After seeing the amazing La Sagrata Familia, we headed to
the airport for our flight to Majorca. The trip was short, descending as soon as
we got to altitude. Landing in Palma, we got our rental car and drove Southeast
to our hotel. The island is pocked with ‘C’ shaped inlets called calas. Each of
which could be a boat dock, tourist locale, private beach, or party place. Cala
Figuera, where our hotel was located, was quite, mostly populated with Germans.
Majorca is sometimes referred to as “South Germany,” as there are so many of
them that vacation there. So much so that even the grocery stores have wursts
and German bread.
Our following day was spend cruising the coastline, relaxing
at beaches, and taking in the sun and sangria. After touring the Drach caves,
we took dinner at a seaside restaurant, specializing in Majorcan cuisine. We
ordered a starter or shrimp, covered in sobrassada, with sautéed onions. Sobrassada
is a cured meat, like a spreadable chorizo. Like the Jamons of Spain, there
exists a variety of grades, depending on the kind of pig that was used, level
of spice, age of the cure, etc. I ordered the cuttlefish, simply charred. Not
unlike squid, the cephalopod was fresh and clean, with just a touch of lemon,
the charred flavors really came through. The flesh was soft and yielding, not
rubbery at all. Charlie ordered a salt encrusted swordfish. As his meal
arrived, the waiter made a show of cracking the encasing, and butchering the
fish tableside as he plated. The salt served as an insulator, rather than a
flavorant, steaming the fish inside, leaving is moist, falling apart on the
fork.
The next day, I spent the morning in and out of the ocean,
jumping from cliffs up to 12 meters (about 40 feet) high. I met back up with
Charlie and we drove to his family’s home for dinner. Originally, they are from
Peru, so Charlie requested his favorite Peruvian dish, Causa. The dish is
steamed and mashed yellow potato, layered with tuna, and this version was
topped with finely chopped purple onion, tomato, black olive, and hard boiled
egg. It’s a hearty dish and was artfully created, but hungrily devoured. Paired
with some sangria, local wine, cheese, and Majorcan bread, it was a great
evening (though I was only able to pick up about 5-10% of the conversation).
Our last day was spent in Palma. We started our day in the traditional manner, with ensaimadas. The Majorcan pastry consists of flour,
water, sugar, eggs, and lard. The dough is folded and rolled, resulting in
layers of fluffy and light pastry, topped with powdered sugar, cream, or fruit.
We ordered them from S’an Joan D’Saigo, a café established in 1700. I also
ordered an almond ice cream (because pastry and ice cream is truly the
breakfast of champions). The ice cream tasted as though almond milk, almonds,
and ice were pureed together. Each spoonful had a crunch reminiscent of the
almonds, simple, fresh, delicious.
After walking the popular port town, we finally settled down
to a paella of paella. We had been waiting the entire trip to have the meal on
Majorca, and the restaurant we selected, Sa Cranca, delivered. Walking in, we
could immediately smell the aromas or fresh seafood cooking. We sat down and
ordered the mixed seafood paella and of course, a bottle of crisp pinot grigio.
Our meal arrived tableside, as our waiter used two spoons to scrape the pan and
mix the seafood with the slightly charred rice on the bottom. The rice was just
al dente and we tasted the saffron through the bright shellfish, each bite was
savored as our gastronomic craving was finally fulfilled. It was our last day
on the trip together, though I had one more stop, and I couldn’t have asked for
a better final meal.
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