The simplest: technique
Ensaïmada dough is a thin, long dough, brushed with saïm (lard). If you stretched it out straight and baked it like that, it would lose all its character: the saïm would drip away, the dough would dry out at the edges.
The spiral solves this: it folds the dough over itself, keeps the saïm in, and allows each layer to puff up separately. The result: that characteristic texture, flaky yet tender.
The most beautiful: symbolism
The spiral is one of humanity's oldest forms. It appears in prehistoric caves, in Mediterranean cultures, in religious symbols. Why? Because it's the shape that describes growth: a seed, a snail, a galaxy.
A dough that grows as it bakes, in a spiral, makes all the sense in the world.
The most practical: Mallorcan tradition
The documented origin of the ensaïmada is Mallorcan, 17th century. They made it with pork lard — hence the name — and shaped it in a spiral because it was the best way to fit inside the round wood-fired ovens of the time.
A practical solution that became an identity.