This emblematic shop in Inca, which has been around for more than 160 years, makes traditional baked goods and pastries, such as ensaimadas, panadas, rubiols, crespells and turrones (nougat)
Can Delante is one of the most beautiful shops on Inca’s main street. It is located in a listed building in the municipality and has preserved the decoration and essence of a bakery that is more than 160 years old. This emblematic shop is famous for making typical pastries and, at this time of year, one of its star products is confits, which they have been making since their very beginnings and which they not only sell on their premises but also sell to the bakeries in the region and beyond, where hooded penitents continue the tradition of handing out confits during Holy Week.
Joan Sans Perelló currently runs this bakery after inheriting the family business. He admits that, although confits can be found in Can Delante all year round, it is during Lent that 95% of these sweets are sold.
“Confits are very popular now, although they are available all year round. We sell them in a number of areas, as well as Inca. There are many towns in Mallorca where there is a tradition of offering confits during the Holy Week, especially in the area of Manacor and Palma”.
A leader in traditional pastries
Can Delante is a point of reference when it comes to confits, but they are also renowned for their panadas, rubiols and crespells, which fill Mallorcan tables at Easter. At Christmas, turrones and roscón de reyes are some of the company’s most highly-prized specialities. Joan tells us that many people who visit the Dijous Bo fairs take the opportunity to take home the first turrones of the season made at Can Delante.
Although, without a doubt, the star product of the bakery throughout the entire year is the ensaimada. “Ensaimada is something we are asked for every day, it’s the queen of pastries! We also sell a lot of cakes every day”, says Joan.
Joan says that he learned the trade from his father when he was very young, and that one of the things he likes most about his job is making people happy. “Hearing people say, ‘Wow, that was so good!’ is such a joy.”
Changing customs
Joan has witnessed how, over the years, the customs of the locals have changed and how this has changed the day-to-day life of his town. “Before, when I was a child, Inca was a point of reference and people from the towns would come, for example, on Sundays. The streets were full of people strolling around. All that has changed. Now, everybody goes to the big supermarkets and stroll around there. The change has been very noticeable. Apart from this, we have had economic crises, such as the one in 2008 or the coronavirus, which have made it difficult for us, to be honest.”
“Can Delante is our life”
When asked what Can Delante means to his family, Joan does not hesitate for a moment and states emphatically: “Life! This is our daily bread. We are here every day and, whether you like it or not, it is a way of life”.
The current owner tells of his days as a child in the back room of Can Delante: “We’ve always been around here. In the past, we always ate lunch and dinner here, and this has always been our life. This place was my home. We used to sleep here, in a little room that we still have. On holidays we used to put our chairs out in the street, as we used to do in the old days, to watch the people go by, and that’s how our life has been”.
Once the interview was over, Joan went back to work with his employees. It is 8 o’clock in the morning and he has work to do. Customers come through the door and leave satisfied that they can get traditional baked goods and pastries, made in the traditional way.
Emblematic shops
Comercios Emblemáticos de las Illes Balears represents recognition of these traditional stores that contribute to the uniqueness of urban spaces and, ultimately, of municipalities. This project, promoted by the Directorate General for Trade of the Balearic Islands Government and the Institute for Business Innovation (IDI), is a tool for the promotion of emblematic shops, whose identification and exposure favours the rest of the local commercial sector.
