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The narrow stone staircase spirals downwards into blackness. A quick inspection soon reveals there is no arrow or sign explaining where it leads. ... |
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They are a reflection in miniature of a life gone by; inviting us to a land that only our imaginations could create. Once cherished by a little boy or girl, now by a grown up, ... |
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Palma takes many by surprise. Home to half of the islands permanent residents, this stylish city by the sea has fast become one of Europe’s most frequented destinations. ... |
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At the end of the road where impregnable mountains meet the sea, less than 10 minutes west of Puerto Andratx, is San Telmo, Sant Elm in Catalan. ... |
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More often than not, the best restaurants tend to be those a little off that beaten tourist trail. Hidden in a backstreet, without a particularly glamorous exterior, one could almost think that the locals wanted to keep these unpretentious eateries to themselves – and who can blame them. |
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From the window of the plane we can see them by the dozen. We have no doubt
about where we are. They welcome us, as we cross Es Pla, the flat central plain. They are by our sides at touchdown. But will we always be greeted by the
Windmills of Mallorca? |
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Whether it be Folk on a balmy evening at a quaint village square, Classical in a fully fledged concert hall complete with air-conditioning, or Rock at Palmas Bullring, the range of live music on offer in Mallorca during the summer months is certainly spectacular in terms of its diversity and location. |
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The “Hanging Gardens of Banyalbufar” have long since attracted visitors to this picturesque municipality situated in the Southwest of the Tramuntana Mountain range ... |
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It was a week to remember for 30 staff members of First Mallorca who travelled to Thailand to celebrate the New Year, a complimentary holiday offered by the company ... |
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The residents of Fornalutx, argue that their village is the prettiest in Mallorca. Situated deep in the heart of the Tramuntana, its winding streets and narrow stoned steps display a delightful array of colourful flowers and greenery. |
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The Best Breakfast in Mallorca - guaranteed!
When talking of what best to accompany a morning coffee, nothing surpasses the ensaïmada. This traditional spiral shaped breakfast pastry, produced in Mallorca since the 17th Century, still sells out in many bakeries across the island before mid morning. With its recipe handed down through generations of bakers, the characteristics of the ensaïmada are so inherent to Mallorca that in 2004 it was awarded PGI status (Protected Geographical Indication) by the European Commission. Some 58 bakeries across the island now carry the “Ensaïmada de Mallorca Official Guarantee”. Everything from its weight and ingredients, right down to the direction in which it is curled and the pictures on the box in which it is sold, have to adhere to the requirements of the Regulating Council.
Ensaïmadas are in Pau Llulls blood. A fourth generation baker, his family have been the owners of “Forn Fondo” in Palma since 1911. “Making ensaïmadas is not as easy as you think”, he says, smiling at the suggestion of trying to make them at home. The “mother dough”, comprising flour, sugar, eggs and fat is stretched out by hand until it is paper thin. This is then smeared with “saïm”, the Catalan word for lard. Fillings such as pumpkin jam known as ‘angel hair’, or the Mallorcan homemade sausage ‘sobrassada’ are then spread over the dough, or it is left plain. It is then carefully rolled up and left to rest.
Francisco Molero has been making ensaïmadas at Forn Fondo for the past 30 years. Together with co pastry chef, Miguel Martinez, he makes at least 300 small and 100 large ensaïmadas a day and insists it is not something you can learn overnight but takes years of practice. Jaime Llull, Pau's father, spends most of his afternoons curling the filled dough tubes into the traditional ensaïmada form, so that they can rise overnight and be baked the following morning.
“We get many special requests for ensaïmadas”, says Pau. “Apart from the traditional varieties, we make them will all kinds of fillings when asked, like fruit or even red peppers! The sugar is always put on last, right when the customer comes in to purchase, so they are always perfectly fresh”. Pau goes on to explain that even the boxes they are put in can only show traditional Mallorcan pictures and bear the name Mallorca if produced from a bakery bearing the “Ensaïmada de Mallorca” guarantee. “People need to be protected from machine made versions, and worse, frozen ensaïmadas!” he laughs.
So, next time you sit down with your morning coffee, you’ll be glad to know that in today’s world, full of replicas, at least part of your breakfast is guaranteed to be an original. Forn Fondo is located at No.15 along Palma’s Calle Unió.
www.ensaïmadademallorca.com
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