Mallorcan Pork on Your Fork for Winter

Mallorcan suckling pig, known as cochinillo or porcella

 The undisputed delicacy of the season, the Mallorcan suckling pig is a slow-roasted young piglet that is renowned for its juiciness, with tender meat and crispy skin. Typically they use the porc negre mallorquí, a native species to the island that forages for its own diet of figs, carob, acorns and herbs. This produces a unique flavor that is tied to its landscape. The suckling pig is usually marinated overnight then roasted whole and seasoned with lemon, garlic and local herbs such as rosemary. This dish is typically paired with red wines from the island – Gorgollassa, Manto Negro and Tempranillo are the grapes to look for on a bottle of wine from Mallorca’s DO Pla i Levant region.

Sobrasada, the iconic and spreadable sausage

 Next up, Mallorca’s cultural staple, the cured pork product with prehistoric beginnings that can be grilled whole or spread on crunchy bread, as the traditional after-school snack for kids! Sobrasada is rooted in the neighboring Sicilian sopressa technique for pressing meat, and through the centuries it evolved – with the addition of paprika in the 18th Century – to give it today’s reddish hue. That, along with its natural fats, gives the rich, earthy taste and spreadable quality of sobrasada. To cut through the unctuousness, a DO Cava sparkling wine works well, or if choosing white, a barrel-aged Chardonnay or Prensal Blanc from Mallorca are a good balance of body and texture. Young, fruity reds from the island are also recommended with sobrasada – particularly when it has been grilled, such as a juicy Garnacha.

Camaiot, Mallorca’s blood sausage with a fatty rind

Camaiot, also known as Camallot, is one of Mallorca’s oldest cured meats. It is made up of lean parts of pork along with blood elements, seasoned with black pepper and salt, and formed inside a thigh-skin pouch, before being boiled, aged and cured for its perfect preservation. The most common ways to enjoy camaiot are: sliced, on bread with tomato and oil, cooked into rice-based dishes, or served up with fried eggs like the locals do! In terms of pairing with the camaiot, a structured rosé wine pairs well with the peppery, rustic flavor, such as Manto Negro.

Llonganissa: a horseshoe-shaped sausage for grazing

Its necklace or horseshoe shape gives the Mallorcan Llonganissa a distinctive look, while its intense savory taste, infused with local paprika (Tap de Cortí), salt and pepper, is compared to that of sobrasada. Llonganissa, however, has a longer, thinner shape – sometimes with a peppery coating – and the texture is slightly firmer, making it a good choice for slicing up and using on charcuterie boards. In Mallorca, they like to toast their Llonganissa over an open fire and serve it with brown bread and a splash of Extra Virgin olive oil. Young red wines from the island, such as a Callet-Tempranillo or Gorgollassa from DO Binissalem, are ideal to accompany this sausage.

Botifarró Mallorquina for BBQ, with cinnamon and nutmeg

Also known as butifarrón, there are various types of white and black sausage available from the island. This type of sausage hailing from Mallorca is seasoned with sweet spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, anise and fennel, giving it a characteristic taste that separates it from the other Catalan butifarras. The most common way to enjoy this sausage is grilled on the BBQ, but it’s also the defining flavor in arroz a la mallorquina, the island’s celebrated rice dish. Such an aromatic sausage deserves a wine to match, and the Mallorcan bouquet of a Malvasia white wine, or a red counterpart such as Callet, should be ideal for white and black, respectively.

These are the cornerstone Mallorcan pork products to look out for in your local colmado or Spanish deli, that make up the island’s gastronomy – and also the local culture - as the matança (slaughter) in winter has for centuries, been an important ritual of the season for the people of Mallorca. That’s why they are especially enjoyed during the month of January festivities for Sant Antoni and Sant Sebastià – to celebrate the most majestic of the Balearic Islands’ heritage in food, wine and family!