Flaó Guide

Not everything is salty, Ibiza and Formentera are also left to sweeten! One of the most typical desserts is the Flaó … but no one is fooled by the name; this appetizing dessert has more resemblance to a cheesecake than with a flan. Its base of dough is filled with a mixture of sugar, eggs and cheese. However, the special ingredient is chopped mint leaves. Before it was considered an Easter dessert, but now it is one of the fixed desserts in restaurants and houses due to its great reception.

Few elements demonstrate the cultural mélange of the local people as palpably as their gastronomy. This island was inhabited by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and Catalonians, among other civilizations, all of whom left their mark in the form of a unique culinary heritage. Despite the passing of centuries and the development of taste preferences and available produce, this legacy is still very much in evidence.

The ingredients needed to make flaó are flour, ‘Matafaluga’ aniseed, mint, cheese and sugar. If you wish, you can also add a little cinnamon. Yogurt, cream or other substitutes containing lactose should never be used, as these would adulterate the original recipe. This delicious cake from Formentera, which is traditionally eaten in Easter, has both Arab and Catalan origins and it symbolizes the culinary fusion of the two coastal civilizations. Historically the first recorded mention of these cakes is from 1252 and they are mentioned as well in Ramon Llull’s book Blanquerna, written in 1283.