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Traditional Mallorcan object

Omplidor and matances (pig slaughter) tools

At a glance

The slaughters are the slaughter of the pig and the preparation of its sausages (DCVB). Its most typical tool is the omplidor (Mall.): a metal cylinder with…

Objects and tools
Traditional Mallorcan object
Words
budellera, escaldar, matances, matansera, omplidor / omplidoret, sobrassada
Events
2
stuffing machine
stuffing machine — Ángel Orensanz and Serrablo Arts Museum, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/, Ángel Orensanz and Serrablo Arts Museum (vía Europeana/CER.ES)

What is

The slaughters are the slaughter of the pig and the preparation of its sausages (DCVB). Its most typical tool is the omplidor (Mall.): a metal cylinder with a funnel at one end and a plunger at the other to fill the leftovers (DCVB).

How is

  • Omplidor: can or glass cylinder, "in the form of a large cannon funnel" (Alcover).
  • Omplidorets: the small ones, for botifarrons.
  • Embut: funnel to put the pasta into the casing (Rosselló).
  • Ribell / ribellet: basin where the meat is mixed with spices (see ribella ).
  • Pastera: trough for kneading meat (see pastera ).
  • Chopping machine: manual iron chopper (20th century; models to be verified).

How is fa

  • Omplidors: made of llauner (tinner) or glass (to verify workshops).

Com s'usa

  • The pork is scalded with boiling water to peel it (DCVB).
  • The budellera cleans the intestines (Mall.).
  • Botifarrons, according to Alcover: «afiquen es canó a budells prims ben nets, possen pasta de quella veria negra dins sa boca de s'omplidor, and there pitja que pitja cada matansera amb so dit gros» (Contarelles 480).
  • Traditional distribution of tasks: tripe and sausage, for women; chopped and mixed saïm for sobrassada, for men (Cultura i Paisatge, 2025).

Vocabulary

  • matances: slaughter of the pig.
  • matansera: woman who works in the slaughterhouse.
  • omplidor / omplidoret: stuffer (Mall.).
  • budellera: woman who cleans the intestines (Mall.).
  • escaldar: pour boiling water over the pig.
  • veria / averia negra: botifarró paste.
  • sobrassada: raw pork sausage with paprika, typical of the Balearic Islands.
  • «Esser com qui fa botifarrons»: be very easy (Mall.).
  • «Es dia de ses matances / és un dia de bordell...»: popular song (DCVB).

History

  • 1403: the king asks Sicily for "sobressaoes" among other foods (DCVB): first mention of the word.
  • 1502: «Sobrazades» in a Catalan-German vocabulary (DCVB).
  • Today: IGP Sobrassada from Mallorca and Matances from Sineu (Fira de Sant Tomàs, December; date to be verified).

On veure'n

  • Matances in houses and town festivals (December-February).
  • Artisan embotits from Maria de la Salut and Palma.

Why is it design

  • Finger-tool: the omplidor works with the thumb as a plunger.
  • Ritual with distribution of roles: a collective work design for one day.
  • Total use: each part of the pig has its piece and its recipe.

For the project

  • Matances kit as a design object: omplidor + embut + ribbell.
  • Matances video with subtitles (see Manuel's style).

Frequently asked questions

What is Omplidor and matances (pig slaughter) tools?

The slaughters are the slaughter of the pig and the preparation of its sausages (DCVB). Its most typical tool is the omplidor (Mall.): a metal cylinder with…

What are the traditional words for Omplidor and matances (pig slaughter) tools?

Some words: budellera, escaldar, matances, matansera, omplidor / omplidoret, sobrassada, veria / averia negra, «Es dia de ses matances / és un dia de bordell...».

Sources

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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