Discover Mallorca's olive oil route: A cultural and culinary experience
September 24 2025
Everywhere you go in Mallorca, you’ll come across olive trees. Many are centuries old and some live for thousands of years. These wise, old trees are incredibly robust due to their complex root systems that can regenerate in every situation, from fire to frost. It’s no surprise, then, that they are looked upon as symbols of endurance, peace and wisdom. Of course, they are also responsible for producing olives and olive oil, known as “liquid gold”, which are both integral to Mediterranean and Mallorcan life. Let’s learn more about the importance of olive oil in Mallorca’s cultural and culinary landscape.
The history of the olive tree in the Mediterranean
Cultivated in the eastern Levant region for more than 6000 years, the iconic olive tree is one of the oldest fruit trees to exist. It was first brought to Mallorca by the Phoenicians and Greeks, and was imperative to the success of ancient civilisations, from the Minoans to the Romans, who widely used olives and oil for food and fuel for lamps, as well as in medicine and soap.
The importance of the olive in Mallorca
From the 17th to the 20th centuries, olives and olive oil were an essential export, cultivated across the Serra de Tramuntana on the dry-stone-walled terraces. Nowadays, Mallorcan olives are still an important, protected symbol of the island’s cultural and national heritage, representing Mallorcans’ connection with their land. Naturally, olive oil is used throughout local cuisine on a daily basis. It is drizzled onto “pa moreno”, the traditional brown bread, along with smashed tomato and toppings like cheese and ham to create the famous “pa amb oli”, which translates as “bread and oil”. It offers many health benefits due to its anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in antioxidants that can lower cholesterol and improve digestion.
Mallorca’s best olive oils and where to find them
Olive trees are an attraction in themselves. The gnarled, twisted 600-year-old “Olivera de Cort” by Palma’s Town Hall always draws crowds with cameras. Further afield, you can discover the island’s olive oils at Finca Treurer in the central village of Algaida, where you can take a stroll through the olive grove and learn how the oil is made before tasting it. A more modern mill is Son Catiu, between Inca and Llubí, which has been producing extra-virgin oil for almost three decades. You can sample its three different oils in its “pambolería” restaurant. At the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana in northern Mallorca, the village of Caimari is also famous for its olive oil. There’s even an Olive Fair in November, offering the best olives and oils on the island, so you can take a taste of the Mediterranean back home.
All of this talk of olives has made us hungry. Why don’t you try to make “pa amb oli” at home before you come back to Mallorca to feast on the real thing?