PalmWith this enthusiastic and apt phrase begins the prologue of one of the most unique and valuable recipe books of the island's gastronomic tradition, Popular Mallorcan cuisinePublished in Sóller in 1931. The small-format work was printed at the printing establishment of Salvador Calatayud, who had already participated in some of the many editions of the work The guinea pig of MallorcaAttributed to Pere de Alcántara Peña.
The volume brings together nearly five hundred recipes classified by preparation and ingredients: soups, sauces, purées, legumes and vegetables, meats, eggs, fish, shellfish, snails, pickles and appetizers, pastries and cakes, preserved fruits, ratafias, chickpeas, coffee, tea, perfumes, and useful recipes.
As for authorship, the person or group behind the recipes is unknown, a common occurrence in compilations published up to that time. Only the subtitle ('A work resulting from the studies and many years of practice of several Mallorcan cooks') hints at the final responsibility for the dishes presented. The objectives of the recipe book were very clear: on the one hand, to present simple recipes that would result in tasty and economical meals. On the other hand, the reader, by following the advice offered in the book, would be able to cook without needing to consult the manual.
Links with France
The language is direct, written in fairly correct standard Catalan, and uses the vocabulary specific to the Mallorcan variant of Catalan. In addition to island recipes, other foreign recipes stand out, especially from France, Italy, and mainland Spain, whose names refer to their geographical origin: French vegetable stew, Monaco-style soup, Provençal chicken, Finnish omelet, Sevillian-style beans, schnitzel in the Viennese style, among others. We also find other, more local names such as Santanyí-style soup, bogas (a type of fish) in Pollencina, and Selva-style mushrooms. Port connections and migratory flows facilitated the exchange of foreign recipes, which are reflected in the book. The links with France are evident in the first chapter, dedicated to the proper way of setting and serving a table, where, according to the author, the French system is used because it is highly regulated and worthy of praise. In the sections preceding the recipes, there is also advice on the proper attire for servants, how they should serve at the table, and how to behave before guests and the masters of the house. Regarding the preparations, the longest chapter is on pastry and confectionery. The preliminary advice stands out, recommending the necessary utensils needed to successfully complete the task, all of them inexpensive and essential. We find traditional sweets that are present in every good cookbook, such as fritters, quarter-shaped pastries, and mostachones (almond macaroons), and others that use ingredients that were uncommon until then, such as coconut cream and plantains in a sweet sauce. Recipes for breaded pastries predominate (there are up to sixteen, including fish, meat, vegetable, and sweet pastries), and eleven different ways to prepare fritters. The jams, not found in other cookbooks, are particularly interesting, made from vegetables such as eggplant, scallions, peppers, and zucchini, as well as the Málaga potato jam (sweet potatoes), and other curious preserves made with watermelon, melon, carnations, violets, or roses.
It is not possible to know how many copies the first edition consisted of due to a lack of records, but it is known that many ended up in the hands of people from Sóller who emigrated to France and America. One of the best ways to take a piece of your homeland with you. In 2007, Miquel S. Font Poquet republished the book, which offers insight into Mallorcan cuisine before the rise of mass tourism and reflects a way of life more connected to nature and the rhythm of time. Today's recipe is a somewhat rustic layered pastry that I've had to adapt slightly in terms of ingredients. The name, misleading, doesn't reveal the final result, as honey isn't listed among the ingredients. In this case, I've added it just as a token amount.
Honey cakes
Sift the flour. In a bowl, mix 300g of butter, the eggs, and the water. Add the salt and the flour and knead until the dough sticks to your hands. I advise against adding all the water at once, or if necessary, add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
We'll roll out the dough on a table. It should be very thin. We'll let it rest for fifteen minutes. We'll spread 50g of butter on it and gather it into several folds. We'll put it in the refrigerator for half an hour. We'll take it out and roll it out again. We'll spread the remaining 50g of butter on it. We'll fold it again and put it back in the refrigerator. We'll repeat this process two more times (without saïm). On the last time, we'll roll it out and cut it into several pieces. Since it makes quite a lot, you can make one large tart or divide it into smaller ones. In my case, I divided it into many pieces to make pastries.
We'll prick each piece with a fork to let the air escape. On one base, we'll spread jam, cover it with another piece of pastry, brush it with egg wash, and bake it at 180°C (350°F) for about 25 minutes. Before serving, we'll decorate it with a drizzle of honey or a dusting of powdered sugar.
You can put in any filling you like, and you can also freeze the pasta; you'll have a good supply of puff pastry whenever you need it.
Ingredients
1 kg of flour
400 g of butter
3 eggs
l 375 g of water
1 pinch of salt
l Jam
1 egg
Honey or powdered sugar for decoration
