Seasonal flavours: What to eat in Mallorca this autumn?

Autumn has arrived in Mallorca, and honestly? It’s the best time to eat your way through the island. The air cools down just enough to make long walks pleasant, the light softens into golden tones and the whole island seems to embrace a slower rhythm. A new season also brings new flavours. Think about citrus, warm spices and local dishes that give you that comfortable and cosy autumn feeling. If you’re in Mallorca this autumn and you’re wondering what’s good to eat, you’re in luck! The season’s all about local ingredients, cosy meals and foods that feel like a warm hug. Let’s see what’s on the menu this season!

Mallorca in autumn is all about comfort food with a little bit of a local twist. Think about roasted veggies, warm stews or a nice hearty soup. It’s the season of harvest, tradition and food that brings people together. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a semester abroad, this is a quick guide for eating well while the island leans into its cosier side!

• Mushrooms: These pop up after the rains in the Tramuntana mountains and are considered a real delicacy. They end up being grilled, cooked in stews or simply fried with garlic and olive oil. 
• Chestnuts: A classic autumn snack. Walking through Palma, you’ll smell them roasting on street corners. They’re also used in desserts and soups. 
• Pumpkin: Not just for decoration. Locals make pumpkin soup, pies and the sweet jam known as cabell d’àngel.
• Fresh olive oil: Autumn is olive harvest season, and the new oil has a bright, peppery flavour. Drizzling it over rustic bread with a bit of sea salt might be one of the simplest but best bites on the island.

The first place where you really notice the shift of the season is at the market. I still remember walking into the Santa Maria market on a Sunday morning in early October. Instead of watermelons and peaches, I was greeted by the earthy smell of mushrooms, baskets of chestnuts, and huge orange pumpkins stacked high. The stalls looked like autumn had spilled onto the tables.

The best part? Each market has its own personality, so it’s worth exploring more than one.

Palma’s Mercat de l’Olivar is where you’ll see the island’s abundance displayed in full: stalls dedicated to seasonal mushrooms (esclata-sangs), fresh olives, and even the first bottles of peppery new olive oil. For anyone staying in or near the city, this is the perfect spot to taste autumn flavours without even leaving town.

If you want something more authentic and less polished, the Santa Maria del Camí Sunday market is the place to go. It’s one of the biggest open-air markets on the island, and in autumn it feels like a gathering of farmers and food lovers rather than a tourist attraction. The vibe is earthy, chaotic in the best way, and very real.

Further inland, Sineu’s weekly market (every Wednesday) is really worth a visit in autumn. Sineu has a long agricultural history, and you still feel it in the stalls selling live animals, farm tools, and homemade cheeses. In the cooler months, the food side becomes more interesting: you’ll find hearty bread for sopes mallorquines, vegetables for rustic stews, and wines from nearby Binissalem, perfect for pairing with autumn dishes.

And then there are the truly local gems, like the Inca market on Thursdays, which explode in size and energy during November’s Dijous Bo. In autumn, even on a regular Thursday, you’ll stumble across rows of stalls selling sobrasada, honey, and almonds harvested only weeks earlier. During the big fair, it transforms into a festival in itself, but even outside that week, Inca is worth a visit for its seasonal offerings.

So, whether you’re based in Palma or exploring the villages, make space in your autumn trip for the markets!

When you are walking through Mallorca’s autumn markets, the ingredients you see on the stalls, mushrooms, pumpkins, chestnuts, are exactly the ones that end up in the island’s most traditional dishes. A steaming bowl of sopes mallorquines or a rustic plate of frito mallorquín feels even more authentic when you know the vegetables came straight from the market that morning.

Let’s start with sopes mallorquines. It’s a rustic soup where thin slices of bread soak up a broth packed with whatever veggies are in season — cabbage, cauliflower, artichokes, beans. You see those mountains of greens piled up at the Santa Maria market, and later in the day they end up in someone’s pot as sopes. It’s not fancy, but it’s filling, healthy, and warms you right up after walking around a fair all afternoon. Locals usually eat it as a weekday dinner, but in autumn it just hits differently.

Next up we have arròz brut. This literally means “dirty rice,” but don’t let the name fool you. Think of it as a chaotic version of paella. It’s a soupy rice dish, loaded with bits of meat (rabbit, pork, sometimes chicken), seasonal vegetables, and a serious amount of spice – cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The broth is dark and rich, which is why it looks “dirty.” In autumn, people love adding mushrooms, especially esclata-sangs that they’ve foraged in the Tramuntana. It’s the kind of dish you’ll see bubbling in massive pans at Dijous Bo in Inca, the steam mixing with the smell of grilled meat and roasted almonds. If summer food is light and fresh, this is deep, comforting, and made for chilly nights.

Then we have escaldums. This one is a proper comfort food classic. It’s a slow-cooked stew, usually made with chicken or turkey, thickened with almonds and potatoes until it’s full of flavour and creamy. It’s heavy, yes, but in the best possible way. You can even taste the fresh olive oil in the sauce, especially in November when everyone’s talking about the new harvest in Caimari.

I’m not gonna lie, this is not the prettiest dish. But trust me,  it’s tasty. Frito Mallorquin is basically a rustic stir-fry of pork, liver, potatoes, onions, and peppers. It’s connected to the matances, the traditional pig slaughter that happens in autumn, so it’s a real seasonal dish. When you’re at a market or fair, you’ll often find a big steaming tray of frito being scooped onto paper plates. It’s tasty, filling, and a little intense, exactly what you need when you’ve been walking all day.

October is when the island really starts to celebrate the harvest, and almost every village finds an excuse to throw a fair. Streets fill with stalls, music spills out of town squares, and all those seasonal ingredients from the markets suddenly appear as steaming dishes, sweet pastries or jars of something delicious to take home. If you’re here in early October, you’re in luck, some of the best autumn events are happening right now or just around the corner.

Besides the delicious local products and seasonal dishes that Mallorca’s rich, there are a lot of fun activities and traditions to visit during autumn. Let’s discuss a few together!

This weekend it’s time for the Fira d’Octubre in Campos (October 16-17, 2025), one of Mallorca’s most authentic autumn fairs. The whole town comes alive with market stalls, local creations, and the irresistible smells of local gastronomy. From sobrasada and cheeses to jars of honey and bottles of golden olive oil, the kind of fair where you always end up with more tasty bits than you planned to carry home. What makes it special is how it blends tradition with celebration. During the day, you’ll wander through streets filled with local produce, handmade goods and a look how people used to live and work on the island. 

In the evening, the atmosphere shifts into the Firó nocturn – a night fair with live music, dancing glowing market stands, where everyone hangs out with a drink in one hand and something sweet in the other. It’s a festival that captures the heart of the season – harvest flavours, community spirit, and that unmistakable Mallorcan warmth.

Another highlight is the Fira del Pebre Bord in Felanitx (October 19, 2025). Dedicated to the red pepper that gives sobrasada its famous colour and flavour. This fair is one of the most “flavourful” events of the season. Here, you don’t just see peppers strung up in long chains for drying. You also taste them in dishes like frito mallorquín or spread inside warm bread with sobrasada. It’s a reminder of how one single ingredient can shape so much of Mallorcan cooking.

As autumn continues, you’ll also find smaller but still authentic fairs like the Autumn Fair in Consell (October 19, 2025). These events usually feature local wine producers, stalls selling nuts and olives, and plenty of artisan crafts. They’re less overwhelming than the big names but perfect if you want a taste of tradition without the huge crowds.

But the absolute giant of the season has to be Dijous Bo in Inca (November 13, 2025). On this day, Inca turns into a sea of people, with hundreds of stalls offering everything from fresh mushrooms and almonds to new wine and homemade liqueurs. The food side is incredible: steaming pans of arròz brut, trays of frito mallorquín, sweet bunyols fried on the spot, and piles of roasted chestnuts. You also get music, parades, livestock exhibitions and artisan markets, but for me, it’s the food that steals the show. It’s basically Mallorca’s harvest celebration wrapped into one giant street party.

A fun way to enjoy this season is to join one of the tours from Food Tours Balearics. It’s a perfect way to discover the autumn flavours of the island by diving into the Mallorcan food culture. You visit four restaurants, each serving a different course, so by the end you’ve had a full dinner, but with four completely different atmospheres. In Palma’s Old Town it feels historic and intimate, while in Santa Catalina it’s livelier and more modern. Add seasonal dishes, local wines and a relaxed walk between stops, and you’ve got the perfect autumn night out!

👉 Book your Wine & Dine Tour now

With autumn just getting started, we need to get ourselves ready for the cosier and calmer side of the island. The side that is rich in flavours and has in general so much to offer. Whether you’re having a good time at one of the local festivals, participating in our food tours or if you try out a new dish yourself. It is definitely worth it to come and taste the island this season!