Certain times of the Majorcan year are associated with particular food, such as the espinagades of the Sant Antoni fiestas in Sa Pobla and neighbouring municipalities. With Three Kings, there is a sweeter offering, and one that will be homemade at the island's traditional bakeries and also be available in the supermarkets. It is the roscón, the ring-shaped or King cake.
One bakery that knows all about the cake is Forn Ca na Teresa. Founded in Palma in 1966, it is now run by Salvador Rodríguez, the son of the original owners. He says that he's unsure how many cakes they will be making. There will be a lot though, and these will be for the company's six establishments. The bakery is one of just a handful that operates in Palma and across the island.
In charge of the cakes is Manuel Sánchez. The key to an excellent roscón lies with the quality of the ingredients. Time is also important, he notes. "It's necessary to take more than two hours in the preparation in order to achieve the maximum quality."
The classic roscón has cream, but there are other types. In recent years, the "tricolour" cake has been very successful. It also has truffle. For this year there is a chocolate version; coated and stuffed with chocolate.
Rodríguez explains that the company founded by his parents has survived by constantly reinventing itself without losing quality. There is also the hard work. He was up at dawn on New Year's Day. He is also critical of the lack of support for traditional artisan bakeries like his. "Anyone can say they're artisan, and no one does anything."