Characteristic products and terroirs

The Balearic cuisine is based on both local products and those from the sea. If there are typical local specialties on each island, some products can be found throughout the archipelago. This is the case of the sobrasada, a pork sausage emblematic of the Balearic Islands. Red in color, it is flavored with paprika - sweet or strong - and aromatic herbs (thyme, oregano, etc.). Another embutido - Catalan term for sausage - the camallot (also called camaiot, camot or varia negra depending on the island) is made of pork meat more or less coarsely chopped with blood, spices (black pepper, paprika, aniseed) and salt. This stuffing is placed inside the skin of the pig's thigh, then sewn, cooked and finally dried. Finally, butifarrones are small sausages similar to Catalan butifarras

, which contain a mixture of meat, giblets and pig's blood, finely spiced.

These sausages were often prepared in winter during the mantaça, a major event in the life of the islanders when the pig was slaughtered. The whole animal was used and this ritual traditionally brought together families and neighbors to prepare the different cuts of pork. Some offal such as the liver - very fragile - was cooked immediately with onions and some winter vegetables. This sausage is regularly presented in the form of fiambres - meaning " English plate"

- with cheese, usually cow's or goat's milk tommes.

Peix sec

or dried fish is one of the oldest culinary specialties of Formentera and Ibiza. Produced for centuries in an artisanal process, this product - usually prepared with cartilaginous fish such as skate - is first bathed in a highly concentrated brine before being dried by the wind and the sun. While vegetables and olive oil are abundant in the local cuisine, the island of Formentera produces very little food due to its almost arid nature and its economy largely dedicated to tourism. Es Morer honey is produced in an artisanal way and you can taste the excellent thyme or rosemary honey of the island. A real local curiosity, the liquid salt produced in Formentera's salt flats is gradually appearing in the delicatessens. This natural liquid is taken before the salt begins its crystallization process. It is then filtered and bottled. It is most often found in the form of a spray. Naturally rich in minerals and trace elements, Formentera's liquid salt has an iodized taste and is characterized by its low sodium content, known to promote cardiovascular disease.

The classics of Balearic cuisine

Spanish culture obliges, the tapas have an important place in the region. Common to the whole archipelago, but also to Catalonia, the famous pa amb oli consists of pieces of bread soaked in olive oil and rubbed with garlic and tomato. Other tapas include various cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables in oil and seafood. Not to mention the caracoles con sobrasada, snails simmered with the famous paprika sausage. While there is much debate about where mayonnaise and its garlic counterpart, aioli, originated, the most conclusive sources describe this sauce as originating in the Balearic Islands. El allioli

is prepared throughout the region and is served as a starter with bread.

There are also savory pastries, the most common of which are cocas, a kind of local brioche pizza. After being brushed with garlic olive oil, they can be topped with peppers (amb pebres), a tomato-onion-pepper mixture (amb trempó), spinach-onion-raisins (d'espinacs), spicy sausage (con sobrassada) or sardines (amb pinxes). Or try theensalada payesa

, a salad of peppers, tomatoes, dry bread and dried fish. The dry bread used is usually bescuit, a kind of hard bread with a texture similar to a rusk.

Similar to a ratatouille, tumbet is a mixture of eggplant, potatoes, red peppers and tomato sauce. The huevos fritos al estilo de Sóller are fried eggs on a leek fondue with sobrasada. Sofrit pagès is a solid country stew made with chicken, lamb, sobrasada and potatoes, flavored with a generous amount of garlic, parsley and bay leaves. In Formentera, saffron is also added. The frito de matanzas is a pork fricassee (rib, tenderloin, liver) with potatoes and chili. The salsa mossona

, or Christmas sauce, is a sauce made of almonds and hazelnuts that accompanies meat and fish. Seafood is widely used and you can try the burrida of ratjadain Formentera, one of the most popular dishes is the poached skate accompanied by a sofrito (tomato sauce with peppers and garlic) and topped with picada, a preparation of crushed almonds with parsley and chili. In Formentera, one of the must-try dishes is the frito de pulpoa local version of fried mallorquí made with octopus. You can also try the calamari a la brutasquid cooked in its ink with tomato, onion and sobressada. The surprising bogavante with fried patatas and huevos is a recipe for poached lobster with potatoes and fried eggs.

