If you’re looking to immerse yourself in island life, the best place to start is getting to know – and enjoying – the cuisine! Across all four Balearic Islands – Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera, you’ll be spoilt for Mediterranean and Catalan flavours, so you’ll get the best mix of what the area has to offer.

Generally, dishes heavily feature vegetables, seafood, pork and almonds, though you’ll find they like their cheeses here too. The national dish is a huge celebration of veg, while cakes and pastries will be available for you sweet tooths. Wine always goes down well around these parts, but spirits like gins, as well as herbal or fruity liqueurs, are the must-sip options in the Balearics.

Must-try dishes

Tumbet

National vegetable-based dish

Prepare for a vegetable medley, whether you have it with fish or meat, or just on its own. Potatoes, aubergines and red peppers make up this national favourite, which is topped with fried tomatoes and garlic.

Bullit de Peix

Traditional Ibizan seafood dish

Literally translated as ‘boiled fish’, this Ibizan favourite packs far more of a punch than the name suggests.

Berenjenas Rellenas

Stuffed aubergines

This Majorcan dish makes the most of aubergines – or eggplants, as they’re also known. They’re stuffed with mincemeat or ground lamb and breadcrumbs, then cooked and seasoned to perfection. The overall flavour combination is classically Mediterranean.

Ensaïmada

Buttery, flaky, spiral-shaped pastries

Majorca’s top pastry dates all the way back to the 17th-century. The sweet, yeast-based dough is rolled into a long coil and twisted around into a circular shape, which is then best served cold.

Gato D'Ametlla

Almond cake

Majorca’s famous for its almonds, so it’s no wonder they’re ground down and put into this cake. You can enjoy the light sponge goodness with a side of ice cream, in most restaurants around the island.

Divine drinks of the Balearics

Xoriguer Gin

A classic Menorcan gin

Around 100 years ago, the Pons family first produced Xoriguer gin and it’s since been a firm island favourite ever since. It’s made with juniper berry oil and further flavoured with fragrant green wood and herbs, which creates an aftertaste of black pepper.

Pomada

Gin-and-lemonade cocktail

Whether it’s made with Xoriguer or another local gin, pomada is a cocktail that’s well worth a try. As it’s mixed simply with lemonade, it’s particularly refreshing in the year-round warmth of the Balearics.

Hierbas

Herbal liqueur

Whether you’re in Ibiza or Majorca, you’ll easily be able to get hold of hierbas. This herb-based liqueur is usually made from fennel, juniper or anise, and can come in sweet, semi-sweet and dry forms.

Wine from Binissalem

Red and white varieties from the area

Ever since the Romans were in Binissalem, this part of Majorca has been growing grapes. Manto Negro traditionally makes up a great selection of red wines, while Moll or Muscat dominate the white varieties. However, some sparkling wines also come from here.