Traditional Mallorcan Foods: Eating Your Way Through The Island
We are a foodie couple. In fact I, Taylor, used to run a food blog! Throughout the 10 trips to Spain that we have personally taken together as a couple, we’ve fallen in love with Spanish food. So, when we finally decided to visit the island of Mallorca, we were pumped to find out that it has a unique food scene and local cuisine that is different than mainland Spain.
We tried all the best traditional foods so that we could make this guide and make sure that you do not miss out on all the best food on the island! You need to know what to hit and what to skip and our Mallorca food guide will help!
Now, let’s get into the deliciousness!
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1. Ensaïmada: pillowy spirals of sweet goodness
The Ensaïmada is number one because it’s one of the most traditional Mallorca food on this list and it was Caleb and I’s favorite thing that we ate on the entire trip!!
Ensaïmada is a traditional pastry that is spiral-shaped and made with flour, eggs, water, and sugar. However, what makes it super unique is that the fat component is “saim” which is pork lard. Don’t worry, it does not taste like some weird sweet bacon concoction at all (but, hey, would that be so bad?) It’s light and soft and airy!
You’ll see people walking around with huge boxes of it at the airport when you arrive and you’ll wonder if it’s really worth packing such an awkward box and then you’ll taste it and be like YEP. If we had more room in our backpacks, we would bring it home. It’s that good.
The traditional Ensaïmada is just dusted with powdered sugar and served for breakfast or snacks but you can get all varieties such as those filled with cream, chocolate, apples, or pumpkin jam.
Our favorite was the Ensaïmada at Panaderia S’Estacio!
2. Arroz Brut (Arròs brut): a flavorful rice dish
When you’re thinking of Spain you probably think of Paella because Spaniards love rice! While Caleb and I actually made amazing paella in Banyalbufar, one of the best villages in Mallorca to see by car, that’s not the traditional rice dish on the island!
When in Mallorca you can try Arroz Brut which translates to “dirty rice” in Mallorqui but don’t call the health inspectors because it’s not dirty! It’s a mix of meat and veggies with delicious Spanish saffron, paprika, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon and it’s cooked with a little too much water so it’s a bit soupy. Make sure to pick up some saffron as a Spain souvenir to take home and make it yourself!
Try it at Mesón Ca´n Pedro, Génova in Palma
3. Pa amb Oli: simple but delicious Bread
Pa Amb Oli is just bread with oil but Caleb and I are so obsessed with it that we’ve made it for our whole family and now they make it for their friends all the time!
The Pa Amb Oli in Mallorca is made with local brown bread that is ideally toasted, rubbed with garlic, and – very importantly – a special type of local tomato called a “ramallet” tomato. This simple snack is the most famous dish on the island and we LOVE it topped with sobrassada and Spanish Manchego cheese. I die.
We LOVED it at Quita Penas in Valldemossa, but it’s only open during the spring and summer! The toast is super elaborate and tasty!
4. Bunyols: A crispy, fried Dessert
Stretchy pants are needed for this one! If you like donuts and, if you’re an American reading this, it’s pretty much required for your citizenship, then you’ll love Bunyols. Think of these as little Spanish donuts made from potato dough, cooked in oil, and covered in sugar. I KNOW.
It’s like the cinnamon sugar donuts at the fair but better because, you know, they’re from SPAIN.
Just like those tasty donuts, This traditional Mallorcan food is also festival food and the best time to get these is during the weekend of Les Verges which happens in late October.
5. Sobrassada: spreadable sausage goodness
If I wasn’t married to Caleb, I would marry Sobrassada. That is probably the weirdest sentence you’ve ever read but I asked Caleb and he said he understood. We both fell in LOVE with this sausage when we tried it the first time we went to Madrid for 4 days and we were SO excited to find it comes from Mallorca!
Sobrassada is a cured pork sausage made from pork loin from the Mallorcan black pig, bacon, paprika, salt, pepper, and sometimes cayenne pepper. The cool thing about it is that it’s spreadable so it’s like spreading chorizo on your toast. Then, top it with local Mallorcan cheese and you’ll never want to eat anything else ever again.
You may also come back 10 lbs heavier but #worthit.
