Pa amb oli

Pa amb oli ("bread with oil") is the most Mallorcan meal there is: a slice of bread (ideally rustic brown bread) rubbed with ramallet tomato, the island's typical hanging tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. It comes with ham, Mahón cheese, camaiot or cured sausages, and the table always has cracked olives, capers and pickled peppers or sea fennel.

It's eaten at any time: breakfast, afternoon snack or a light dinner, in village bars, cellers and mountain huts. If you see "pa amb oli" on a simple bar's blackboard, it's a safe bet.

The secret lies in three ingredients. The bread is pa moreno, the dense, unsalted country loaf households once baked to last the week. The tomato is the tomàtiga de ramellet, small and thick-skinned, hung in bunches so it keeps into winter: you rub it until only the skin is left. And the oil, ideally, carries the Oli de Mallorca designation. Then everyone loads it as they like: ham, cheese, sobrasada or cured sausage.

On menus it usually appears as «pa amb oli amb...» followed by the topping, and the usual thing is one per person with a plate of olives to share. In summer there is nearly always trempó, the Mallorcan salad of tomato, green pepper and onion, which goes perfectly alongside. A good place to try it is a village bar mid-morning, after the market.

Frequently asked questions

What is in a Mallorcan pa amb oli?

Unsalted brown bread, rubbed ramellet tomato, olive oil and salt. On top, whatever you fancy: ham, cheese, sobrasada or cured sausage. It comes with cracked olives, capers and pickles such as peppers or sea fennel.

What is the difference between pa amb oli and pan con tomate?

The idea is the same, bread with tomato and oil, but in Mallorca it is made with unsalted pa moreno and ramellet tomatoes, a sharper hanging variety, and eaten as a full meal with cured meats, cheese and pickles.

Updated in October 2026