All Saints’ fritters in Menorca’s parishes, a sweet tradition that lives on

Foodie travellers visiting Menorca at this time of year have the chance to discover one of the island’s simplest yet most deeply rooted seasonal foods: All Saints’ fritters. Around the end of October and beginning of November, several parishes keep alive the custom of sharing freshly fried fritters, bringing together food, community and tradition.

In Ciutadella, the Parish of Sant Rafel is holding a traditional bunyolada this 31 October, after the Eucharist. The event is also participatory: anyone who wishes can bring prepared fritter dough to the parish, where it will be fried on the spot, reviving the old custom of turning the preparation of a traditional sweet into a communal activity.

Fritters are part of Menorca’s All Saints’ gastronomic landscape. The sight of the dough dropping into hot oil, puffing into its irregular shape and slowly turning golden remains one of the most recognisable images of the season. They can then be eaten while still warm, plain, with sugar or according to each household’s preferred tradition.

For foodie travellers, taking part in a bunyolada offers much more than simply tasting a recipe. It is a way to experience a food tradition connected to religious celebrations, parishes, families and the passing down of recipes from one generation to the next.

Their simplicity is also part of their appeal: flour, carefully worked dough, frying and the act of sharing. This is not so much a product of fine dining as one of memory, community and the seasonal calendar.

For visitors to Menorca at this time of year, coming across a parish bunyolada can therefore become a small gastronomic experience that is difficult to reproduce elsewhere: watching the fritters being fried, smelling them as they cook and tasting them fresh while sharing one of the island’s All Saints’ traditions.

Foodies on Menorca Experience Sheet

Experience: All Saints’ Bunyolada
Date: 31 October 2026
Venue: Parish of Sant Rafel
Location: Ciutadella de Menorca
When: After the Eucharist
Concept: Communal preparation and tasting of traditional fritters
Participation: Visitors may bring prepared fritter dough to be fried at the parish
Main product: Traditional All Saints’ fritters
Recommended experience: Attend a bunyolada, watch the fritters being fried and taste them fresh
Ideal for: Foodie travellers interested in traditional baking, local culture and seasonal gastronomy
Organised by: Parish of Sant Rafel, Ciutadella