What do they eat in the Canary Islands? Gastronomic tour to the Canary Islands Spain Tenerife wines liqueurs rum.

Gastronomic tourism, which has been developing so rapidly in recent years, is covering more and more new regions and countries, and is becoming a favorite pastime for many travelers who prefer to experience new places by taste. Today we will talk about a gastronomic tour to the Canary Islands, the cuisine of which is based on traditional Spanish recipes, slightly modified under the influence of its close geographical neighbor - Africa.

– a real paradise for connoisseurs of tasty and satisfying food. Everyday Canarian cuisine is characterized by a simplicity of execution that only emphasizes the amazing quality of local livestock, fisheries and agriculture. As mentioned above, the gastronomy of the Canary Islands is characterized by the interpenetration of recipes from Spanish Mediterranean, traditional Canary and African cuisines. Thanks to the excellent ecology of the Canary Islands and developed agriculture, famous chefs of the world traditionally come here, including from Latin America, France, Italy, and, of course, continental Spain. This is a popular destination for wine and gastronomic tours, because in the Canary Islands you can appreciate not only high-quality organic products, but also very good wine and rum.

So, what is used in cooking in the Canary Islands? Firstly, the freshest fish, which abounds in the local waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and secondly, seafood, as well as vegetables and exotic fruits. Particular attention is paid to meat here. By the way, if you order a meat dish in a restaurant, they will tell you everything about the cooked meat: what region it was brought from, what gender the animal was, what age, etc. Be sure to try the traditional Spanish jamón, a delicacy made from dry-cured pork ham. It comes in different types, depending on the age and breed of pig. The most expensive jamon is made from Iberico pigs; it can be recognized by its black hoof. Regardless of the type, jamon has a rather specific smell - “dirty socks”, but the taste is simply amazing.

Fans of gastronomic tours to the Canary Islands know that in generally recognized tourist destinations and busy resort towns, restaurant dishes are more European, but in small towns and villages you can taste real authentic dishes prepared according to centuries-old recipes that reflect the essence of the country and the islands. And now it’s worth talking about local products and dishes in more detail.

Let's start with getting acquainted with gofio - a universal product with which the Canarians prepare soups, side dishes, and desserts. Gofio's taste is, let's say, an amateur, but it is incredibly healthy. Gofio is a traditional food of the local population, which took root on the islands after the Spaniards arrived here. This is flour made from cereals, which is served in various forms, including instead of bread. You can add milk or broth to the flour and stir until smooth and eat the resulting dough.

For main course, locals love to serve the simplest dish of their cuisine - “Papas Arrugadas” - potatoes in their skins, like our “jacket potatoes”. The difference from the Russian dish is that the Canarians boil their potatoes in sea water, they do this until the water has completely evaporated and sea salt crystals have settled on the potato skins. The potatoes are covered with a beautiful salt crust on the outside and are moderately salty on the inside. The Canarians invented these dishes out of desperation: fresh water in the Canaries in ancient times was rare, and it was necessary to cook potatoes, so they used sea water, which was abundant. The result of cooking tubers in salty sea water exceeded all expectations, and this dish forever became a favorite dish of the Canarians. These potatoes are usually served with various local sauces. For example, with a spicy tomato sauce – “mojo piccon” or a spicy sauce with green herbs – “mojo verde”. These sauces are only sold in the Canary Islands and are a great souvenir option for family and friends.

As for meat dishes, “Carne De Fiesta” is perfect for “Papas Arrugadas”, the literal translation is “Festive Meat”, which here is considered pork, aged in a special marinade and then fried on the grill. By the way, goat meat dishes are very popular on these islands. Cooking this type of meat is quite difficult, but local chefs are so successful that they are ready to offer travelers on a gastronomic tour to the Canary Islands many dishes with it. It is worth mentioning another incredibly popular meat dish here, “Conejo Al Salmorejo” - stewed rabbit, pre-marinated in a special “salmorejo” sauce. Often in the Canary Islands, tourists are offered to try “Chuletas” - “cutlets”, but these are not traditional Russian cutlets, but quite the opposite, a whole piece of meat, on the rib bone, rolled in spices and fried.

