Market day at Soller, Mallorca

The railway station at Soller

During any visit to Palma I try and treat myself to a little escape to Soller and Porto Soller. The train is the nicest way to travel north and traverse the mountains. As the old train rattles its way north at a sedate speed you pass through fields of olive trees and almond trees tended by small flocks of sheep.

The town of Soller is almost totally surrounded by mountains which rise steeply and tower above the small town. The air is often still in the town and area enclosed by the mountains, and last weekend was no exception. Thermals gradually developed during the day and small fires burning branches and trimmings from the seasonal pruning of the trees wafted their smoke around the hillsides.

Saturday is market day in Soller and there is a distinctive rural air to the small covered market market. Locally produced olive oils, honey and cured meats can be found along the streets and in the covered market the freshly picked wild asparagus caught my eye; water-filled buckets contained bunches of these long thin green spears. The wild asparagus can be picked by anybody and while out for a walk quite often you can see people emerging from woods with bags of asparagus, or simply picking the spears growing in the undergrowth by the pavement or road.

Buckets of wild asparagus in the covered market at Soller

The locally cured meats are very distinctive and known as sobrasada. They come in all shapes and sizes but typically the ground spiced pork is preserved in a pigs stomach, and other intestinal passages. I would not discourage you from using your imagination at this point but merely consider the fact that the full length of the intestinal tract is used. Personally, I enjoy a plate of sobrasada with an old manchego or a cheese from Mahon. Thesae along with some locally baked bread, which is practically salt free, liberally dipped in olive oil the combination of flavours come alive. The tastes while being quite different do complement each other.

A stall selling a variety of sobrasada on the street in Soller

Soller has the distinction of being situated not far from a port, which can be reached by tram. This means that there is a source of locally landed fish, and the covered market had two small stalls selling fresh fish. I drew confidence from the fact that not too many varieties of fish were available; the lack of waxen sides of tuna and swordfish and other less seasonal varieties meant the sellers were not supplementing their stock from other markets. A lively trade was taking place at these stalls and people were busy making their choices and discussing special requests for the specimens they were purchasing.

A typical display from a stall in the fish market at Soller

No trip to Soller is complete without a trip down to Porto Soller. As I have noted above, you can catch the tram or indeed undertake the trip on foot. The walk takes about 45 minutes but at this time of year you can admire the colourful orange and lemon groves as you go, and the colours can be breathtaking.

A rich and verdant orange grove between Soller and Porto Soller

By early afternoon my body was beginning to make a few reasonable demands and a relaxing lunch seemed to be the answer to most of them. Furthermore, the warm sunshine needed to be counteracted and so a little chilled rose wine and some freshly cooked calamars were devoured with great satisfaction.

Calamars a la plancha