Cardamom and Cinnamon Rolls

There are lot of Swedes living in Mallorca. That’s why I associate some typical Swedish customs closely with Mallorca, although, strictly speaking, of course they have nothing to do with the traditions of the island. For example, the cozy “Fika”, where you meet in the afternoon to chat over a sweet pastry and a coffee. Or the Swedish Lucia Festival, when white-clad, blonde girls with lit candles on their heads walk singing through the cathedral of Palma.

 

I’ve always been a big fan of places where nationalities get mixed into big melting pots. I find it simply enriching to be surrounded by people from different cultures who have consciously chosen a new place as their center of life, to which they half adapt and half integrate their own culture. It is precisely this phenomenon that makes the cities of this world so attractive. And due to digitalization the same phenomenon can also be observed in the small villages and in the countryside of particularly beautiful places. Our circle of friends here in rural Mallorca is very diverse and ranges from people from Israel, Thailand, Peru and India to Holland, Austria, France, Belgium and Great Britain to Sweden and far beyond. A couple of Mallorcans are of course there too ;). One of them asked me recently: “what constitutes the uniqueness of a typical Mallorcan?” When I unsuspectingly shrugged my shoulders, he said: “He comes from somewhere in the world and has put down his roots here.” Even if not all Mallorcans see it that way, I found this picture very beautiful. When I came to Mallorca for the first time over 20 years ago and against my will, the island took me by storm. And that was partly due to the people who had moved here to create something beautiful.

At that time my mother had persuaded me to travel to the island with her. Since I had the typical Mallorca party pictures in my head, I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea, but I said yes for the sake of her. We traveled from place to place for 10 days and stayed in various fincas and small hotels. Day by day I fell in love a bit more with the island and its people. I especially liked their sense of quality and beauty, which was reflected in the small hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops. On one of our first evenings on the island, my mother and I talked about how wonderful it is when people from different countries come together in a place like Mallorca to realize their dream and create so many beautiful places and things.

20 years later, and I am sitting at the table with Dutch friends who are currently writing a cookbook in which various chefs from the island contribute recipes. I had brought a few edible suggestions, including these cardamom and cinnamon rolls. After a first bite into the Swedish pastry, one of the friends said, very pleased: “Oh yes, we will take this recipe! That’s typical for Mallorca!” At that moment I thought how lucky it is to be there when new traditions are created.