In the Canaries, you should definitely try the local seafood: shrimp, mussels, oysters, lobsters, octopus, crabs - they are always amazingly tasty here, and naturally fresh, because the ocean is nearby. There are also many amazing fish dishes. For example, a wonderful dish is fish with vegetables, cooked in pots over an open fire. Moreover, this could be whiting fish, eel fry, or the fins of sea pike. The name of the fish stew dish may vary, as it will depend on the name of the island where it was caught. Any tourist who comes on holiday to the Canary Islands, and especially on a gastronomic tour, simply must try the local dish “Toyos”, which is prepared from shark meat. Almost every restaurant in the Canary Islands will offer you dishes from parrot fish, horse mackerel, and black fish.

Let's move on to the desserts of the Canary Islands. I must say that they are all very tasty. Flan pudding made from eggs and sugar is very popular here, as well as a delicious sweet with honey and nuts - “bienmesabe” and sweet baked milk - “leche asada”. Almost all sweets here are usually eaten with palm honey – “miel de palmera”, which is made on the island of La Gomera. A very popular dessert of the Canary Islands, which is even offered at hotel buffets, “Dulce de leche” is a creamy paste reminiscent of our condensed milk. Is it worth talking about the variety of local fruits that are used for dessert and are the basis of many dishes? For example, the already mentioned dessert, “Flan,” is made from fried bananas, soaked in rum and topped with caramel. Don't forget to try the delicious Prince Albert chocolate mousse, with fluffy sponge cake with almonds and hazelnuts. Almonds are the basis of many Canarian dessert dishes: Almendrado cookies, sugar meringue, cheese dessert Torta de Cuajada, dry almond cake Queso de Almendra. In the Canary Islands, as well as in mainland Spain, a popular sweet is “turron” - a mixture of nuts in nougat.

Now information for fans of wine and beer tours to the Canary Islands. Canary wines have long been one of the best wines in the world, which were always stored in the cellars of the rich of the Old and New Worlds, as well as in the royal courts. At one time, winemaking in these lands was in decline, but today everything has improved again, and the amazing Canarian wines are once again asserting themselves, becoming the best complement to the local cuisine. We recommend that you purchase excellent young wines on the island, one of the largest islands of the Canary archipelago, with a certificate of origin “Tacorone-Acentejo”. In any good restaurant you can order wines from other Canary Islands, for example: white table wine from the island of El Hierro; red or rose wine from La Palma; delicious malvasia from the island of Lanzarote. In small villages, lovers of wine tours can taste excellent local wines. But the most popular drink not only in the Canary Islands, but also in mainland Spain is sangria. Sangria is a mixture of wine, water and a variety of fruits. It is served in glasses with ice for lunch, or simply drunk throughout the day to refresh yourself a little.

Despite the fact that rum is most often associated with the Caribbean, Cuba, and Jamaica, the Canary Islands have large sugar cane plantations necessary for the production of this drink. Local rum is very popular among islanders and tourists due to its excellent taste and some medicinal properties. Travelers from cold countries, including Russia, often bring rum home as a gift for loved ones and for themselves, since this drink has warming properties and is quite pleasant to drink on cold winter evenings. Rum can contain different amounts of alcohol: from forty to eighty percent. It is often used as a base for making cocktails or in the production of confectionery products. Buy honey liqueur “Ron con Miel” - “Rum with honey”, which is prepared only in the Canary Islands using a unique secret formula.

Beer is a beloved drink of the Canarians, who are on par with the Germans in its consumption. Beer in the Canary Islands is quite decent, and its production technology is closely monitored by specialists from Ireland and Bavaria.

