Summer is not gone in the archipelago and it is time to include an ice cream route through the top artisan ice cream sanctuaries on the islands to taste their delicacies made with fresh seasonal fruit, spices, nuts and the best local products.
In addition to the classic and more traditional ice creams, many shops and parlours are now innovating more and more, and breaking away from the limits of flavour with surprising creations to suit all tastes.
Although each shop carefully guards its production secrets and top flavours, there’s always one common denominator among all the ice cream parlours in the Balearic Islands, the traditional production process passed down from one generation to the next. Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera can boast of having conquered the hearts of the founders of the most famous ice cream parlours on the islands, who in many cases came from other parts of the peninsula and decided to stay. Today, lifelong flavours live side by side with produce from the islands, such as trampó (a mix of finely chopped tomato, green pepper and onion with olive oil and salt), Sóller oranges, almonds, figs and Mahón cheese.
Majorca
Even though there was no option to sit down in the original establishment, Can Miquel has been one of the most popular ice cream parlours on the island since 1979, when Miguel Solivellas and his wife Apolonia Vallori opened one of the most charming ice cream parlours in Majorca, where they combine the shop and factory under the one roof. Visitors to Can Miquel enter a 100% family atmosphere offering freshly made products. Today, Teresa Solivells, Miguel and Apolonia’s daughter, runs the 100% natural ice cream parlour, alongside her husband Juan Emilio and their children.
Majorcan ice creams is made with cream from farm-fresh milk, fruits from the island such as prickly pears and coll de dama figs. The flavours on offer at Can Miquel cover a rather broad palette, including other more exclusive varieties like mint, rosemary and basil flavoured ice cream. Kaki, pomegranate and up to 15 different types of chocolate (even mixed with pepper) are other options for visitors to enjoy at Can Miquel, which has also added other ice cream to its menu, including trampó, cream of Sóller prawns and Mahón cheese.
Another ‘must’ is Sa Fábrica de Gelats. Founded in 1994, it’s a small business specialising in quality, artisan ice creams for those who appreciate the taste of natural, creamy, fresh ice cream made with the island’s best raw materials.
The secret lies in their commitment to the traditional production process of their ancestors, who used cream and milk to achieve excellent creaminess. This small, old-style ice cream factory (which can also be visited), has different points of sale in Sóller and Port de Sóller and can also be found in the centre of Palma (Plaça de Cort). Forty flavours of creamy ice cream, including their special orange ice cream, the fruit par excellence of Sóller, whose juice is used to create a delicious ice cream, conveying the authentic taste of the Valley of the Orange Trees. One hundred per cent natural ice creams guarantee an unforgettable experience.
No visit to Majorca is complete without sampling the ice cream and sweet specialities at Can Joan de S´Aigo, one of the oldest and most well-known ice cream parlours on the island that’s featured in many tourist guides. Although Can Joan de S’Aigo became popular thanks to the local pastry, ensaimada, the artisan ice creams share the same quality and care in their preparation. Its best seller is almond ice cream, which was also the first flavour to be made many years ago, and the recipe hasn’t changed in the last 300 years. Its quality became so reliable that for many years doctors prescribed it as the ideal food for patients since ice was good as an analgesic for inflammation and almonds provided a lot of energy and was also very digestive.
Menorca
Sa Gelateria in the cathedral square in the port of Ciutadella is the only ice cream parlour on the island that makes figat (Menorcan fig jam) and a variety of abatzer blackberry ice cream. Eduard Eroles and Maria Jesús Martín opened Sa Gelateria in 1982, selecting the best natural ingredients in Menorca such as honey, cheese, fresh cow’s milk, figs and blackberries. But the star treat is undoubtedly gin with lemonade, Menorca’s star product.
The founders of El Turronero came to Mahón from Jijona in 1894 to put down roots in Menorca and start producing ice cream, horchata (tiger nut milk) and slushies in summer and turrón (nougat confectionery) at Christmas. Little by little, they expanded throughout the island and soon extended their range of products to include ensaimadas and liqueurs. Today, the family’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to run the shop on calle del Ángel in Menorca, where all their products are made except for the turrón, which other members of the family continue to make in Jijona.
The Can Sintes Confectionery and Ice Cream Shop also deserves a special mention, and no visit to Menorca is complete without trying the 57, the original and traditional Menorcan ice cream sold exclusively on the island. Four flavours of delicious, creamy ice cream covered in chocolate with a liquor centre, which was created by the founder of La Menorquina, Fernando Sintes in 1957. The 57 was a pastry-ice cream mix that was seen as groundbreaking because of its four flavours, biscuit, sponge, cinnamon and coffee. A real, distinctive Menorcan classic.
Ibiza
Los Valencianos is another sure bet for ice cream lovers, the longest-running ice cream parlour in Ibiza celebrating 85 years in the business of creating tasty flavours and textures. Today, it continues to offer its artisan products, resembling the taste of Jijona, the founders’ hometown. In a privileged location, the mythical ice cream shop in the port of Eivissa never fails to refresh the local residents and tourists walks and hot summer afternoons.
Argentinian dulce de leche, pistachio, chocolate or banana split are the most sought-after flavours in Viccio, the Italian ice-cream parlour has been located on calle San Carles de Peralta in Ibiza for the last six years. Natural, Ibiza kilometre 0 products make up the raw material of this ice-cream parlour that was recently selected by the El Comidista blog as one of the 12 best in Spain. Orange, lemon or watermelon, all grown in Ibiza, alongside French chocolate, Italian nuts, sugar-free and vegan options are all available at Viccio. Jon Bon Jovi recently visited Menorca and paid Viccio’s a visit to taste the delights of one of the white island’s top food spots.
Formentera
In the village of Sant Francesc, the Ferrari family has been working with milk for five generations. Domenico, the grandfather, a milk and cheese maker, opened the shop to control the purity of the product throughout the entire production process. Today, La Mukkeria is a wonderful example of recipes handed down from generation to generation, where the rural environment permeates every detail.
Geckolateria is located in the port of La Savina. An ice cream parlour where flavours of the sea and Ibizan herbs cross the frontier of traditional flavours. More than 100 flavours are complemented with artisan pastries and confectionery from early morning to late at night.
