Complete guide to Mallorcan cold cuts: Beyond sobrasada
The flavor rainbow of Mallorcan charcuterie
When a visitor asks me about Mallorcan cuisine, I always smile at the irony: everyone knows sobrasada, but few realize it’s just the tip of the iceberg of our sausage tradition. After four generations dedicated to charcuterie, I can confidently say our island’s heritage rivals that of any renowned European region.
Butifarrón is perhaps our second most iconic sausage. Unlike sobrasada, it has a dark, almost black color due to cooked blood and spices like cinnamon, clove, and paprika. Its strong yet sweet flavor makes it perfect for “frit mallorquí,” though purists enjoy it thinly sliced, slightly warmed, and paired with a good local red wine.
Camallot is another fascinating chapter in our charcuterie. Made mainly with pork shoulder and jowl, stuffed into the animal’s stomach and slowly cooked, it has a firm texture and delicate flavor with spiced notes. It’s excellent served in thin slices or added to stews where it deepens the flavor without overwhelming the dish.
Let’s not forget Mallorcan longaniza, a cured sausage similar to sobrasada but with less paprika and more lean meat, giving it a firmer texture. Ideal for grilling or enriching legume dishes.
For the more curious, I recommend discovering near-forgotten gems like blanquet (made with lean meat, egg and spices) or bufeta (sobrasada stuffed in the pig’s bladder with extraordinary curing).
At Ramaders Agrupats we keep this tradition alive because we understand these cold cuts are more than food; they are our edible history. And the best way to enjoy them is the one I share today: a Mallorcan charcuterie board where every bite tells a different story from the island.
Recipe: Mallorcan charcuterie board with accompaniments
Ingredients
- Selection of Mallorcan sausages: sobrasada, camallot, butifarrón, longaniza
- Rustic bread
- Arbequina olives
- Ramallet tomatoes
- Mahon cheese
- Artisan quince paste
- Mixed nuts (roasted almonds, walnuts)
- Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Prepare the sausages: slice the cured sobrasada thickly, or leave the soft one ready to spread. Thinly slice the butifarrón and camallot. Cut the longaniza diagonally.
- Cut rustic bread into medium-thick slices.
- Place halved ramallet tomatoes at one end of the board.
- Cut the Mahon cheese into small wedges.
- Add small cubes or thin slices of quince paste elsewhere on the board.
- Distribute the olives and nuts in small piles.
- Prepare a small bowl with extra virgin olive oil for dipping the bread.
- Present everything on a large wooden board, arranging elements by color and texture to create a visually appealing effect.
- Serve at room temperature to fully enjoy the flavors.
- Ideally pair with a local Mallorcan red wine like Binissalem or Pla i Llevant.
