Palma de Mallorca, 02nd Mar 11

THE JOY OF EATING & DRINKING IN MALLORCA 2011

Mallorca offers visitors an interesting mix of cuisine, quality local produce ranging from home grown olive oil, to cheese, sobrasada (spicy sausage), flavoured sea salt, ensaimadas (local sweet pastry) almonds and juicy citrus fruits. Not forgetting Mallorca’s wine industry with now over 50 registered bodegas on the island offering some unique flavours reintroducing indigenous varieties of grapes to the island.

Mostra de Cuina, 4 - 15 May.

Now in its 27th year this food festival celebrates the best of Mallorcan cuisine. This year a selection of restaurants throughout the island will present special local menus presenting Mallorcan dishes at their best. The promotion will run from May 4th through to May 15th. Further information: www.restauracio.org

Palma Tapas Trails: “TAPALMA”, 7-11 October.

The Restaurateurs Association of Mallorca has announced the latest dates for the popular “TAPALMA”, 7-11th October, providing visitors with four different routes for “tapas trails” around Palma. This annual event is now in its seventh year and its popularity increases annually with hundreds of locals and visitors sampling a wide range of tapas around Palma.

This year over 60 bars and restaurants will be participating on various different routes around Palma and its outskirts. Maps indicating participating restaurants and location will be available from hotels and tourist information offices. Further information: www.tapalma.es.

Special Food & Wine Tasting Menus Cases de Son Barbassa

Starting on March 6th this boutique rural hotel located in the north east of Mallorca is organising promotional tasting dinners featuring five of the island’s most prestigious vineyards with a complementary four course menu. The cost per person is 33€ and reservations are recommended: Tel: + 34 971 565776 www.sonbarbassa.com

New Misa Brasserie and Bar Opens in Palma

British chef, Marc Fosh, has opened his third restaurant in Palma within the boutique Hotel Mision de San Miquel located in the heart of Palma. The Misa Brasserie and Bar offers an informal environment and features regional Spanish cuisine with dishes ranging from Catalan style fish soup to slow cooked fillet of beef baked in hay and mountain herbs. A daily 3 course menu with house wine is available through March for 24€ per person. The Misa Bar offers a daily happy hour (from 19.30) with a cocktail of the day at 5€ each. Lunch and dinner are served daily, closed Sundays. Reservations: + 34 971 595 301 www.foshfood.com

New Michelin Starred Zaranda Puts Down its Roots in Mallorca

This year the Zaranda restaurant in the Hilton Sa Torre Hotel picked up a Michelin star for its innovative Mediterranean cuisine under husband and wife team Fernando and Itziar who launched the first Zaranda restaurant in Madrid five years ago. Last year the entire team moved to Mallorca to continue to offer the highest quality produce – focusing on locally sourced food wherever possible. Fernando Perez Arellano has trained in some of Europe’s most famous restaurants including London with Michel Roux Jr. at “Le Gavroche”.

A choice of two tasting menus are available from 73€ per head or 98€ per head including a selection of wines. For reservations: + 34 971 010 450 or www.zaranda.es

Pollensa Wine Festival – 7-8th May.

This festival was first started in 2004 and takes place each year in the Santo Domingo Cloisters in Pollensa town. The event has become extremely popular because it focuses on showcasing local wines and many of the “boutique” bodegas and this year approximately 42 different bodegas will be represented over the two days. Opening times are from 12.00 midday to 20.30 on the Saturday and from 10.00 – 14.00 on the Sunday. Further information: www.viprimitiu.org

Markets and Eco Friendly Farming

In every town and village throughout Mallorca, a local market will be held on one day during the week. In Palma there are two permanent markets open every day in Santa Catalina and the Oliver Mercat near Plaza España.

New – Ecological Market

In the centre of Palma (Plaza Bisbe Berenguer – near Plaza España) every Saturday morning a new ecological market has been launched from 10.00-14.00 offering growers around the island the opportunity to sell fruit and vegetables and any product that has been grown/made via sustainable methods. Many of the local markets around Mallorca feature organically grown produce on a smaller scale.

Land given over to eco friendly farming has increased considerably in the Balearics in recent years not only for crop production but also for rearing livestock. To date there are over 652 farmers in the Balearics dedicated to using ecological methods (492 of them are on Mallorca) and this figure has risen from 470 in 2007.

For latest food and wine news in Mallorca go to: www.skybluemallorca.com

For further information, please contact:
Mallorca Tourist Board, Dominique Carroll / Anna Skidmore,
Tel:(+34) 971 725 396 Fax: (+34) 971 713 540
E-Mail: info@fomentmallorca.org

Further Press Releases:

GOOD NEWS FOR MALLORCA IN 2012 (09th Feb 12)

THREE KINGS - THE FESTIVITIES CONTINUE! (05th Jan 12)

FESTIVE SWEETS CAN BE HEAVENLY (05th Jan 12)