If you are on the island of Lanzarote, go to an amazing restaurant - “El Diablo Restaurante” - “The Devil’s Restaurant”, where you can see with your own eyes how the “heat of the earth” serves people: a hole nine meters deep has been dug in the restaurant, on its surface there is a metal a grate that is used for preparing grilled foods. Moreover, the temperature of such a grill is four hundred degrees. In the restaurant you will not only be able to see an unusual way of cooking, but also taste amazing meat dishes prepared using natural energy.

Gastronomic tours to the Canary Islands will introduce you to the original cuisine, allow you to plunge into the wonderful gastronomic world, where you will learn the technology of producing delicious local cheese, try fresh organic fruits and vegetables, taste excellent wine and even learn how to cook some popular Canarian or Spanish dishes under the guidance of experienced chef.

In previous articles we have already talked about wines, but this is only a small part of what it makes sense to try while vacationing in the Canary Islands. I in no way encourage the reader to become involved in alcoholism, but, in fairness, a little attention should be paid to other traditional drinks in the Canaries.

The Canary Islands have a special relationship with alcohol; only here you can buy authentic types of drinks that you won’t find anywhere else!

Honey rum "Ron Miel"

Traditional honey rum is the most popular alcoholic drink in the Canary Islands. Honey Rum (Ron Miel) very sweet and has a strength of 30o. We are talking about a mixture of rum and honey, although its taste is closer to liqueurs: honey rum is very soft and sweet. It is customary for locals to drink rum with honey at the end of lunch or dinner. You can add it to coffee or ice cream. There is also a legend that rum was invented in the Canary Islands.

The largest rum factories are located in the town of Arucas in Gran Canaria (rum brand "Arehucas") And "Cocal" in Tenerife. Typically, rum is aged in oak barrels for 3 to 10 years, and the most “elite” Canarian rum (“Captain Kidd”), aged for twenty years, is aged in ceramic jugs.

Banana liqueur

While traveling around the islands, you will probably notice a large number of banana plantations. Canarian bananas are medium-sized bananas that are distinguished by their taste and sweetness.
Banana liqueur on the islands is infused with local bananas. There are so many producers of the drink on the islands that it makes no sense to list all the names, since each of them is unique in its own way and is not at all expensive. Which one to prefer can only be determined after personal testing.

Wine in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are the only wine-growing region located in the Atlantic Ocean. Winemaking is most strongly developed on the islands of Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria.
The best way to learn about wine culture is to visit the islands' wineries. In each of them you can taste and buy local wine, and some even have their own museums.

List of 10 wines worth coming to the Canary Islands for :)

1. Pink Bermejo 2010(Lanzarotte) – dry wine with a fruity aroma.
2. Monje tinto traditional 2008 ( Tenerife, Tacoronte) is an incredibly balanced wine with aromas of forest berries and herbs.
3. Bermejo espumoso brut nature(Lanzarote) – dry, fresh, aromatic, richly textured wine.
4. Tajinaste tinto traditional 2010(Tenerife) – fruity, with the aroma of flowers and fruits.
5. Bermejo malvasía seco 2010(Lanzarote) - great taste combined with fresh citrus aromas.
6. Carballo listán blanco(La Palma) – very delicate floral aroma, amazing taste.
7. Fronton de Oro tinto(Gran Canaria) – fresh and delicate, with aromas of red fruits and flowers.
8. Bermejo malvasía dulce(Lanzarote) – very sweet, almost thick wine, with aromas of candied fruit and coconut.
9. Tendal (La Palma)– aromas of flowers and herbs, dark rich shade.
10. Vid Sur tinto negramo(La Palma) – floral, with the aroma of wild fruits.

Beer in the Canary Islands

The first brewery appeared in the archipelago in 1924 with the Tropical brand, and fifteen years later Compania Cervecera de Canarias opened and the Dorada brand was born. Today they belong to the same owner. Tenerife mainly sells Dorada beer, while Gran Canaria and the eastern islands sell Tropical beer. The Canarians do not have a great love for the intoxicating drink, which is probably why the beer they produce here is unremarkable.

