlights
Frozen Library
Authors: El Tribut and Mamá Heladera
Literature and books are meant to be savoured like a good meal. In a collaboration that brings together signature cuisine and innovation in ice cream-making, El Tribut restaurant and Mamá Heladera present the “Frozen Library”: a collection of flavours inspired by classic works of world literature. It is a genuine tribute to the power of gastronomy and literature to stimulate the senses and spark the imagination through memory.
With the Sant Jordi festival on the horizon, this initiative offers Barcelona and ice-cream lovers (and everyone else), a unique experience based on the principles of neurogastronomy. A new concept in gastronomy, a fresh approach, thanks to which, in just five years, Mamá Heladera —a long-established family business— has become a benchmark for the national and international press.
The key lies in the undeniable power of flavours and smells to evoke memories. Based on this premise —both scientific and deeply emotional— Irene Iborra, the fifth generation of a family of horchata and ice cream makers from the Poblenou neighbourhood, has established Mamá Heladera as the world’s first ‘memory ice cream parlour’. Her method is unique: transforming stories and memories provided by her customers into taste sensations. Using this same procedure, the chef of El Tribut, Albert Suarez, together with Iborra, have created six ice-cream flavours that transport us to the settings and cultures of six emblematic literary works:
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. The Odyssey (Homer): Olive oil, lemon, laurel and salt ice cream. The oil and lemon evoke Mediterranean confectionery and the coastal landscape, while the laurel provides a herbal undertone reminiscent of ancestral cooking. The salt enhances the overall flavour, evoking the Mediterranean region and its culture.
. Macondo – One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel García Márquez): Coffee, coconut and dulce de leche ice cream. Inspired by Aracataca, the author’s birthplace. The coffee reflects Colombian culture; the coconut evokes the Caribbean’s proximity; and the dulce de leche captures the richness of family tradition and the geographical setting of Macondo.
. The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling): Banana, honey and bicho (a touch of spice) sorbet. Drawing on the shared imagery of the Disney film, the flavour captures the essence of Baloo’s famous song: banana and honey with the spicy kick associated with ants.
. Out of Africa (Isak Dinesen): Dark chocolate, cardamom, cinnamon and long pepper sorbet. The chocolate connects with the imagery of Africa as the origin of cocoa and a perception of raw material intensity, while the spices create a warm and exotic aromatic profile, characteristic of the Western perception of that continent.
. Ulysses (James Joyce): Gorgonzola and Burgundy ice cream. A direct reference to Episode 8 (Lestrygonians), where Leopold Bloom orders a gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of Burgundy at Davy Byrne’s. The cheese provides creaminess and fermentation, while the wine introduces acidity and complexity.
. Tirant lo Blanc (Joanot Martorell): Pomegranate, orange, honey and sage sorbet. The pomegranate and honey evoke the sensuality of the period; the orange connects with the Valencian lands and the sage introduces the herbal profile characteristic of the work’s historical context.
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The Frozen Library will be available exclusively at El Tribut restaurant and Mamá Heladera until 26 April. Faithful to the project’s humanitarian spirit, part of the proceeds will be donated to books for children in long-term hospital stays in Barcelona. Rounding off the initiative’s editorial influence, the collection features original illustrations by the artist Maria José Gil Ulloa.
- Restaurante El Tribut
- Balcó Gastronòmic del Port Olímpic, Moll del Gregal, Local 2 (Port Olímpic)
- 08005 Barcelona
- eltribut.com
- Mama Heladera
- Rambla del Poblenou, 44 (Poblenou)
- 08005 Barcelona
- mamaheladera.com