#Xocolaters
What it is and technique
Making chocolate from cocoa: roasting, hulling, grinding on a hot stone with sugar and spices, and molding into bars to make xocolata desfeta (hot chocolate). In Mallorca, the cup of chocolate with ensaïmada is a city and party custom.
Process step by step
1. Roasting the cocoa.
2. Peel (hull).
3. Molding on heated stone (general “a la pedra” technique; check in Mallorca).
4. Mix with sugar and aromas (cinnamon, vanilla).
5. Emmotllar in tablets.
6. Desfer in the xocolatera with water or milk.
Forms and objects
- Xocolatera: container for cooking or serving chocolate.
- Xicra: cup of chocolate.
- Tablets for the cup; chocolates (La Pajarita).
Vocabulary
- xocolater / xocolatera — who makes or sells chocolate (fon. mall. ʃokoɫəté, ʃikoɫəté).
- xocolatera — container for chocolate.
- xocolata desfeta — hot chocolate.
- xicra — cup.
- Mallorcan couplet (Penya): «If you are xocolater, aviat pots have fortune feta... more vanilla than cacau, potato and farina a poch»: satire of adulteration.
Geography
- Palma: Can Joan de s'Aigo (founded in 1700, previously on Carrer d'en Fiol), La Pajarita (1872).
Short story
- 1700: foundation of Can Joan de s'Aigo, chocolate shop and ice cream shop.
- 1872: La Pajarita, candy store in the center of Palma (catalogue of emblematic ones).
- 19th century: the Penya song denounces chocolate reduced with potatoes and flour.
- Today: bean-to-bar production in Palma (Maüa).
State
Alive, minority. Register of artisans (consultation 10/13/2026): 3 xocolater registrations in Mallorca.
Why is it design
- Consumption ritual: cup, ensaïmada and historical premises form a system.
- Quality as ethics: the song against adulteration is a product manifesto.
For the project
- Contemporary cup/xocolatera with a ceramist from Pòrtol for historic chocolate shops.
Frequently asked questions
What is Xocolaters?
Making chocolate from cocoa: roasting, hulling, grinding on a hot stone with sugar and spices, and molding into bars to make xocolata desfeta (hot…
Who practises Xocolaters in Mallorca today?
The Balearic Islands Crafts Register lists 3 artisans linked to this craft, in Marratxí, Sencelles.
What are the traditional words for Xocolaters?
Some words: xicra, xocolata desfeta, xocolater / xocolatera, xocolatera.
Sources
- dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=xocolater
- dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=xocolatera
- ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_Joan_de_s%27Aigo
- web.palmaactiva.com/emblematics-palma/content/pdf/la-pajarita-bomboneria.pdf
- caib.es/siciefront/artesania/index.jsp?idioma=ct
Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.