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. It is red in color and 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, offal and pig's blood, all finely spiced. Typical of Ibiza, the vientre relleno is a sausage made in the form of a roll of pork tenderloin, partly cut up and partly minced. Cooked very slowly, it can be recognized by its whole peppercorns.
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 cold meat is regularly presented in the form of fiambres - meaning "English plates" - with local cheese, often goat or cow cheese.
The abundant vegetables of these islands are often associated with an omnipresent olive oil. Olive oil is also a quality Ibizenca commodity, with products coming from Joan Benet and Can Miquel Guash, the island's two largest olive oil producers. Another quality product is honey with the "Mel Certificada d'Eivissa" label, produced on Ibiza. This is also the case of lamb meat protected by the label "Anyell d'e". Salt is also a characteristic product of Ibiza. The salt works in the south of the island, although long shunned by the locals, have been revived in recent years, especially for the production of food salt (a high-end version of which is sold under the commercial name Sal de Ibiza, available in delicatessens) and for salting fish.
The Ibiza Sabor festival, organized by Eivissa Council, is held twice a year and celebrates typical Ibizan cuisine: some 40 emblematic Ibizan restaurants spread across the island offer their Sabor Menu, including their interpretations of traditional dishes. These Gastrojornadas (gastronomic days) are held for a month and a half, with one edition in spring (April-May) and another in autumn (October-November), allowing the discovery of local and seasonal flavors, but also renowned addresses that are sometimes difficult to access for travelers on a tight budget.
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 as to where mayonnaise and its garlic counterpart, aioli, originated, it would seem that they are indeed from the Balearic Islands. El allioli is prepared in all the islands and is used as an appetizer with bread, but also as a sauce to accompany meat, fish and potatoes.
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-grapes-grapes (d'espinacs), spicy sausage (con sobrassada) or sardines(amb pinxes).
In Ibiza and Formentera you can try the burrida de ratjada, poached skate with potatoes and picada, a cream of crushed almonds, with white wine, crushed hard-boiled egg, saffron, parsley and chili. Sarsuela - also found in Catalonia and Valencia - is a stew of rock fish, shellfish (scampi, prawns and sometimes lobster), shellfish, mussels and squid, cooked in a sofregit sauce made from tomato and onion. The famous bullit de peix is also a fish stew, finely spiced, served withallioli.
The sofrit pagès is a solid peasant stew mixing chicken, lamb, sobrasada and potatoes, flavored with a generous amount of garlic, parsley and bay leaf. The robust arros de matança is a kind of paella made of pork, sausage, black pudding and bell pepper. The salsa mossona, or Christmas sauce, a sauce made of almonds and hazelnuts that accompanies the meat and fish.
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. As for the crespells, shortbread flavored with orange and lemon, they are prepared for the Holy Week. Made for All Saints' Day, panellets are small, domed cookies usually covered with pine nuts and filled with marzipan. They are served with sweet wine. Finally, orelletes are thin, crunchy doughnuts similar to our bugnes.
We must not forget the flaó, a typical cake of the archipelago, made with fresh sheep's cheese and flavored with 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 turnovers filled with sweetened cream cheese or jam.
Coffee is normally black. Con leche, it is added hot milk (" amb llet " in Catalan). Cortado coffee is an espresso cut with cold milk. It can be in sobre (powder) or maquina (espresso). El carajillo is a coffee with a dash of rum or cognac, or a local liqueur.
Wines, beers and liquors
If the wines of the Balearic Islands as a whole are not necessarily the most famous in Spain, there are some wines worthy of interest. In November 1996, the wine region of Ibiza was created with the official name "Vino de la tierra Ibiza". Four varieties for red wine (Cabernet, Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah) and two for white wine (Malvasia and Chardonnay) are included in this designation.
Today, four wineries produce wine under this designation: Ibizkus Wines, Sa Cova, Can Maymó and Can Rich, the latter being the only one that produces a so-called ecological wine. You can visit the facilities of most of these wineries and organize a tasting session.
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 Minorca). Similar to our shandy, the clara is a mixture of beer and lemon Schweppes. In Menorca, we also mention the craft beer Cervesa Illa (the oldest on the island). 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. They are often prepared in an artisanal way and 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 one household to another, 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 varies between 24 and 38 °. It is a digestive generally consumed at the end of the meal. The hierbas ibicencas are marketed in Ibiza, but we find in Formentera versions made on the island. Since 1997, this liqueur has had a Protected Geographical Denomination. The unmistakable chupito is the name of the small glass of liqueur, often offered by the house after dinner.
