One of Mallorca’s most iconic traditional dishes, and one of its most delicious, is pa amb oli, literally “bread with oil”, which dates back to the 18th century, the recipe first being recorded by the Mallorcan monk Jaume Josep Bernat Martí i Oliver, a scholar and historic defender of Mallorcan cuisine.
Pa amb oli is a variant of pa amb tomàquet (“bread with tomato”), but differs in two ways: the type of bread used and the variety of tomato. The most traditional version of the Mallorcan dish uses the ramellet tomato. This variety is distinguished by the following characteristics: it is homegrown produce, it has hard, sharp skin and it keeps for months, meaning that it can be consumed at any time of year.
It is a very simple dish: it essentially consists of rubbing the bread with the appropriate variety of tomato and adding olive oil. It is used as an accompaniment to cooked meats and other foods: cheese, serrano ham and other cold cuts, local delicatessen…
The pa amb oli route around Palma
This dish is so popular that there is even a pa amb oli route taking in the whole of Palma, with a range of bars and restaurants where you can savour it with certain differences, nuances and personal twists:
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Café Barroco.
This iconic and very central bar is near Plaza de España, and has included the dish on its menu since 1992.
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Bar Cabrera.
Another legendary venue with a wide variety of dishes, where booking a table is essential.
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Sa Llimona.
This venue has the idiosyncrasy of allowing diners to prepare the dish they want by personalising the ingredients. It’s right next to San Magín church, which lends the setting a magical touch.
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Restaurante Tigy’S in Sant Elm.
Prestigious restaurants also serve pa amb oli, and this is a case in point. The venue has a further point in its favour: a spectacular panoramic view of the island of Sa Dragonera.
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Restaurante Ca’l Dimoni.
Another example of a restaurant with exquisite dishes where you can order delicious pa amb oli as a starter and accompany it with cold meats and other specialities of the house.
AT Hotels VIVA we place the utmost emphasis on cuisine, which is why in our buffets and restaurants we ensure that we serve local produce, harvested directly from the island, and we cook in a traditional way without losing sight of the Mediterranean diet: a way of eating that many clinicians and experts in nutrition consider to be the healthiest in the world.
Why not come and discover the best of Mallorcan cuisine for yourself?
