Food & Drink

The typical dishes of the island consist mainly of the simplest ingredients, and in their original form they are now only served in simple restaurants, mostly far away from the tourist zones. One of them is "gofio", for example, the staple diet of the island people. Gofio is a flour of roasted and ground grains, used among other things to thicken soups and stews. In the morning people stir it into their milky coffee, and it is added to the porridge eaten by small children. Gofio even forms part of the diet of Canary Isle dogs.

Another speciality of Canarian cuisine is "papas arrugadas con mojo", little "wrinkly potatoes" with "mojo verde" (green garlic sauce) or "mojo rojo", also called "mojo picón" (red garlic sauce, very spicy).
The wrinkly potatoes, which are eaten with their jackets, are made by boiling small potatoes in very salty water (originally, this was always sea-water), then pouring off the water and drying out the potatoes on a low flame, shaking the pot all the time until the rest of the water has evaporated and the crystallised salt clings to the skins of the potatoes.
Papas arrugadas con mojo are eaten with both fish and meat dishes. Just as popular are the "batatas" (depending on the season) con mojo, sweet potatoes with garlic sauce. The taste of the very sweet potatoes and the very hot garlic make an interesting and harmonious combination.

For desayuno (breakfast), the Canarios mostly content themselves with a "café con leche" (coffee with milk) and a "dulce" (pastry). "Churros" are very popular, puff pastries that are delicious eaten fresh from the deep-fry and dipped in "chocolate callente" (hot chocolate) or café con leche.

Unlike the holiday-makers, after their rather meagre breakfast the island's inhabitants place great store by a substantial "almuerzo" (midday meal). This begins between one and two in the afternoon, and at the weekend, for example, it can last into the late afternoon. Just about everything is put on the table that the kitchen can possibly produce. On Sundays and holidays, restaurants frequented by the locals like to make "puchero", an elaborate stew consisting of several kinds of meat (the original has 7 different meats) and various kinds of vegetable. The vegetables, mostly carrots, potatoes, maize, white cabbage and chick-peas ("garbanzos") are cooked separately in salted water and then put on the plate with the meat. The extremely delicious stock produced from this is often mixed with gofio, which is eaten along with the very substantial dish, depending on individual taste.

Another well-loved sew is "rancho canario", consisting of garbanzos (chick-peas), noodles and potatoes, together with bacon fat, beef and chicken.

The "potaje canario", a vegetable stew, often based on lentils or chick-peas, is an extremely filling starter. Another speciality is "potaje de berros" (watercress).
"Sancocho canario", a stew made of dried fish, potatoes, sweet potatoes and vegetables, is also traditional. Before cooking, the dried fish is soaked in water for several hours.

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Fish

And obviously, there is fish, in all possible variations. Fried, grilled or boiled. And it tastes best when fresh, of course. If you choose "pescado del dia" (fish of the day), you will have the best chance of getting a really fresh fish. Sole, which is to be found on almost all menus. is almost always "congelado" (frozen).

The following are fish that can almost always be obtained fresh:

© 2002 watercolours Otto E. Wieghardt

Tapas

In almost all bars, at least outside the tourist zones, you can get "tapas", little appetizers in all possible variations, served on little plates and ideal for trying out different dishes. The custom of serving tapas comes from the Spanish mainland. Translated literally, tapa means "lid". In the old days, anyone ordering a drink automatically got a glass covered by a little plate on which there was a tasty morsel, often a little piece of cheese or ham. Those in the know claim the custom was invented for reasons of hygiene, to keep the flies off the drink.

Sadly, although there are still plenty of flies, glasses are no longer covered in this way. Instead, there is a great variet of tapas, there are even "tapa bars" that serve up to 25 different dishes. In most cases, the glass showcase on the bar contains "ensaladilla" (a kind of potato salad), "pollo" (chicken), "carne en salsa" or "estofado" (meat in sauce, or goulache) and "paella", in addition to ham and cheese.

Meat

The best-known of the Canary Isles' meat dishes include "conejo en salmorejo" (wild rabbit in marinade), "cabrito" (kid) and "cordero" (lamb).