The food in Ibiza

Sun, sea, sand…and sangria! This is what many visitors associate with Ibiza. But discerning (entendidos) tourists know that the Balearic Islands, and Ibiza in particular, have many gastronomic secrets. There will be ensaimada for breakfast, fresh fish for lunch, then flaó and herb liqueur for dessert, and a large piece of coca in the evening. A few glasses of local red wine, and you have all the ingredients for a perfect holiday.

 

Coca and Ensaimada

For a Balearic breakfast you can have a sweet spiralled pastry roll,(pasta de repostería) called an ensaimada. These are sometimes filled (rellena) with sweet pumpkin paste.(cabello de ángel) They make an excellent present – at the airport you can see tourists carrying large octagonal boxes with enormous ensaimades in them! Coca is flatbread, similar to the pizza, which is baked (horneada) with many different toppings.(coberturas) Some of the popular varieties are coca d'espinacs, made with spinach, coca amb pinxes, made with sardines, and coca amb trempo, made with assorted vegetables. You can buy coca at any bakery and it is delicious at any time of the day (or night).
 

Two Fish Dishes

A perfect way to taste the flavours (sabores) of the sea is trying guixat de peix, a classic dish from Ibiza. This is a fish stew (guiso de pescado) that combines many different types of fish and seafood (marisco) with potatoes. You eat it with alioli, a type of garlic (ajo) mayonnaise. Another dish, called peix sec (dried fish) is one prepared by fishermen, (pescadores) who add spices to the fish and leave them to dry on their boats. You can use it in many dishes. One of these is called Formentera salad, made with dried fish, tomato, potato and onion.

Flaó and Greixonera 

There are several emblematic desserts served on the island. The most important of these are flaó and greixonera. Flaó was originally eaten at Easter, (Semana Santa) and is round cake made with eggs and soft cheese. You eat it with a glass of sweet wine or frígola liqueur . Greixonera is a cinnamon-flavoured (con sabor a canela) pudding. It was traditionally a way to use the dry ensaimades from the day before. The name comes from the dish used for cooking it in, an earthenware (de barro) dish, the greixonera (like the origin of the paella, of course!).

 

Traditional Liqueurs

The perfect way to begin a meal is with an aperitif of palo, a local (de la zona) liqueur made with burnt (quemado) sugar, and soda. After the meal you can have one of the variety of herb liqueurs, called herbes. These are made with herbs like rosemary (romero), fennel (hinojo) and aniseed,(anís) which are macerated for several months. These can be either sweet or dry. (dulce o seco) Finally, there is frígola, a slightly (un poco) dry liqueur made with thyme (tomillo), and ideal to accompany desserts.