Sobrasada

Mallorcans are particularly proud of their local sausage made from the "black pig" called sobrasada. It is similar in taste to chorizo but with a very soft texture. This sausage is bright red and often served uncooked spread onto a piece of crusty bread. Often Mallorcans will throw some of the local "pan moreno" brown bread topped with sobrasada onto the grill while they are outside cooking their paella. The slight charring adds a magnificent dimension of flavor. It can also be chopped up and added to stews such as arroz brut and lentejas.

You can find sobrasada almost anywhere in Mallorca but most locals have their preferred vendors and won't touch it if it came from somewhere else. It is typically hung upside down from a string, allowing the red-orange oil to drip off of the sausage. Smaller amounts can be purchased in a grocery store where you can find just the soft center without the casings in a ready-to-spread pot.

The best way to describe sobrasada to someone who hasn't tasted it is to liken it to spreadable pepperoni. Although this comparison does not do it justice, there really is nothing quite like it to be found in the United States. Some Italian-American specialty markets carry Italian sopressata but that is a very different item altogether. The Italian verson is more of a lunchmeat similar to salami and bears little relation to its Mallorcan counterpart.