Desserts and coffee

The most famous pastry of the Balearic Islands is probably theensaimada, a sweet pastry in the shape of a spiral, which is eaten at breakfast time. Initially filled with butter, it was replaced after the Reconquista by lard, to judge the fervor of the Jews and Muslims converted to Christianity. The greixonera is a pudding made with ensaimada, flavored with lemon and cinnamon. Otherwise, the coca de patata

is a potato-based bun, sometimes with chocolate.

Don't forget the flaó, a typical cake of the archipelago made with fresh sheep cheese, flavored with anise and mint. It was originally eaten at Easter, but nowadays it is a must throughout the year. Other desserts are traditionally made at the same time, such as robiols, flaky pastries filled with sweetened cream cheese or jam. As for the crespells, shortbread flavored with orange and lemon, they are prepared for Holy Week. Carquinyols

, a Menorcan must-have, are small, crunchy, square-shaped cookies with almonds. The coffee is normally black. Con leche is made with hot milk ("amb llet" in Catalan). The cortado coffee is an espresso cut with cold milk. It can be in sobre (powder) or maquina (espresso) The carajillo is a coffee with a dash of rum or cognac, or another local liquor.

Wines, beers and liquors

Although the Balearic archipelago is not the most famous region in Spain for its wines,

Formentera has a tiny vineyard called "Vi de la terra de Formentera", which has had a Denominación de Origen since 2004. The cultivation of vines has been documented on the island since ancient times. Over time, the vine has become a pillar of Formentera's agriculture. Today, it occupies 12% of the island's cultivated agricultural land. The Monastrell, a grape variety traditionally grown on Formentera, dominates production. There are two vineyards on the island: Cap de Barbaria, located on the eponymous cape, and Terramoll, on the hills of La Mola. The grape varieties of Formentera flourish on sandy soil, they are distributed throughout the island. The vine has adapted perfectly to the Mediterranean climate of the southernmost of the Balearic Islands. The wines of Formentera are characterized by their dense purple color and fruity aroma.

As for beer, you will find mainly the Catalan brand Estrella, as well as several craft beers such as Isleña, La Payesa and Ibosim (in Ibiza) or Sa Bona Birra and Grahame Pearce Sant Climent (in Menorca). Similar to our shandy, the clara

is a mixture of beer and lemon Schweppes. We will also try the craft beer Cervesa Illa (the oldest in Menorca). Natural and without preservatives, it is considered one of the six best craft beers by the Guía Repsol (a Spanish version of the Michelin).

Herbal liqueurs or hierbas are very popular and each island produces its own. Often prepared in a traditional way, their alcohol content varies from 20 to 30°. Originally from Formentera and Ibiza, frígola is a liqueur flavored with thyme leaves and flowers. Finally, the hierbas ibicencas

is a popular spirit with a slight aniseed taste, prepared for centuries in a traditional way. Despite its name, this alcohol was invented in Formentera and it was on the island that the first distillery was established around 1880. It is said that a fisherman went to Barcelona to find the secrets of the still and brought them back to his island, Formentera. The factory was later moved to Ibiza where it is still located today. The recipe, which varies from home to home, can have up to 28 different plants, but almost always contains rosemary, thyme, mint, lavender, fennel, verbena, sage, juniper, orange and lemon peel. These numerous herbs are distilled for 18 hours in copper stills before macerating for fifteen days in alcohol. The preparation is then infused in boiling water before being cooled. Of amber color, its alcohol content oscillates between 24 and 38°. It is a digestive generally consumed at the end of the meal. Since 1997, this digestif benefits from a Protected Geographical Denomination. The inevitable chupito is the name of the small glass of liqueur, often offered by the house after dinner.