Traditional Mallorcan Food You Must Try in Mallorca

While living in the South of Spain for two years, I fell in love with the simple but full of flavour, hearty local Spanish dishes, cooked with plenty of olive oil. I was really excited to return to Mallorca, and experience more of the local cuisine. I remember how during my first trip to the island, some of the best local food I had was from the market in Pollenca. I enjoyed the traditional Mallorcan food in the restaurants around Port Pollenca and Alcudia, but it wasn’t enough. On this trip though I was going to spend much more time in Palma, the gastronomic capital of the Balearic Islands, and try as many local specialities as possible. Not only did I do that, I also explored some amazing gastronomic experiences on the island, from a gorgeous lunch in a 16^th century windmill to an exquisite private culinary experience at one of the luxury palaces in town.  

I have endeavoured to include in this article all the traditional Mallorcan dishes that I tried during my two visits to the island, which will hopefully give you an idea about the local cuisine, and what to expect when you arrive here.

The Mallorca Cuisine 

Mallorca is, without a doubt, a foodie destination! Being inhabited firstly by the Phoenicians, then the Romans and the Moors, before being conquered by Christians, the food in Mallorca has been highly influenced by its history. The Romans brought the olives and grapes to the island, whilst the Moors were responsible for the almonds, oranges, lemons, and figs, among many others. Whilst the Romans used the grapes to make wine, the Moors dried them to make sultanas and dried fruits.

Because Mallorca is blessed with such a varied landscape, the local ingredients couldn’t be more different. The sea provides fresh fish and seafood, the Sierra de Tramuntana Mountain range is home to earthy mushrooms and truffles, whilst the inland is the perfect environment to grow native tomatoes, peppers and aubergines, olives and almonds, lemons and oranges, grapes and persimmons.

The local cuisine in Mallorca is based on pork, freshly caught fish and seafood, and the locally grown garden vegetables and fruits. Salt, which is harvested in the South of Mallorca, is also an important gastronomic product of the island.

Mallorca also has a fantastic bakery culture, with pastry shops spread all over Palma and in pretty much every town and village on the island. The bakeries are not just the best places to buy local bread from, they are also fantastic places to try out the local cakes and pastries. Some chains, such as Santo Cristo, have tables and chairs where you can enjoy an ensaïmada with a hot chocolate or a coffee, on a rainy day.     

Local Products in Mallorca

Before digging into the most popular traditional dishes in Mallorca, I want to tell you a little bit about the local products which are used to make them. For such a small island, Mallorca has quite a few native products, as well as typical cheeses and sausages.

The Black Pig

Mallorca has its own indigenous breed of pig, the Negre Mallorquí. Its meat is used to make the high-quality local products of sobrasada and botifarra, two different types of sausages about which I’ll tell you more about below.

The meat of the Black Pig is superior to other breeds because of its diet of acorns. This breed of pig has adapted to the rustic land and it’s actually contributing to the preservation of the ecosystem of the island. The breed is actually in a state of conservation, and during the past years, its population which was in decline, has started to rise again.

Sobrasada

Sobrasada is a fat-rich cured sausage made from mincing the ham, shoulder, belly, loin, and back fat of the Negre Mallorquí pig. It is seasoned with salt and paprika, and it is one of the most popular meat products you will find in Mallorca. It has a very soft texture, and is often used as a spread for bread. Sobrasada is also used a lot in the cooking of other dishes, to enhance the flavour.

I have actually bought a good chunk of organic sobrasada from the market in Santanyi, which travelled with me all the way back to England. Sobrasada is a product that has Protected Geographical Indication, and the best place to buy it is from the local producers in one of the markets around the island.

Botifarra

Botifarra is another type of sausage made from the Negre Mallorqui pig. It is similar to the black pudding in appearance but it doesn’t taste the same. The botifarra is made with lean meat, back fat and blood, and seasoned with different spices, as well as black pepper and fennel. It’s quite aromatic.

I tried the botifarra as part of a tapa, created for the TaPalma festival by the head chef at Blat al Sac tapas bar. He combined it with seasonal mushrooms and smoked paprika and served it on a mini naan bread. It tasted exquisite. TaPalma festival is one of the great foodie experiences in Mallorca where you can try quite a bit of the local cuisine.

Mahón Cheese

Whilst Mallorca produces cheese, the most famous producer in the Balearics is actually Menorca. The Mahón is a white cheese made from raw cow’s milk, with a nutty and salty aroma. The cheese can be consumed young – with an aging of just two months, or aged – for over five months. The more mature the cheese is, the more complex it will taste.

Tomatoes

In Mallorca you will find two different types of tomatoes: the so-called salad tomatoes, which are giant, and the native Ramellet tomatoes. The first ones are similar to our beef tomatoes but are extremely flavoursome and give salads that proper tomato taste that we all crave. They are sweet and acid, and make an extraordinary snack on their own, sprinkled with local salt. The Ramellet tomatoes are small and round, and you will usually spot them hanging on strings, close to the roof of the houses. They are used in cooking and for rubbing on bread, to make the traditional Mallorcan Pa amb Oli. 

