Food & Drink
Eating ensaimada on Mallorca: café culture & tradition
Spiral-shaped and dusted with icing sugar – best eaten fresh in a café, with hot chocolate.
Ensaimada comes plain or filled with cabello de ángel (pumpkin jam).
The short answer
Eating ensaimada on Mallorca: café culture & tradition
On Mallorca, ensaimada is part of breakfast and the coffee break: it is served plain (llisa) or filled, for example with cabello de ángel, and fresh from the oven it tastes noticeably different from the supermarket version. The island classic is to have it with hot chocolate in Palma's historic coffee houses.
Ensaimada is traditionally baked with saïm, i.e. pork lard – so it is not vegan. In Palma's historic coffee houses it has been served with hot chocolate for generations, for example at Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo, which has existed since around 1700.
If you want to judge the pastry for yourself, order the unfilled version: the dough tells you whether it is fresh and handmade. Freshly baked, ensaimada is fluffy and light; once stale, it becomes dry.
Open all year round
Practical tips
- Order it freshly baked that day – served at the table, ensaimada tastes much better than from the display case.
- Try it plain (llisa) rather than filled if you want to judge the dough.
- Want to take an ensaimada home? Everything about varieties, buying, storing and carrying it on the plane is in our detailed ensaimada guide (link below).
Addresses
Venues and areas for this topic
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open all year round €
Ca'n Joan de s'Aigo
Old town, Palma
Historic coffee house – the classic place for ensaimada with chocolate.
- Cuisine
- Breakfast/brunch, bakery & patisserie
- Reservations
- No reservation needed
- Try
- Ensaimada, hot chocolate, quarto (sponge cake)
- Checked
- 13.8.2026
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open all year round €
Traditional bakeries in Palma's old town
Old town, Palma
Carry boxes for hand luggage are available directly at the bakery.
- Cuisine
- Bakery & patisserie, breakfast/brunch
- Reservations
- No reservation needed
- Try
- Plain ensaimada, ensaimada with cabello de ángel
- Checked
- 13.8.2026
Please check before your visit
Opening hours, price levels and seasonal operation change frequently. We do not give invented ratings or live availability – please check the address, times and reservations directly with the venue before your visit.
Ensaimada de Mallorca: ingredients, varieties & hand luggage tips
Ensaimada is a spiral-shaped yeast pastry made with pork lard (saïm) and, under the protected name Ensaïmada de Mallorca (I.G.P.), comes in two varieties: unfilled (llisa) and filled with pumpkin jam (cabell d'àngel). This means it is neither vegetarian nor vegan. It is easy to take on a plane, but the hand luggage rules for the typical octagonal box vary from airline to airline.
Frequently asked questions: ensaimada
Is ensaimada vegetarian?
No. The dough is traditionally made with pork lard (saïm), which gives it its flaky texture.
Can you take an ensaimada box on the plane as extra hand luggage?
Many airlines such as Eurowings or Vueling tolerate one or two octagonal boxes at Palma airport. With Ryanair, the box often has to fit in your bag or is charged as extra luggage.
What is the difference between the two protected ensaimada varieties?
The llisa is unfilled; the second variety is filled with pumpkin jam (cabell d'àngel). Both have to meet defined ingredient and production criteria.
How long does an ensaimada stay fresh?
It tastes best within a few days of purchase; after that, warming it briefly in the oven helps make the crust crisper again.
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Image credits: Ensaïmadas with figs and sobrassada: Photo Malopez 21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons