What porcella rostida is
Porcella rostida is Mallorcan roast suckling pig — a young pig (typically 5-6 weeks old, around 5-7 kg) slow-roasted in the wood-fired oven. The signature is the glassy, crackling skin over flesh so tender it’s cut with the edge of the plate.
It’s one of the island’s feast dishes — the centrepiece of a family celebration, a wedding, or a Sant Antoni feast (17 January).
What makes it distinctive
- The young pig: the animal has to be small, because young meat has different fibres than fully grown pork. Traditionally Cerdo Negro Mallorquín.
- The wood-fired oven: 2-3 hours at falling temperature — the pig is first browned at high heat for the skin, then finished gently.
- The seasoning: minimal. Salt, pepper, maybe bay leaf and a grating of lemon. The meat is defined by the cooking, not the marinade.
Where and when
Porcella is not an everyday dish in Mallorca. It’s celebrated in particular restaurants (called cellers — old feast cellars with wood-fired ovens) and at home on feast days. The island shares this tradition with Segovia in central Spain (cochinillo asado) — both regions have a similar suckling-pig culture, with small technical differences.
Seasonality and occasions
Year-round availability, but especially around:
- Sant Antoni (17 January) — the pig’s feast on the island
- Christmas and Sant Esteve — alongside turkey escaldums
- Weddings and family celebrations — as the centrepiece
Porcella at Es Muntant
We prepare porcella on advance order for groups of 4-12. The pig must be requested at least the day before, because preparation takes several hours in the wood-fired oven and we only take fresh animals from a producer in the Pla.
For a group of 4 or more it’s one of the ways to have a full Mallorcan feast meal with us — starting with pa amb oli and variat, then the porcella, with tumbet as a side, closing with greixonera or gató d’ametla. Reservation at least 48 hours ahead: +34 971 76 85 35.