Typical Mallorcan charcuterie

There is a long tradition of cooked meats making in the Balearic Islands. For centuries, families have been gathering every winter for the pig slaughter in order to stock up on food for long periods of time.

Here we present the most typical cooked meats from the slaughter of the pigs in Mallorca:

Camaiot : made with pork meat and fat, blood, salt and spices. The idea behind camaiot was to preserve the meat for long periods, so the mixture of the above ingredients was covered with the skin, sewn shut and cooked at high temperatures. It was then hung in the pantry to dry.  The camaiot can be eaten raw, grilled, in stews or, if you prefer the Mallorcan way, in a sandwich with Mahon cheese.

If you want to keep it for much longer, it can be frozen or vacuum-packed.

Sobrasada: raw and cured sausage made with minced pork, salt and paprika (which gives it its typical colour) and stuffed into natural casings. It is known that from the 17th century onwards sobrasada was a very popular food in the Balearic Islands, and it was in the 20th century that its fame spread to the rest of the Balearic Islands, until today everyone knows sobrassada from Mallorca.
It can be eaten simply with Mallorcan bread, fried or raw, or as an ingredient in various traditional recipes such as l'"arròs brut", ensaimadas...

Llonganissa: it is like sobrassada but presented in the shape of a horseshoe, so it is longer and thinner. Its drying process is shorter than the other sausages mentioned, so it can be eaten before the rest.

Botifarra: cured sausage made from pork offal and meat, salt, spices and stuffed into natural casings. It has a smooth texture and can be eaten either raw or grilled or barbecued.

Fuet: sausage also made from pork, but thinner and thinner than the other sausages from the slaughter. Generally, salt and pepper are added and it is eaten raw. It is ideal for snacking between meals.

Carn i xulla: this is a traditional Menorcan raw sausage that is thought to have been around as far back as Roman times. It is made with lean pork and bacon, seasoned with spices and stuffed into natural casings. It is then left to dry for at least three weeks. The characteristic feature of this sausage is its firm texture on the outside but soft on the inside. The name 'carn i xua' comes from Catalan and means meat and bacon, the two main ingredients which give the sausage its reddish-white colour.