10 delicious traditional foods in Mallorca, Spain
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Discover the most delicious traditional foods in Mallorca, Spain’s Balearic Islands! From delicious pastries to hearty tapas to share with friends, Mallorcan cuisine is full of local flavors and was one of my favorite things to discover during our travels around the island.
We’ve visited Mallorca, or Majorca, multiple times and overall have spent many months living there. During this time, we’ve tried to taste our way around the island, and these dishes are what I’ve enjoyed there so far.
In this blog post, you’ll find the best traditional foods in Mallorca, all with descriptions, photos, and tips on where to taste them. I hope this list helps you plan your own foodie adventures on the island. Happy travels!
1. Sobrasada, the famous Mallorcan sausage
Sobrasada, without a doubt, is one of the most famous foods in Mallorca and an important product in local cuisine.
It is basically a soft, cured sausage made from pork, paprika, and salt, giving it that bright orange color and rich, smoky flavor. And you will find this sausage everywhere in Mallorca!
Unlike most cured sausages, sobrasada most often has a creamy texture, which means you can easily spread it on bread.
That’s why you will most likely find it as tapas in every other local restaurant in Mallorca. That’s how we tried it, too!
You can find this sausage inside bocadillos (small baguettes), or spread onto toasts, but we first tried it fried with melted cheese and bread (see photos above) at Cuco Cocina tapas bar.
I liked it, and my husband was an especially big fan of this tapa dish.
Also, if you ever visit one of Mallorca’s markets (which you should!), you will definitely find different versions of sobrasada there, too!
On our last day in Palma de Mallorca, I decided to buy an assortment of different sobrasada sausages to take home with us, so we went to a small gourmet grocery store in the old town to get them. It’s the perfect souvenir for me, haha!
2. Ensaïmada, the traditional Mallorcan pastry
The moment we arrived at the airport in Palma de Mallorca, I noticed people walking around with some kind of pizza boxes. Now I know how wrong I was – those travelers are bringing home the most popular Mallorcan pastry, the ensaïmada.
Trying the spiral-shaped pastry ensaïmada is a must-do on your Mallorca bucket list, and you’ll easily find them in every bakery, pastry shop, or breakfast café around the island. I really mean it! It is one of those foods in Mallorca that you’ll have no problem finding!
Ensaïmada is a traditional breakfast pastry that dates back to the 17th century and has become a symbol of Mallorcan identity. It is made from a sweet, airy dough shaped into a spiral and dusted with powdered sugar.
What’s unique about it is that one of the ingredients is pork fat. But, really, you can’t feel it! The classic ensaïmada version is plain, but you can also find it filled with pumpkin jam, apricots, chocolate, or cream. I’ve eaten about 10 of these treats.
If you’re looking for a place to get them in Palma de Mallorca, try the beautiful Fornet de la Soca, or Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo, that’s been around for centuries. These two are well-known pastry shops in Palma de Mallorca.
3. Pa amb oli or Pamboli
One of my favorite foods in Mallorca was pa amb oli. Its name translates as ‘bread with oil’, and these open-faced sandwiches are among the most delicious foods in Mallorca.
We found Pa amb oli in the QuitaPenas Valldemossa restaurant while exploring the charming village of Valldemossa, and it was one of the highlights of our visit to the village.
These crunchy slices of bread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil from local olive groves and topped with rich layers of spreadable Mallorcan sobrasada sausage, Mahón cheese from nearby Menorca island, and other meats and vegetables were fantastic!
I’m sure the toppings on these slices of bread vary from place to place. So, when you go for lunch at a Spanish, Mallorcan, or Mediterranean restaurant, see if they offer pa amb oli. A more typical and popular version might be bread with oil and rubbed-on garlic and tomato.
Location: QuitaPenas Valldemossa
4. Frito Mallorquín
I was wholly prepared not to like this dish, but I ended up loving it, haha.
Frito Mallorquin is a joyfully colorful mix of fried vegetables and meat (or seafood), and it is one of the most traditional foods in Mallorca. They say this dish originated centuries ago as a way to use up all the leftovers they had at home. How typical!
I ordered frito mallorquín in a small but popular tapas restaurant in Palma de Mallorca, La Rosa Vermuteria & Colmado, and I was ready not to like it. But, still, I wanted to, at least, try a small bite. Woops..turns out it is a truly delicious Mallorcan comfort food.
The dish consists of potatoes, red peppers, onions, and garlic, all fried together in olive oil and mixed with meat or seafood. The version we tried had pieces of octopus, and it was so flavorful! I’d order it again, even though I’m not a fan of seafood.
Everything is cooked slowly until tender (yes, I waited about 20 minutes for my dish), and the result is a warm, hearty mix of comfort food made of local products. No wonder it is one of the most popular traditional Mallorcan dishes! A unique blend of flavors for sure!
5. Sóller Bomb drink & Sóller orange ice cream
Sóller is a charming town in the heart of Mallorca, famous for its citrus groves and especially oranges. Sóller oranges have been a prized commodity for centuries. French aristocrats loved their flavorful juice and asked for the fruits to be shipped to France!
To this day, Sóller Valley is the perfect area with the perfect climate conditions for growing citrus fruits, which makes this charming small town one of the best places to visit in Mallorca.
One of the things you have to try in Sóller is their legendary Sóller orange ice cream! It is, of course, made of Sóller Valley’s sun-kissed oranges, known for their sweetness and distinct flavor.
