Canarian Cuisine

Canarian cuisine is wonderfully down-to-earth. What ends up on your plate is what the island produces: fresh fish from the Atlantic, vegetables and fruit from the green valleys, and really good goat and sheep cheese from the mountains. The Canaries also mix influences from Spain, Latin America, and North Africa. Most dishes are prepared very simply, but that's exactly why they taste so brilliantly intense.

Papas arrugadas: The legendary salt potatoes

The absolute national dish. These are small potatoes cooked with their skins in extremely salty water until it completely evaporates. What remains is a thin salt crust and the typical wrinkled skin ("arrugadas" means wrinkled). You eat them completely with the skin and dip them in mojo. They're the side dish par excellence for fish or meat and are really on every menu.

Mojo: The sauce that goes with everything

Mojo is a cold sauce made from olive oil, vinegar, lots of garlic, and spices. There are two classics that you almost always get served as a pair:

Mojo rojo (red): With paprika and chili. Nicely spicy and sometimes really hot depending on the restaurant (then called Mojo picón).
Mojo verde (green): With coriander or parsley. Tastes fresher, milder, and goes perfectly with fish.
Tip: Definitely try both together on your potatoes. Every place has its own secret house recipe.

Gofio: The heritage of the indigenous people

Gofio is a flour made from roasted grain (usually wheat or corn) and was already eaten by the indigenous people. Today you encounter it everywhere: as Escaldón (a thick, savory porridge with meat or fish broth), stirred into milk in the morning, in desserts, ice cream, or even in cakes. It tastes quite nutty and is seriously filling. If you're looking for the authentic, old taste of the island, you have to try it.

Cheese heaven: Goat, sheep, and cow

Gran Canaria is famous for its cheeses. Three things you should look for on menus:

Queso de Flor de Guía: An absolutely brilliant, creamy-spicy cheese from the north. What's special: The milk curdles with the help of artichoke flowers.
Queso de Media Flor: A semi-hard cheese that ranges from mild to properly strong.
Queso asado: Fried or grilled cheese served warm with mojo or sweet fig jam. The perfect tapa!
Tip: In the mountain villages and at local markets, the cheese is often still made completely by hand - definitely stock up there.

More specialties for your list:

Puchero canario: A super hearty, traditional stew with meat, chickpeas, and vegetables.
Ropa vieja: Translates to "old clothes." Sounds wild, but it's a really delicious dish of chickpeas, potatoes, and melt-in-your-mouth shredded meat.
Potaje de berros: A hearty stew made from watercress - perfect when it gets cooler in the mountains.
Conejo en salmorejo: Rabbit in a pretty spicy garlic-vinegar marinade.
Chorizo de Teror: A soft, spreadable paprika sausage from the mountain town of Teror. Perfect on bread or as a tapa.
Fresh fish: In the coastal towns you'll get it fresh from the catch. Look out for Vieja (parrotfish) or Sama (sea bream), usually simply delicious grilled.
Bienmesabe: A super sweet almond-egg-sugar cream that's traditional in the mountain village of Tejeda and tastes brilliant on vanilla ice cream.
Plátano de Canarias: The local dwarf bananas. They're smaller than the ones in our supermarkets, but much sweeter.

And what's there to drink?

Wine: Thanks to the volcanic soil and the altitude, great vines grow here (like Malvasía). The local white and red wine is a real insider tip.
Ron Miel: Canarian honey rum. Sweet, easy-drinking and the classic on-the-house digestif after your meal.
Coffee: In the Valley of Agaete you'll actually find Europe's only significant coffee plantation. The coffee there tastes fantastic and makes the perfect souvenir.

Where's the best place to eat here?

Forget the tourist strips right on the beach. The best food is in the small, unassuming places in the mountain villages (like Teror, Tejeda or Artenara) or right in the market halls - for example in the Mercado del Puerto in Las Palmas. At lunchtime there's often an unbeatable value daily special ("menú del día"). It's most fun anyway when you're out with several people: just order a table full of different tapas and share everything.

Tip to start:

Order yourself a portion of Papas arrugadas with both mojos and a Queso asado. It doesn't cost much, gives you the perfect first taste of the island straight away and definitely makes you want more!