The mystery of the Mallorcan ensaimada: why does it never taste quite the same outside the island?
The Mallorcan ensaimada is one of Spain’s most famous pastries. However, there is a curious phenomenon that many bakers and baking enthusiasts have been repeating for generations: when they try to make it outside Mallorca, the result is rarely exactly the same. Is it just a perception, or is there really a mystery behind the Mallorcan ensaimada?
The ensaimada: the mystery of making it in Mallorca
How many times have I heard lifelong pastry chefs and cooks say that when you make an ensaimada outside Mallorca, it doesn’t turn out the same – it doesn’t turn out right. It doesn’t matter if you bring the ingredients from Mallorca. The same lard, the same flour. The result isn’t the same. It doesn’t taste the same; the texture is different.
I know a family from Barcelona who used to come to Mallorca every year for their summer holidays. As a large and very well-off family, they always brought their own private cook with them. She took great care to learn the local recipes, and when they returned to Catalonia, she never forgot to take flour and lard with her, so she could make more ensaimadas for them at home. Mysteriously, they never turned out quite the same as in Mallorca.
We never found out which ingredient made the difference. Was it the water? Was it the oven? Was it the humidity? Or perhaps the tranquillity and patience with which people work and live on our beloved island?
Is there really a secret?
We don’t have a scientific answer to this, and perhaps it’s the small details that, taken together, make all the difference. Some attribute it to the quality of the water, others to the humidity, and some say the secret lies in the master baker’s expertise. Surely the key lies in the experience accumulated in Mallorca’s traditional bakeries, where bakers intuitively know exactly which type of flour to use, the best ingredients and their proportions, the temperatures, and the long resting and proving times that a quality ensaimada requires.
Final conclusion
Perhaps the real mystery of the Mallorcan ensaimada is not a secret ingredient, but the combination of tradition, patience, climate and craftsmanship that Mallorcan bakeries have preserved for generations. Whatever the explanation, the fact remains that for many visitors there is still only one way to find out: to try an authentic ensaimada made in Mallorca.
Our final recommendation is to steer clear of mass-produced ensaimadas and choose a trusted traditional bakery so you can enjoy a freshly baked, high-quality Mallorcan ensaimada.
If you’d like to discover the flavours of Mallorca, why not visit our online shop: Discover the best gourmet products from Mallorca
If you want to know the interesting origin of our ensaimada, with its mixture of cultures, follow the link: Origin of ensaimada de Mallorca