Breakfast

Ensaïmada

The ensaïmada first came into my life when I was in Malaga, waiting to board a Ryanair flight to Venice. The plane I was about to get on was coming from Mallorca, and I noticed that almost half of the passengers who were disembarking were carrying the same thin blue boxes. At first, I thought they might have been given something on the plane, but taking in consideration it was Ryanair, I quickly dismissed that theory.  After looking a bit closer, I noticed that they were carrying boxes with ensaïmadas.

You will see ensaïmadas all over Mallorca, starting from your arrival at the Palma airport, where there is a Santo Cristo bakery. It is possible that you may have ensaïmada for breakfast and for dessert on most of the days during your trip to the island.

The ensaïmada is the most famous pastry in Mallorca. It is a very light, coil shaped dough made with five basic ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, water and pork lard, which gives the ensaïmada its fluffiness. Unfortunately, it is not suitable for vegetarians.

One of the best places in Palma to try the ensaïmada is the 400 years old Fornet de la Soca, a chic bakery which was on my list of places to eat at whilst in the city.

Ensaïmada is not just a breakfast treat, it is also served as a light dessert after a hearty meal.

Pa amb oli

Pa amb oli is the Mallorcan version of the Spanish tostada, a traditional breakfast item I used to love when I lived there. The difference is that you can enjoy Pa amb oli all day long, as a snack, or as a tapa in the evening.

Pa amb oli is simply bread with olive oil and tomatoes. It can have all sorts of toppings, from the simple cheese and jamon, to creative combinations such as figs, roasted peppers, or cuttlefish.

The secret of a good Pa amb oli is the rustic bread, the ramallet tomatoes, the sea salt from Es Trenc Nature Reserve, and the local high quality olive oil. It is usually served with local olives and pickled green chilies. As do many other dishes in Mallorca, Pa amb oli celebrates the fantastic taste of the simple, but high-quality local ingredients.

Snacks

Panades

Panada is a round pie filled with pork, sobrasada, peas and onions. The pastry of the panada includes lard which makes it crispy and flaky. During Easter time, the panades are made with lamb instead of pork.  When it comes to the filling, the sobrasada brings all the ingredients together and elevates the taste to sweet and a little bit spicy.

Cocarrois

Cocarrois are the vegetable version of the panada. Shaped as a half moon, the cocarroi is filled with a combination of cabbage, cauliflower, or spinach, with pine kernels and paprika. If you are a vegetarian, ask if the dough has been made with lard or with butter.

Cremadillo de Bacalao

I was very intrigued when I first tasted the cremadillo de bacalao because of the sweet pastry. As someone at the table said, it tasted like fish doughnuts – in a good way. The dough is flaky and caramelised, so quite sweet. The filling of this pastry was bacalao – a typical Mediterranean salted codfish, and red bell peppers.

If you want to try something different, this is it.

Coca Mallorquina

Coca Mallorquina is a simple crispy flatbread topped with vegetables and baked in the oven. There are so many different versions, from the traditional coca de trempó (a delicious salad made from chopped onions, tomatoes and bell peppers) to onions and figs, roasted peppers and pork, or even spinach and codfish. It can be made with anything and makes a great snack.

Olive Oil Bread

Living in England, I don’t eat bread at all because it’s quite hard to find good ones anywhere, other than the farmer’s market. So, when during my lunch at Can Cera the waiter suggested an olive oil bread, I didn’t give it much notice. Until it arrived at the table, and I tasted it.

The small, roundish bread tasted incredible. I think I had one of those moments where the world kind of stopped around me, whilst I savoured the first bite of this heavenly olive oil infused bread. The texture was soft and moist, even if it didn’t look like it was. Each bite meant another taste of that divine, tasty, nutty flavoured oil. It didn’t need any toping; it was perfect as it was.

Galletas d’Oli

Or, as they are also known as, the Inca biscuits. These small, salty and dry biscuits are part of the Mallorcan culture and, as my guide in Inca explained, are loved by everyone on the island. So much so, that when locals send food parcels to their relatives living away from the island, they make sure to include at least one pack of Inca biscuits.

They can be eaten as they are as a snack, or topped with sobrasada or cheese and accompanied by olives.

Main Meals

Arròs Brut

Whilst most of Spain has the paella, in Mallorca you can taste the local Arròs brut. Made in a similar way as paella, the “dirty rice” is cooked with different meats and seasonal vegetables, traditionally with rabbit and chicken liver. It can however have an array of ingredients such as sausages, botifarra, beef, mushrooms, even seafood. It is called “dirty rice” because of the dark colour it gets from mixing all the ingredients in with it. 

Arròs brut is a hearty dish, quite brothy, with plenty of flavour, perfect to be eaten when the temperatures drop.

Pilotes Mallorquinas

I can’t think of a heartier and more comforting dish than the pilotes. Translated as meatballs, the pilotes Mallorquinas are cooked in tomato sauce, with vegetables and herbs, and made with lots of love. The meatballs are made with a combination of pork and beef minced meat, as well as bacon and sobrasada.