The choice of beer in the establishments is quite modest, but lovers and connoisseurs of the drink should not despair. Thanks to the large number of emigrants, every third bar on the island is an Irish pub with a good selection of beer :)

At the heart of the kitchen Canary Islands These are traditional Spanish recipes, slightly modified under the influence of the close proximity to some African countries. Local cuisine is distinguished by its simplicity, which emphasizes the excellent quality of the products used (fresh fish, seafood, goat and pork, delicious vegetables, tropical fruits and fine wines), and at the same time has a rich flavor range.

The traditional food of the island's indigenous people is gofio, a kind of flour made from cereals, often used as a substitute for bread.

We recommend visiting the Timan Faya National Park on the island of Lanzarote because only there you will have the unique opportunity to visit the Devil's Restaurant (El Diablo Restaurante), where the heat of the earth is clearly demonstrated. A special hole 9 meters deep has been dug in the restaurant, the surface of which is used as a grill. The temperature of this grill reaches 400 degrees!
You can not only enjoy this unusual spectacle, but also taste meat cooked using natural energy.

Of course, in local restaurants you will find not only Canarian cuisine, but also traditional Spanish dishes (paella - rice with seafood, gazpacho - cold vegetable soup, jamon - cured pork leg, tapas - all kinds of snacks, and so on), as well as dishes from various peoples of the world.

Side dishes

One of the Canarian specialty drinks is ron miel - honey rum. It contains palm sap. This drink is orange in color, slightly weaker than rum, and tastes like both rum and honey.

To make rum, specially processed sugar cane is used. The delicate taste of rum is achieved by aging in oak barrels for 3 to 10 years. The room where barrels of rum are stored must be maintained at a constant temperature and humidity. The final stage of rum production is bottling and labeling. This is usually a fully automated process that takes place under sterile conditions without human presence.

They have long since passed into the category of “wine classics”. They are recognizable and buyable. True, the most famous wines are from Tempranillo and the Rioja region, as well as fortified wines, that is, sherry and Madeira.

Today we will talk about that wine-growing region that is not so popular in Russia. As you understand from the title, we will talk about the Canary Islands.

Winemaking has been developing here for a long time and, moreover, successfully. So much so that they are even called the islands of wine. Many poets and writers have repeatedly glorified Canarian wines. Take Shakespeare, for example. In his play “Henry IV,” he wrote about wines from the Canary Islands: “But you, by God, have drank too much of the Canary Islands, and this wine is extremely strong, and you don’t have time to ask: “What’s wrong with me?” how it has already suffocated all your blood.”

By the way, we are talking about the famous Malvasia variety, which is the locomotive (if we can talk about grapes like that) of this region. And even in those days, the main consumer of Canary wine was England, hence the special love of English poets for this wine. Not only Shakespeare praised him in his plays and sonnets. He was echoed by Robert Stevenson, Walter Scott and Lord Byron. Each in their own way, of course. But they all called Canarian wine “the nectar preferred by the gods.”

To this day, Canarian wines are a source of special pride for local residents. But you should understand that this drink is not quite standard, specific, special, so to speak, not intended for the average person.

Are we talking about Malvasia now?

Malvasia wines previously occupied a leading place in the wine industry of the Canary Islands. Again, due to their popularity in England. But times are changing, the flow of tourists has demanded even more wine production. Malvasia, which previously occupied a place between Medera and Oloroso, moved into the category of table wines. Less interesting, more neutral. In addition, more common varieties began to be grown here.

But this does not change the fact that the wines here are non-standard. Do not forget about the location of the vineyards, the difficult climate of the islands, with rainfall and hot winds from the Sahara (the islands are located close to Morocco).

In the Canary Islands there are several Denominaciones de Origen, controlling the name by origin: