Nothing goes to waste during matances, where everything from the pig is used to make sobrasadas and botifarrons
In Mallorca, slaughter are a celebration that brings together generations, families, and friends. Historically, they were a way to make full use of the pig, wasting no part. Each cut had its purpose and method of preservation. Today, they are mostly dedicated to producing sobrasada, one of the island’s most treasured delicacies.
Mallorcan families continue to celebrate this tradition with the first chills of autumn. During these days, homes fill with activity from sunrise—people work, share laughter, memories, and good food. Matances are more than a gastronomic ritual: they’re an experience that teaches values like hard work, patience, and cooperation.
Many families raise their pigs all year long, starting the slaughter at the beginning of November. The arrival of the cold helps preserve the meat and begins the sobrasada curing process, which ends months later with an unmatched flavor.
It’s an art where every phase has its tool:
- The acorador knife and other knives for butchering.
- Ribell de matances for mixing the sobrasada meat.
- Ribell de sang for collecting, seasoning, and preparing the blood.
- Alfàbia d’ossos to preserve bones in salt and make broths.
- Cadafet to scald the pig’s skin.
- Needle and thread for sewing the sobrasadas.
- Rope for tying botifarrons, camaiots, and other sausages.
- Axe and mincer for cutting the meat, and an omplidora (filling machine) for stuffing the intestines to make botifarrons, camaiots, blanquets, and especially sobrasadas.
Each tool has its moment, and each person has a role. Though there are many instruments, there’s no improvisation—only knowledge passed down through generations. In many homes, the celebration can bring together from 10 to 50 people.
The tradition has a future as long as there’s dedication, knowledge, and the tools to keep it alive. It also requires commitment, since the work begins at sunrise and finishes late in the day.
At Ramaders Agrupats, we can’t imagine Mallorca without this tradition that gives flavor, life, and meaning to the island’s countryside. That’s why we offer two options: whole pig slaughter or custom slaughter.
