Mallorca's patisseries are at the heart of the Mediterranean diet and few can resist visiting them on their trips to the island.
The renowned ensaimadas are a spiral-shaped pastry made with flour, sugar, yeast, eggs and lard.
The traditional type of ensaimada are the "lisas" (with no filling) or angel hair ones, but you can also get them with cream, chocolate, apricot jam, candied fruit and even sobrassada (a kind of spicy sausage) inside.
Although they have been a great attraction for tourists for years, ensaimadas don't detract in the slightest from the other classic pastries you can try in the patisseries of Palma de Mallorca, such as robiols, gatò de almendras, cocas, panades and crespells.
Mallorca's bakeries and patisseries are very well known.
You can enjoy breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a sweet or savoury snack at any time of the day.
One of the patisseries you really must visit on your next trip to Mallorca is Fornet de la Soca (formerly Forn des Teatre), located in Plaza Weyler.
This place is highly recommended for a number of reasons.
The first is its excellent location, in the centre of Palma; the second is the charming premises, a modernist building where the rolling shapes and plant motifs are the focal point; the third is its history, as we're talking about a century-old oven; and the last, but by no means least, are its products, among which the cocas de gatò and ensaimadas really stand out.
It's also worth mentioning that Tomeu Arbona, the expert pastry chef at Forn de la Soca, carried out meticulous research into the origins of this great Mallorcan pastry icon, which, according to some sources, dates back to the 14th century and the persecution of the island's Jewish community.
Apparently, one of the ways of demonstrating some Jews' conversion to Christianity was to add 'impure' ingredients to their traditional recipes.
One such ingredient was lard or 'saïm', from which we get the word 'ensaïmada'.
Forn de la Concepció is named after the street it's located on.
It opened its doors in 1902 and, since then, its counters have uninterruptedly served specialities such as coca de patata (potato cake).
Highlights of this Palma de Mallorca bakery include its selection of breads (their special brown bread is its signature product) and its cakes, always made according to the traditional recipe and the traditional calendar.
Forn de Sant Francesc is one of the best bakeries in Mallorca.
This village oven is located in the town of Inca, located in the heart of the island, and it preserves the essence of the typical Mallorcan pastry shops from olden times.
In fact, many of its recipes have been untouched for more than 100 years.
In addition, Forn de Sant Francesc won the award for the Best Ensaimada in the World in 2017, a recognition that has earned its owners the opportunity to publish a book about their breads, pastries, sweet and savoury cakes, and of course, ensaimadas.
One of their products that you simply can't miss?
Their "doblegats" (made with inverted puff pastry dough) filled with chocolate, angel hair, or custard.
The Ca'n Molinas bakery in Valldemossa was founded in 1920 and is the perfect place to try the famous coca de patata, a hallmark of Mallorcan cuisine that has a "seal of quality" in this establishment.
At Forn Can Molinas in Valldemossa you can also try other sweet specialities, such as cocas de anís, mantecados, almond or hazelnut gatò, robiols or buñuelos (fritters)
And, if you're more of a savoury type of person, don't miss the meat "panades" or the potato cakes with sobrassada, an example of how to combine tradition and innovation in one tasty dish.
The afternoon snack, called a merienda, is a type of "ritual" for Mallorcan people, and having a hot chocolate is almost a "religious must" for many.
That's why, in an article about patisseries in Palma de Mallorca, we couldn't miss out Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo, the most famous chocolaterie on the island.
With more than 300 years of history behind it, their speciality is their almond ice cream.
If you come to Palma, you must also definitely try their famous "cuartos".
What are you waiting for to book your holidays in Mallorca? Our island has so much to offer you (culture, art, beaches, nature, good weather, gastronomy, etc.) and at Hotels VIVA we'd love to welcome you. Come and visit us!