Maiorca or Mjorca wheat is an ancient common wheat grown for centuries in Sicily, especially in marginal lands. It has always been considered as the Sicilian wheat and its flour is famous for desserts.
In the ancient Sicilian recipes books 0 or 00 flour were not mentioned as it was exclusively used the Maiorca one. This flour is used for the production of Reale pasta and, according to some researchers, the Sicilian cannolo rind was born with this flour.
In ancient times Maiorca flour was used for the preparation of cuccìa which is a traditional popular dish of the area. It comes from a legend of the times in which Sicily was hit by a severe famine that caused several deaths. To put an end to this disaster, divine help was invoked and on December 13, the day of Saint Lucia, a ship loaded with wheat landed in the port of Palermo. The grain was immediately distributed and cooked as there was no time to waste with grinding and processing. Since then, on the day of Saint Lucia, to thank the latter of her miracle, no bread and pasta are eaten but the cuccìa.
In the island the most common varieties of soft wheat, mostly destined for confectionery production, were Maiorca and Maiorcone, which were grown in the mountainous area of the province of Messina and Catania. Until 1930, Mallorca wheat represented the 23.7% of Italian wheat production but it was then abandoned due to its poor agronomic yield. It is now rediscovered and cultivated biologically. It is characteristic for its height which can go up to 180 cm and it has a rectangular spike without arista. Its white caryopsis produces a soft white flour, of great quality, with a high protein content.