My daily commute to and from work in Palma takes me through a wide and variegated slice of ciutat (“city”), as Majorcans are apt to call it. It weaves from my apartment in the immigrant-heavy Pere Garau neighborhood, through the old city, through neighborhoods trendy and trashy, as far west as one can go on a Palma city bus line and to the suburban institut, or high school, where I’ve made a concerted effort to impart knowledge to others.

This commute to and from takes a little less than two hours out of every work day, but I’ve come to value my trip on the bus as some quiet time to listen to music or read. Every now and then the ride varies slightly due to some construction here or there - one day, when I pushed the button to call my stop and stood up by the door, I was surprised to find that my bus stop had been blocked by road work. The driver moved one innocuous block further up Carrer d’Aragó and set me down in front of the almost garrish storefront of Petit Poll (“little chick”), a hole-in-the-wall takeout that shouts via its crowded signs the traditional Majorcan foods that can be purchased inside.

Takeout isn’t an uncommon sight around Palma, where it is labeled menjars preparats (“prepared food”) in Catalan, comidas preparadas in Spanish, or cáterings in the local dialect of Spanglish. Each one specializes in one thing or another and can range from economical to high end. Petit Poll is on the economic end of things, and offers a daily six Euro special (eight on Sundays) with two dishes of your choice. Perhaps it was providence, or perhaps it was simply hunger after a day’s work and an hour’s ride; whatever it was, I took Petit Poll up on its offer.

Once you’ve passed their crowded façade and made your way inside, you have a fairly simple layout – a wall of roasting chickens on your left, shelves with wine bottles and other drinks on the right, and a display case of homemade dishes directly in front. The couple that run Petit Poll (and have done so for more than 25 years now) don’t have the broadest palette, but they do know good homemade Majorcan food. To make matters more interesting (to this eater, at least): Among their various homemade dishes on offer is almost always some traditional preparation of offal – organ meats or what-have-you that tend to be forgotten by many menjars preparats establishments. Petit Poll is a treasure for anyone wishing to taste and see what Majorcan food is. I’ve picked up food here numerous times, and I can’t say I’ve had a bad meal. Whether it’s delectable suckling pig or humble frit mallorquí (a dish of fried lamb liver, potatoes, peas and peppers), this food is made by people who love what they are making.

A typical plate from Petit Poll is a sort of salad of squid-ink pasta, artichokes and kidneys, cooked with sherry and onion and accompanied by roasted potatoes. Squid ink is a fairly common ingredient used in Mediterranean cooking; in Spain, it is most frequently seen in arròs negre (black rice), a paella that uses squid ink in place of saffron. The two ingredients both share a subtle flavor and have the property of coloring any other ingredient in their path – the ink creating a rich black, the saffron a bright yellow. Petit Poll’s pasta is tart and tasty, basically a showcase of typical Mediterranean ingredients (artichokes, noodles, squid ink). The kidneys here are surprisingly appetizing; they were a little tough, but when cut into small slices they reminded me of chewy button mushrooms. While I ordered this dish against my better judgment (my only previous experience eating kidneys had been decidedly unpleasant), the sherry and onions proved to be exactly what the dish needed.

Petit Poll also makes a dish of spaghetti, pesto and snails served over a sort of potato stew. The spaghetti with pesto sauce is, of course, not a native invention of the island; it is, however, a testament to its influences, situated between the Iberian Peninsula and the Italian boot. Pesto may come from the not-so-far east, but it seems to get along well with its Majorcan cousins.

The snails and potatoes are delicious and even a bit spicy. Snails in Majorca aren’t typically presented in the French manner – that is, with a utensil for holding the shell that facilitates easy removal of its contents; eating snails in Majorca is a much messier experience. Both times that I attempted this (once at a restaurant, once at home) I wondered if I had made the right choice; the restaurant experience, however, was much more nerve-wracking, since it came with an audience of fellow diners. While they aren’t the most convenient dining option, snails still taste very good. The texture is distinct, but it’s nothing that merits squeamishness.

Both of these dishes have a touch of the exotic for an American eater, whether it be the squid ink, the kidneys or the snails. These ingredients, however, are what grounds them in the basic food traditions of the islands, relying on ingredients freely available for Palma’s humble kitchens, from land or from sea. It is this straightforwardness that makes a great meal from Petit Poll – I get the impression that this store is a window into the homes of its cooks and the place that has shaped their cooking. Bon profit i fins la pròxima!

Petit Poll
Carrer d’Aragó N-30
07006 Palma de Mallorca
SPAIN

Related posts:

1. The Week of Eating In: Day Seven – Cooking for the Little Guy My favorite reason for eating in is that it...
2. The Spitting Image of Fast Food Not long after I’d begun teaching in Majorca a student...
3. Hungering for Home in Budapest While Budapest has plenty to offer in the way of...
4. Palma Through the Grapevine Hostal Pons is on a street that would be better...
5. The Ultimate Taste of Majorca As previously touched upon, the center of Palma is with...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 9:10 am and is filed under Majorca.