The cuisine of the Balearic Islands is very much that of the regional markets. The dish of the day is made from what is available at market that day. You wouldn’t think so today, but in times past these Islands were poor. That has led to local people making the most of what they have. They have much in common with Andalucian people who know how to make good meals using what has often been thought of as poor man’s food. Cabbage soup would be a winter warmer.Small, aromatic tomatoes and hot, round peppers will hang outside many a household. Home grown vegetables are, oddly, much more expensive than those imported on to the islands. But locals say their veggies are best. The soil has more lime in it and water shortages leads to the vegetables being smaller than elsewhere. But tasty nonetheless. Artichokes from these Islands are noticeably more full of flavourr. The mild temperatures are beneficial to those who grow potatoes. The weather means that three different crops of spuds per year is the norm. Plenty of tomatoes grow here, small and dark in colour the best ones are called tomàtiques de ramellet. Palma, the capital of Majorca, has the finest food markets but you can buy quality ingredients on Ibiza and Minorca. Cabbage and eggplant (berenjena) are often served on the Islands. Likewise fish and seafood caught locally. Spiny Lobster, for example, is a local speciaility.For carnivores, the Sobrasada sausage is a must. It is the national sausage of the Balearic Islands. The air here is too humid for ham to be air dried. The climate, when combined with the use of a local type of capiscum, does provide you with a delicious sausage that is soft in texture. It can be eaten cooked or uncooked. To truly be sobrasada it must be made from the meat of local black pigs.Finally, the people of the Balearic Islands love their bread. Know locally as coca it can be made with or without yeast. With or without egg. Either way, the bread is then topped up with a variety of ingredients. Vegetables, spinach, sardines. You name it and the people of the Balearics probably put it on their bread. For such relatively small in size Islands, the gastronomics delights on offer here are vast and varied.