Stuff Your Face At Easter

Special hygiene measures are in place at every baker's shop in Majorca, with social distancing being adhered to and most employees wearing masks, although they’re not mandatory.

A lot of people like to make their easter specialties from scratch at home and now is the time to put on an apron, roll up your sleeves, grab the moulds and scales and get to work.

For many cooking these yummy pies is a challenge but it’s also a chance to entertain children and show them how to make traditional Majorcan Easter food.

“The Majorcan empanada is based on an ancient Hebrew dish, described in the Talmud as paxxida,” according to Philologist and Writer, Antoni Janer Torrens, “with sobrasada and lard added to Christianise the original Jewish recipe, to protect them from the climate and prolong their storage.”

Reina María Cristina in Palma is famous for its traditional Majorcan food and preparations are well under way for the holiday.

"We will continue to make typical Easter dishes, such as empanadas, which we fill with lamb and sobrasada, then season with salt and pepper and we also make one with pork and peas,” says shop owner, Margarita Serra.

Pep Servera has been a pastry chef for 48 years and he makes empanadas all year round at the Majorcan patisserie, La Mallorquina where sales go through the roof at Easter.

"Here we make traditional lamb pies with pieces of sobrasada, which are the most traditional ones, but some people don’t like lamb, so we also make them with pork, peas and onions and dress them with salt, pepper and olive oil,” he explains, “then, for Good Friday we make them with musola,” which is a brown meat fish from the shark family.

If you’ve got too much time on your hands during the coronavirus State of Emergency, why not hava a go at making your own empanadas, here’s the ingredients that Magdalena Crane recommends.

a glass of milk
a glass of oil
a glass of with half water half orange juice
4 egg yolks
300 grams of butter
salt
flour