There are many ice cream shops all around Sóller, and I would guess you can get orange flavor in each one of them. We went to Gelat Sóller, a local artisan ice cream brand that has been making ice cream for 30 years!
There’s another local treat you have to try when visiting the town of Sóller, and it is called the Sóller Bomb drink! There are some variations to it, but in general, the drink consists of fresh orange juice with local orange ice cream and cream on top.
One of the best places to try it is El Petit Cafeteria. We tried the Sóller Bomb drink in Gelat Sóller ice cream shop, but it is available in many cafés around the town center. The perfect dessert for a hot summer day!
Location: El Petit Cafeteria – Gelat Sóller
6. Coca de Patata
Sóller is not the only town in Mallorca known for a specific type of food. My favorite village on the island, Valldemossa, also has one!
You can’t explore Valldemossa village to the fullest without trying one of their culinary symbols – coca de patata, a soft, airy, and fluffy bun made of mashed potatoes, flour, sugar, and eggs.
This pastry has been around for many centuries in Valldemossa. We tried ‘cocas’ many times during our visit to this picturesque town. And, no, you can’t taste the potatoes! They just add them to make the dough extra fluffy! And it really is as soft as a marshmallow!
The best place to try them is Pastisseria Ca’n Molinas, a traditional local bakery that has been around for about 100 years. But go to Forn i Pastisseria Ca’n Molinas if you want a café with tables to sit down.
Location: Pastisseria Ca’n Molinas – Forn i Pastisseria Ca’n Molinas
7. Tumbet, or tombet
Tumbet is one of the most traditional and authentic dishes in Mallorca. If you know ratatouille, you’ll understand what a Mallorcan tumbet is!
The vegetarian dish is quite simple yet delicious, made with layers of fried potatoes, eggplant, red peppers, zucchini, and tomato sauce, usually served in a clay pot. What’s not to love?
Everything in tumbet is cooked with olive oil, which makes it rich and flavorful, but, at the same time, it is not too heavy. It is one of the most delicious dishes you can try in Mallorca!
Tumbet is usually served as a side dish with fish or meat, but honestly, if you order tapas, you can get this as one of the tapas dishes, and this will be great on its own with some fresh local bread. Definitely a must-try dish!
8. Cocarroi, a Mallorcan empanada
Cocarroi, also known as Mallorcan empanada, is another savory Mallorcan pastry. You will likely find it in most Mallorcan bakeries and pastry shops.
Cocarroi is a small, simple snack that looks like an empanada, but instead of meat, it is usually filled with vegetables like spinach, chard, onion, and even raisins or pine nuts!
We tried cocarroi from Pastisseria Cort bakery in Palma de Mallorca. While it was a perfectly sized snack to quickly lessen our hunger, it didn’t feel fresh in our case. In fact, it was a bit too dry and we couldn’t finish them.
Maybe we should have tried them from other better places like Fornet de la Soca, which I’ve already mentioned, or Forn Fondo. And maybe we should have come in the morning when they are freshly baked.
Either way, cocarroi are usually eaten as a light snack when you want to quickly grab something to go. But next time, I’d see if there’s a different variation, maybe one with meat for extra flavor, because those vegetables were a bit bland.
9. Coca de Trampó, or Coca Mallorquina
Another one of Mallorca’s savory snacks you can grab to go is Coca de Trampó or Coca Mallorquina. I also like to call it the Mallorcan pizza.
It is a thin flatbread topped with a simple mix of fresh tomatoes, green peppers, and onions (known as trampó). It’s a simple dish made with local ingredients, and that is what makes it a people-pleaser dish.
We stumbled upon coca de trampó in one of the most unique bakeries in Mallorca’s capital – Panadería S’Estació (but, honestly, you’ll find them everywhere!).
Not only are they known for preserving traditional Mallorcan baking methods, but they have…a glass floor, where you can see all the pastry chefs working below you and see how they prepare their pastries by hand.
But back to Coca de Trampó. It actually surprised me that I could enjoy a crunchy bread with fried onions and paprika. If you don’t expect much from it, you’ll learn to love it! It has that rustic, homemade charm, like something your grandma made!
10. Sopas mallorquinas
Mallorcan soup, also called the Mallorcan dry soup, dates back to medieval times. It is more like a casserole or a thick stew rather than a soup, which is why it is eaten with a fork.
This unique dish is made with thin slices of bread soaked in broth, along with a mix of local vegetables (like cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and peppers).
Sometimes the Mallorcan soup is cooked with pork or sausages for some extra flavor, but it is more often enjoyed as a vegetarian meal.
If you want to try this dish while in Mallorca, look for it in traditional Mallorcan restaurants, serving home-style foods. It’s a hearty dish and one of the top choices if you enjoy authentic Spanish food.
Happy exploring!
Mallorca is one of my favorite islands I have ever been to. Years ago, I thought Mallorca was a party island made for beachgoers. Now, after visiting Mallorca 5-6 times, it is hard for me to think of a more diverse and unique island than Mallorca.
We spent many months living in Mallorca while traveling around and discovering something new each time we went out the door – caves, villages, beaches, or epic views in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, and, of course, food!
I hope you enjoy your time in Mallorca and that this post gives you some inspiration to try at least some of the traditional foods of Mallorca for yourself. Have fun, enjoy, and don’t be afraid to order something new – that’s how you truly experience the island.
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