Suckling Pig or Porcella

The porcella is a special dish that is usually served at Christmas or New Year, when families celebrate together. The suckling pig is roasted entirely after it has been marinated in a blend of spices, lemon, and olive oil.

After it has been roasted, the suckling pig is served with roast potatoes and dried apricots. The meat simply melts in your mouth, whilst the crispy skin gives texture to the dish. It’s a delicacy that you can find in some of the traditional restaurants and cellars in Palma and around the island.

Caracoles a la Mallorquina

I always knew that snails were very popular in Spain, but I never really tried them. Seeing them in small bags at the supermarket, in a greenish-brownish liquid, never convinced me to buy them.

Caracoles a la Mallorquina are, however, much more appetising. The snails are usually cooked in a rich broth of onions, tomatoes, chili, wine, pork and botifarra, served alongside aioli.

To eat the snails, you have to take them out of their shells with toothpicks. The actual technique is – once the snail is out, you dip it in the aioli and then eat it. At the end, you drink the sauce from the shell.

Fish

Fish and seafood are very popular in Mallorca, and it’s no wonder, with the sea surrounding the island. The best way to try one of the local fish is to ask for it a la plancha (grilled on a hot plate), a simple way of cooking which doesn’t interfere with the natural taste of the fish.

A popular fish dish is the pescado a la Mallorquina, which is white fish baked within layers of potatoes, tomatoes and chard, with raisins, pine nuts and olive oil.

Tumbet

On its own, tumbet is a great dish for vegetarians. It is made from the island’s garden vegetables such as aubergines, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes, which are fried and then covered with a tomatoes and garlic sauce.

This dish was invented in the 16^th century, when the potato was just brought to Spain from South America. It was considered what we would call today a fusion dish, between the new ingredient and the traditional vegetables from the island.

Tumbet can be served on its own, but it can also be topped with fried eggs, different meats, or fish.

Frito Mallorquin

Frito Mallorquin is a humble pan-fried dish made with seasonal vegetables such as onions, eggplants, potatoes, and lamb offal. I had the version with liver, and it tasted delicious. It reminded me a little bit of home, where we have a similar dish made with pan fried liver, but without the vegetables. I know that many people stay away from offal but in my home country we don’t waste anything from an animal, so I am used to it.

Sopa Mallorquina

There are two types of soups in Mallorca: sopa and crema. The first one is similar to a hearty stew made with plenty of vegetables, whilst the second one is similar to a blended creamy soup.

The Sopa Mallorquina is a great warming dish to eat in winter, especially around the mountains, where the temperature drops quite a bit in the cold season. This particular soup is not very liquid at all. This is because when it’s plated, at the bottom on the bowl it has thin slices of rustic bread, which soak up most of the broth. The sopa Mallorquina is vegetarian, made with local vegetables from the island such as onions, cabbage, peppers and garlic. 

Sepia con Sobrasada

As I mentioned earlier, sobrasada can be eaten on its own, or it can be used in the cooking of different traditional dishes. Sepia con sobrasada is a delicate dish that celebrates the flavours of the sea meeting the flavours of the countryside. The cuttlefish is cut into small pieces and fried together with onions and tomato paste. Just before it’s done, sobrasada and a bit of white wine are added, to tenderise the fish.

This dish is a proper delight for the taste buds.

Desserts

Cremadillos dolces

The most common cremadillos you will find in the bakeries around the island will be the sweet ones. The puff pastry is filled with either apricot jam, chocolate, or vanilla cream. Some bakeries go as far as filling them with sobrasada and honey – a combination which I would have loved to try, but I didn’t get the chance when I was there.

Ensaïmada Rellena

When it comes to dessert, the ensaïmada is served with cream or ice cream. In bakeries you can see giant ensaïmadas filled with cream or chocolate, specifically to be served at the end of the meal, for family gatherings or special events.

I tried the ensaïmada with almond ice cream at the Can Ripoll restaurant in Inca, and it was delicious. A perfect way to end lunch in a light and refreshing way.

Ensaïmada with Fruits

Another type of ensaïmada that you will usually find in the small village shops and in bakeries is the one filled with fruits. I had a delicious apricot ensaïmada in Deià, whilst waiting for the bus to take me back to Palma. I bought it from the village shop, where it had actually been made. The owner told me that all the ingredients were local, so I bought some oranges and a lemon from there as well.

Semi-cured Mallorcan Cheesecake or Greixonera de Brossat

The Mallorcan cheesecake is a baked variety, infused with lemon and a little bit of cinnamon. It’s served on a base of biscuits, and is sometimes accompanied by fresh fruits. It’s quite rare, but if you see it on a menu, do order it. It’s delicious! It is not very sweet – the biscuit base is sweeter than the filling, but it’s quite aromatic.

I had this special Mallorcan cheesecake at the Can Cera Botique Hotel, in Palma.

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