You simply can’t talk about the typical gastronomy of Ibiza and Formentera without referring to bullit de peix, fried octopus, payesa or peasant salad or “slaughter” rice, for example. 

These are dishes made with local produce from the countryside, fishing and livestock farming, and with numerous influences from past civilisations. If you want to find out what the typical dishes of Ibiza and Formentera’s cuisine are, get ready to enjoy the greatest festival of flavours you can imagine. Ready? Let’s get started!

Payesa salad (peasant or Ibizan salad)

Payesa salad, also known as “enciam de patata”, is a traditional recipe from the cuisine of Ibiza and Formentera that has been prepared for years by peasants and fishermen. This dish has been passed down from generation to generation and, nowadays, it’s quite common for each family to prepare it in their own way.

What ingredients do you need to prepare it? Well, mainly garden produce, such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes and peppers. You should also add hard-boiled eggs and stuffed olives. Unlike Ibiza’s payesa salad, Formentera’s salad is also made with stale bread and dried fish, such as cod, for example.

Once prepared, all you need to do is dress it with olive oil and a little salt. Great!

Bullit de peix

If you’re visiting Ibiza and/or Formentera, you can’t leave without having tried this well-known seafood stew from the Balearic Islands. It’s a delicious and exquisite dish, typical of both islands.

This recipe, which was once prepared by sailors on their boats, is made with rockfish, such as grouper or scorpion fish, and is accompanied by rice “a banda” and a good all i oli (garlic mayonnaise).

This stew is usually presented in two parts. On one side, the fish and potato, and on the other, the a banda rice, made with the remaining fumet or broth.

If you want to prepare it yourself, it will be ready in just over an hour. Enjoy this delicious Mediterranean dish with all of its island essence.

Sofrit pagès

If you want to try one of the most typical dishes in the cuisine of Ibiza and Formentera, you must try sofrit pagès, a hearty dish made with potatoes, meat and typical sausages from the islands, such as sobrasada or botifarró.

In the past, this filling dish was made during the slaughtering season, to replenish one’s strength after a hard day’s work. 

This dish is also usually eaten in two parts. On the one hand, the soup, made with chicken or lamb meat, potatoes and sausages; and, on the other, the sofrit itself. On top of this, if you feel like getting down to work, you should know that it’s not necessarily complicated to make, but it is nonetheless a bit laborious. 

Typical desserts from Ibiza and Formentera

When talking about the typical gastronomy of Ibiza and Formentera, we can’t forget the desserts, which are sweet, easy to make and, above all, delicious.

There are many typical desserts on the islands, but there are three that stand out from the rest: greixonera, flaó and orelletes.

Greixonera is similar to a delicious pudding, which was created to make use of the leftover ensaimadas from the previous day. Flaó is a kind of cheesecake made with fresh cheese, flour, eggs and mint. Finally, les orelletes, whose name comes from their peculiar ear shape. They are ideal with coffee for starting the day with energy. 

It’s impossible to choose just one!

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