Today, when Palma is being forced to become just another franchise city, some businesses are fighting back against this powerful onslaught with what they do best: authenticity and excellence. The Unió Street in the Mallorcan capital —practically stripped of its traditional shops— is home to one of these establishments that are a benchmark of what is and has been the living memory of Palma. We are talking about Forn Fondo, a shop where modernist aesthetics and the confectionery products of our land go together perfectly. In other words, a place where pleasure is experienced through sight and taste.
Furthermore, Forn Fondo is one of the oldest bakeries in Palma. Thanks to the study by Diego Zaforteza, we know that the first reference dates to 1740, when the death of a shoemaker who lived next to the bakery was documented, a fact that already proves the existence of this bakery, despite the fact that it is documented indirectly. We can imagine that at that time it was a very austere and simple establishment, purely functional and with a production limited to breads, flatbreads and some sweets. With the arrival of the 19th century and the establishment of the liberal state, the old guilds disappeared, which forced the bakeries to compete with each other and to increasingly focus on a more differentiated and subtle product.
It was in 1911 when the life of the bakery entered a new phase, from which the current establishment is heir: Jaume Llull Gelabert and Francisca Canyelles Pons bought the old Forn Fondo and refurbished it following the guidelines of modernism, an aesthetic that had already crystallized in Palma since 1901 with the Grand Hotel —located a hundred meters away— and with the erection of the Can Casasayas and Pensió Menorquina buildings in 1908 right in front of it. Thus, three jewels of modernism formed a triangle around the old market square.
From 1911 to the present day, the Llull family has maintained not only this attractive aesthetic but also a whole repertoire of recipes and an inventory of products that have made this establishment one of the benchmarks, not only in Palma, but in all of Mallorca. The production is completely artisan, slow and careful, “struggled for” in the words of father Antoni Maria Alcover when describing traditional Mallorcan cuisine. Neus and Pau Llull, the current heirs of the tradition started by their ancestors, are in charge of maintaining the family tradition and offering all their customers some of the best pastries on the island.
The excellence of Forn Fondo is not only pleasing to the eye when contemplating the large display cabinets where all the products made on the same day are lined up. We have witnessed some of the elaborations and the result is not possible without a perfect balance between knowledge and technique. That is why witnessing the steps involved in making an ensaimada at Forn Fondo is to confirm that not a millimetre is deviated from the path marked out by tradition. Each one they make becomes what it really is: a spiral of pleasure. But even more so if it is accompanied by apricots or figs, provided they are in season, of course.
The two great annual festive cycles, Christmas and Easter, are defined by the gastronomy of the season. At the beginning of December, the oven starts preparing the wide repertoire of sweets, headed by nougat, which range from the most classic — nougat made with toasted almonds, egg yolk, chestnuts, etc. — to the most sophisticated and exquisite, generally made using the infinite possibilities offered by chocolate: truffle, orange, Cointreau, pistachio, Baileys, etc.
As for Easter, even though panades are already part of everyday life, Forn Fondo increases its production and also turns to old recipe books to make some products that are as unique as they are genuine. In this sense, we must mention the panades de pasteló, designed to be eaten by several people, just as normal panades were eaten in the past.
In addition to the gastronomic cycles or more specific celebrations such as the Last Days, All Saints (they make up to 15 variations of panellets), etc., the Forn Fondo bakes daily savory and sweet treats that can already be considered classics (vegetable cakes, trempó, cocarrois, individual ensaimadas, cremadillos, crespells, etc.), but its display cases are also filled with subtleties that range from the strictest tradition to the most exquisite and delicate innovation. To give an example of the former: it is one of the few places where you can enjoy one of the great pleasures of the island’s historical pastries. We are talking about the quartos embetumats, a delicacy rooted in the memory of the well-to-do classes of the 16th and 17th centuries, so coveted and delicious that it is even the subject of literary recreation (read In the Last Blue by Carme Riera). As for the latter, the chocolates and all their derivatives make this establishment something more than a benchmark.
El Forn Fondo has accumulated numerous awards and accolades, both for the essence of the establishment and for the product it makes. In terms of the former, it is worth mentioning that it is in the category of Emblematic Establishment of Palma. As for the production, it obtained recognition for making the best Jijona nougat in the Balearic Islands in 2018 and also the Senalla Prize in 2022. The latest recognition has been, no less, than obtaining the Solete distinction in the prestigious Repsol Guide. As the guide itself points out, the Solete is awarded to food establishments that “differentiate themselves through their authentic essence”.
Tomàs Vibot is a writer, researcher and disseminator of culture and heritage