Sobrasada
Mallorcan cured pork sausage that's spreadable rather than sliceable: soft, paprika-red, eaten on bread or stirred into sauces.
Sobrasada is unlike any other Spanish cured sausage. Made from finely minced pork, sweet paprika, salt and a few spices, it cures slowly over months but stays soft enough to spread with a knife rather than slice with one. The colour is deep brick-red from the paprika, the texture is dense and fatty, and the flavour is rich, slightly smoky and gently spicy. Eaten on toasted country bread (often with honey drizzled on top) or stirred into rice, pasta or vegetable dishes for depth. The DOP Sobrasada de Mallorca protects the Mallorcan version, and the premium grade uses Porc Negre (the Mallorcan black pig) for the meat.
How it's served
On toasted country bread, often with a drizzle of Mallorcan honey or a slice of cheese. Also stirred into pasta sauces, melted onto pizza, or used to enrich rice dishes and stews. Modern Mallorcan restaurants put it on everything from croquetas to ice cream.
Regional variation
The Mallorcan version is the most famous; the smaller island of Menorca has its own version (sobrassada de Menorca) with a slightly different spice profile. Sobrasada de Mallorca de Porc Negre is the top grade, made from the local Mallorcan black pig and cured longer than the standard version.
- Origin
- Mallorca
- Etymology
- From the Italian soppressata, brought to the Balearics via Sicilian trade routes in the 16th-17th centuries and adapted with the New World paprika.
- Also called
- sobrassada
Frequently asked
What is sobrasada?
A Mallorcan cured pork sausage, distinctive because it's spreadable rather than sliceable. Made from finely minced pork, sweet paprika, salt and spices, cured over months but kept soft. Deep red, slightly smoky, rich and fatty. Eaten on bread or stirred into sauces.
How do you eat sobrasada?
On toasted country bread, often topped with a drizzle of Mallorcan honey (the salty-sweet contrast is the classic). Also melted into pasta sauces, smeared on pizza, stirred into rice dishes, or in modern Mallorcan kitchens served with ice cream and even chocolate desserts.
Is sobrasada the same as chorizo?
No. Both are pork sausages and both use paprika, but chorizo is firm enough to slice; sobrasada is soft enough to spread. Sobrasada uses finer-minced meat, more lard, and cures in a different style. Chorizo is from mainland Spain; sobrasada is Mallorcan.
Related terms
- EnsaïmadaSpiral-shaped Mallorcan pastry made with pork lard (saïm), dusted with powdered sugar. Plain or filled with cabello de ángel, cream or chocolate.
- Pa amb tomàquetCatalan bread rubbed with garlic and ripe tomato, finished with olive oil and salt. Comes with almost every meal.
- Denominación de Origen (DO)Spain's protected geographical indication system for wine and food. Sets rules on what can be made where, how, and from what.
- Arròs brutMallorcan 'dirty rice': a brothy rice stew with rabbit, chicken or game, sobrasada, vegetables and saffron. Winter staple, eaten in a deep bowl with a spoon.
- ChorizoThe iconic Spanish pork sausage, deep red from smoked paprika (pimentón). Comes cured (sliced cold like jamón) or fresh (cooked in stews and over coals).
- Coca mallorquinaMallorcan flatbread, savoury or sweet. The savoury coca de trampó tops it with summer vegetables; the sweet coca de patata is brioche-light, dusted with powdered sugar.
- Frit mallorquíMallorcan 'fry': lamb or pork offal sautéed with potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and wild fennel. A peasant dish that became a Sunday classic.
- MorcillaSpanish blood sausage. Burgos style is rice-based and crumbly; Asturian style is onion-heavy and richer. Always cooked before eating.