Mallorcan Gastronomy

For some years now, Mallorcan olives have had a protected designation of origin. There are three types of local olives: green, green split and black. Most of the olives are kept in the Tramontana mountain range on terraces enclosed by dry stone walls. In addition, they must be harvested by hand, which contributes to their exclusivity.

A wide variety of olive oils are also available. With a designation of origin, two types of oil are distinguished according to the time of harvesting. The first type of oil, fruity, has bitter and spicy attributes. The second type, sweet, is characterised by its sweetness and smoothness.

Examples of high-quality olive oil producers are Son Moragues oil (https://www.sonmoragues.com/en/), Treuer DodM (https://www.treurer.com/en/) and Son Naava (https://www.sonnaava.com/).

There are more than seventy wineries on the island, more than 500 wine brands and two denominations of origin: Binissalem and Pla i Llevant. The Binissalem Denomination of Origin was founded in 1990 and is located in the centre of the island of Mallorca, with vineyards located between 75 and 200 metres above sea level. The Pla i Llevant Designation of Origin was created in 1999 and currently has thirteen wineries and seventy registered winegrowers, with a total of 444 hectares of vineyards.

In addition to the aforementioned designations of origin, Mallorcan wines are divided into three different geographical areas: Vino de la Tierra de Mallorca, Vino de la Tierra Serra de Tramuntana-Costa Nord and Vino de la Tierra Illes Balears. Many winegrowers produce only a small amount of wine.

The most outstanding wineries are Maciá Batle in Santa María (https://www.maciabatle.com/en/), Bodegas José Luis Ferrer (https://www.vinosferrer.com/en/home/) and Bodegas Miquel Oliver (https://miqueloliver.com/?lang=en).

Sobrasada is a raw, whole sausage consisting mainly of pork fat to which up to 60 % pork meat is added, as well as large quantities of paprika powder. There are two types of sobrasada: sobrasada de Mallorca and sobrasada de Cerdo Negro, made from the meat of the native black pig of Mallorca, which differs both genetically and in its diet from the normal domestic pig. Sobrasada is usually eaten spread on Mallorcan brown bread, but it can also be used in cooking, for example, to flavour stews or sauces or even in desserts. It is often served with honey.

Another popular product on the island is camaiot, a sausage made from pork that is cut into pieces and seasoned with paprika and other spices. The traditional pig slaughter in Mallorca makes use of all the parts of the animal. What is not used to make sobrasada and camaiot, such as the lungs, the meat from the head or the rumps, is used to make botifarró, a sausage similar to black pudding.

Mallorca's best-known and most traditional sweet is the ensaimada. It owes its name to the lard used, the saïm. This delicacy is twisted clockwise to form a spiral of two or more rows that has a golden sheen and a firm, crunchy texture. Classically, ensaimada is eaten alone and sprinkled with icing sugar. However, it can also be filled with vanilla cream, chocolate or cabello de ángel, which is candied pumpkin pulp. Ensaimadas come in all sizes: from the small individual ensaimada to the wheel-sized pastry usually bought for events. 

Although ensaimadas are the most famous Mallorcan pastry, they are by no means the only one. Mallorca has a long tradition of confectionery and, especially at Easter, the bakeries are full of delicacies. Robiols are pastries, whose dough is also made with lard, and which are offered with a wide variety of fillings: curd, vanilla cream, apricot jam, chocolate, etc. Crespells are biscuits made with a similar dough but eaten without filling.

The Balearic horticultural tradition goes back a long way. In addition to cereals and numerous types of vegetables, almost all types of fruit that are also native to Central Europe are grown here. The Mallorcans also grow grapefruit, oranges, lemons, pomegranates and fruit varieties that are quite unknown in Northern Europe, such as woolly medlars, prickly pears and persimmons. Oranges from Mallorca, especially those from the Sóller valley, are well known. Unfortunately, however, the production of oranges has declined sharply in recent years, as Mallorcan orange growers cannot compete on price with the large producers in Valencia or even South Africa. In 2017, citrus fruits were still grown in an area of 1010 ha, 456 ha of oranges, 389 ha of lemons and 105 ha of mandarins. In 2006, however, Sóller made a virtue out of necessity. In order to take advantage of the overcapacity of oranges, the liqueur Angel d'Or was "invented". The result is a sweet liqueur with 27 degrees of alcohol, which is distilled from the peels of the oranges (https://www.fetasoller.com/en/mallorca-shop.php).

The importance of almond growing in Majorca is shown by the fact that 49.7% of the area under fruit trees is planted with almond trees. The Mallorcan almond has specific characteristics that distinguish it from almonds of other origins, such as being sweeter and more oily. Almonds are used in many ways in Mallorcan cuisine, the most famous example being gató, a delicious almond cake made only with ground almonds, eggs and sugar, which is usually served as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream, either vanilla or almond.