Markets of Pla de Mallorca

What can we find in a Mallorcan market

Traditionally who has occupied the stalls have been the farmers, called in Mallorca “payeses”. One day a week they load their vans with seasonal products and go to the villages to provide their inhabitants with food.

On some occasions the payés attend the market with plants, usually flowers or live animals for sale, although in this case, they are becoming increasingly scarce.

Other local producers of sausages, spices, wines, oil or honey joined the call of these farmers. If the village has an enclosed market building, inside you can find stalls selling meat, fish and seafood.

If the market is large enough, the stalls will be joined by clothing and footwear sellers. For the last few years we will also find people, generally Africans, selling leather goods (belts, bags), jewelry or socks.

The usual items, depending on the season are

Vegetables. Being local products, vegetables vary a lot with the season. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, chard, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms (in season), cucumbers.

Fruit. As with vegetables, you will find great variation in fruit according to the season. Watermelon, melon, nectarine, apricots, peaches, loquats, lemons, oranges.

Dried fruits. This is a classic of the markets in Mallorca. There is no self-respecting market that does not have several stalls with almonds, caramelized almonds, dried apricots, raisins (dried grapes), dried figs, dates, etc… Possibly it is a taste inherited from the Arab domination.

Sausages. Among the local traditional ones are sobrasada, botifarrons, botifarra, Mallorcan and Menorcan cheese. In addition, they usually combine it with other sausages from the rest of Spain, such as Manchego cheese, Serrano ham, chorizo, longaniza.

Plants. Outdoor varieties adapted to the Mediterranean climate predominate, such as thyme, lavender and rosemary. You will also find aromatic plants such as sage, herb sana or romerillo, mint or hierba buena and flowering plants such as ibiscus, bougainvillea, geraniums, plumbago and jasmine.

Handicrafts. In the large markets you will find local handicrafts. Llengos (traditional Mallorcan cloth), ossiols (flowerpots), senalles (baskets to go to the market, very practical also to go to the beach). The crafts that you will find are usually a modern reinterpretation of the traditional crafts of the area made by young people.