MALLORCAN SOBRASADA

Sobrasada has become symbolic of Mallorca. It was originally conceived as a way of conserving pork and some say that its name comes from the Italian soprassata, which also refers to a type of cured meat made of pork.

It is made with raw meat and no blood, being dried and cured before it is eaten. Sobrasada is known to have existed at minimum in the Middle Ages, but the arrival of paprika from America transformed and improved it, also lending sobrasada its typical colour. From the 17th century, it became one of the island’s most emblematic foods.

It is unarguably one of the most popular by-products after a pig is slaughtered, when the animal’s intestines are cleaned and selected to make cured meats, eliminating any fat and imperfections. To make sobrasada, only the best-quality meat is selected. It is cut up and a little bacon (xulla) is added. Then it is chopped to make it easier to mix with the remaining ingredients: a generous amount of sweet paprika, hot paprika to taste, and salt. Once all the ingredients have been well mixed together, the resulting mixture is tasted either raw or fried to make sure it is full of flavour.

Once the sobrasadas have been made and tied up with string, they are hung up to cure. They lose their moisture and become firmer, and their aroma, flavour and colour all come to the fore. After a certain time, they acquire their typical appearance, having dried and become covered in a white dust made of fungus and yeast. Inside they have changed too.