Try it at the Mallorca Delicatessen for a chill, romantic vibe with great charcuterie and wine!
6. Coca de Cuarto: cake for breakfast
While Caleb and I loved starting our day with fluffy ensaimadas, but this was a close second.
Coca de Cuarto is a light and fluffy sponge cake that is made of eggs, sugar, flour, and sometimes lemon, orange, or chocolate. It’s typically eaten for breakfast or afternoon snack and you can get it at most bakeries.
7. Frit Mallorqui (frito mallorquin): traditional but adventurous dish with innards
This one isn’t for the faint of heart but if you can stomach it, it’s tasty and very traditional. Frit Mallorqui is a dish made of potatoes, onion, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, olive oil, herbs, and spices which are all fried together with offal (liver, blood, lungs, etc) from either a pig, lamb, or goat and sometimes other cuts of meat or fish.
If you grew up eating liver, you’ll probably love this dish!
Try it at Celler Pages. Just make a reservation because it’s a traditional restaurant and it got very busy when we went!
8. Tumbet: a healthy vegetable side dish
This was probably my favorite of the savory Mallorcan dishes that we tried because I love any kind of roasted vegetable. Tumbet is a super simple vegetable stew that contains fried eggplants (or aubergines for the non-US folk) potatoes, red peppers, tomatoes, and sometimes zucchini all combined with garlic and LOTS of olive oil.
I had it at Cellar Pages with a whole roasted Mallorcan fish for dinner one night and I want it to be my dinner side dish every day forever. It’s basically like Spanish ratatouille and it’s great as a side or with crusty bread!
9. Lechona Asada: a crispy, meaty main
Vegetarian friends, look away. Lechona Asada is simply a roasted suckling pig that is usually eaten at Christmas. It’s marinated for 24 hours in a mix of brandy or wine with spices and then cooked for a long time in an oven.
10. Llom amb Col: inspired by cabbage rolls
This can be compared to the Spanish equivalent of cabbage rolls but better because it’s made with Caleb and my favorite Sobrassada sausage as well as pork loin. The cabbage rolls are slow-cooked with tomato like in the USA but they also add wine, pine nuts, and raisins.
I like how the Spanish think, don’t you?
Try it in the colder months like in November or Mallorca in February for a cozy dinner! Try it at Restaurante La Balanguera in Palma.
Try it at Restaurante La Balanguera in Palma.
11. Cocarrois: flake hand pies
Think of these as the Mallorcan version of Empanadas and Caleb and I think that they would make an easy grab-and-go lunch or snack as most bakeries on the island sell them!
They are generally filled with a mix of veggies, raisins, and pine nuts and look like half moons with a crimp on the top. You can’t miss them when you walk into a local bakery such as our favorite bakery, Panaderia S’Estacio.
12. Panades: another pie variation
Panades look like little round pies and are typically made during Easter week which falls in April or in Mallorca in May but Caleb and I saw them in literally every single bakery in the fall, so you can try them any time of the year! Sometimes they are even called Empanadas as you can see in our photo above!
Typical fillings include pork, sobrassada, peas, and onions, and, like the ensaimadas, the pastry is made with pork lard. During easter, the meat is usually switched from pork to lamb but the rest stays the same. The taste is kinda sweet and spicy and pretty much everything you want in one bite.
Again, they are good at all bakeries and we just loved all the baked goods at Panaderia S’Estacio the best!
13. Llonguet: fluffy buns
It’s just bread but it’s so traditional in Palma that sometimes the Palma locals are called “llonguets.” A llonguet is simply a small fluffy bread bun with a deep crack in the middle that you can make into a sandwich or, our favorite, spread with sobrassada.
We asked all the locals and everyone agreed that the best Llonguet is at the bakery called Forn de la Gloria S.L.
PRO TIP: MAKE SURE YOU TYPE S.L IN GOOGLE MAPS AS IT’S ALSO THE NAME OF THE STREET IT’S ON!
14. Tapas: a Spanish staple
Tapas are probably the quintessential part of Spanish food, especially in big cities like Madrid, and it’s not different on the island of Mallorca. You can walk around Palma and stumble across many amazing tapas bars to cozy up in for a romantic evening sharing food between the two of you over some delicious Spanish vermouth! Don’t worry about the ice cubes – the tap water in Palma is drinkable!
