From bread of the poor to gastronomic fare in Sa Pobla

The potato was introduced to Mallorca via Minorca and it was a Frenchman, Alexandre de Cauterac, who first saw the potential for cultivating potatoes in Sa Pobla.

That was in 1799, but it was to take some decades before production took off. Initially, potatoes were either something of a luxury item, because of a scarcity, or were considered to be fit only for animals - they couldn’t be healthy if they were grown in soil. But as the potato gained a reputation as the “bread of the poor”, its popularity grew.

Sa Pobla was to eventually become what it now is - the main centre for potato-growing on the island. Mallorca is self-sufficient in two things - nuts and potatoes - and Sa Pobla provides most of this self-sufficiency. Highly versatile, the potato is firmly part of Sa Pobla’s gastronomy, and 22 establishments will this weekend offer a diverse range of dishes that highlight this versatility at the Evening Potato Fair.

Just a word of praise for Sa Pobla town hall. It has produced a programme detailing all the dishes available in four languages - English and German as well as Catalan and Castellano.