Tapas are just small portions of a variety of different things from anchovies on sticks with banana peppers to amazing roasted octopus!
We loved the tapas at La Rosa Vermuteria in Palma city center! Make sure to wash it down with their delish vermouth!
15. Rubiols: a festive easter treat
Rubiols are the sweet version of Panades and are similarly usually prepared during Easter but we saw them in all the local bakeries during the rest of the year as well!
These pastries are shaped like crescents and traditionally filled with cottage cheese but you can also find them with homemade jam, chocolate, or sweet pumpkin!
16. Sopas Mallorquinas: one of the most traditional soups
If you’re hunting for the most traditional foods in Mallorca, Sopas Mallorquinas better be on the top of your Mallorca bucket list. This hearty and dense soup is best eaten in the colder months such as November in Mallorca and always includes some variation of ingredients that include local bread, onion, garlic, tomato, cabbage, beans, and paprika.
Sometimes there is meat too so, if you try it, make sure to ask about this if you’re a vegetarian. This soup reminds me of the soup that my Ukrainian Grandma makes but with a Spanish flair!
Another vote for Cellar pages as a great place to try it! It’s a great traditional restaurant so you can knock a lot of things off at once!
17. Coca Mallorquina: like mallorcan pizza
It’s pizza time! Well, not quite. Coca is simply Mallorca’s popular dough that is made with flour, water, olive oil, yeast, and salt and used in about a gazillion recipes. So, Coca is the base and then there are so many versions of Coca Mallorquina which is just a light bread with toppings like veggies, meats, and seafood. It looks like pizza without cheese but it might be better!
You will find it in every bakery and we ate this for lunch in Mallorca because it’s dirt cheap, delicious, and easy to grab and go.
As usual, Panaderia S’Estacio had amazing Coca!
18. Trampo: a Simple and fresh salad
Trampo is just a simple tomato and pepper salad made from local tomatoes, green peppers, and onion with olive oil and salt. It’s usually served as a side, with bread or, my favorite, as Coca de Trampo. This is one of the most popular toppings for Coca Mallorquina!
We ate Coca de Trampo while on the train in Port Soller and it was one of our favorite things to do in Mallorca as a couple.
Try it Forn Des Port in Soller or at Panaderia S’Estacio in Palma.
19. Pica Pica: a simple seafood dish
If you love seafood, you have to try this little-known dish. Ever since we tried cuttlefish/squid stewed in tomatoes in Spain, I have been making this stew at home because we loved it that much!
It’s simply squid cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and it might be just as good, if not better, than the traditional squid calamari that is fried. It tastes really fresh and the squid adds a salty seafood taste to the simple tomatoes!
Try it at the very unassuming bar Restaurant Molí des Capdellà.
20. Queso de Mallorca: you always need cheese
When we made Paella with a local Malorcan, she served us delicious cheese and we asked her what it was called and she said “Mallorca cheese.” it’s that simple!
Queso do Mallorca is a light and creamy sheep cheese. It doesn’t have oodles of flavor on its own but it’s nice on some local bread with some tomatoes and a glass of light and crisp Mallorcan wine!
Honestly, you can get it at any grocery store or deli!
21. Botifarron: A unique blood sausage
Our final food is another one of those Mallorca foods that won’t be everyone’s favorite. Botifarron is the Mallorca version of blood sausage made of pork blood, pepper herbs, and spices. It’s usually sliced and served on bread or grilled if you want to really taste the blood,
Never thought I would write that sentence but here we are.
It’s on the menu at our favorite La Rosa Vermuteria in Palma!
Now you know all the deliciousness you must eat when you visit Mallorca! If you’re foodies like us, we know you’re going to have an incr-EDIBLE time! And, if you have any questions, just let us know in the comments!
Now that you know about what to eat in Mallorca, you gotta makes sure you know what to do! Good thing for you we have an ultimate guide to the things to do in Mallorca for couples!
Or, if you’re not a couple, check out our general Mallorcan bucket list for lots of unique ideas!
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