Discover the mouthwatering world of Canarian cuisine! From wrinkled potatoes with mojo sauce to succulent grilled meats, explore the essential dishes you simply can’t miss during your visit to Tenerife. Learn about the unique guachinche restaurants, where homemade wine and traditional flavors come together for an unforgettable dining experience. Dive into the rich tastes of the Canary Islands and make your trip a culinary adventure to remember!
Typical Canarian restaurants, known as guachinches, are often family-run establishments that serve various grilled meat dishes and homemade wine. Here’s a list of dishes loved by the Canarians:
Appetizers:
- Papas Arrugadas con mojo – potatoes boiled in salty water until wrinkled, served with “mojo” sauce (there are different varieties of this sauce, including red and green).
- Queso Asado – grilled goat cheese with Canarian sauces or jams.
- Pimientos de Padrón – fried green peppers.
- Gambas al Ajillo – shrimp sautéed in garlic butter.
- Boquerones el Aceite de Oliva – marinated anchovies in olive oil.
- Tollos en salsa – sun-dried strips of dogfish or other small sharks, stewed in sauce.
- Almogrote – a paste made from goat cheese, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and olive oil, originally from the island of La Gomera. Typically used as a sauce or spread.
Soups:
- Potaje de berros – watercress soup.
- Rancho Canario – chicken broth with noodles, to which chickpeas, potatoes, pork ribs, beef (or bacon and chorizo), tomatoes, onions, garlic, and various spices (saffron, cumin, paprika, salt, and oil) are added.
- Potaje de trigo – wheat-based soup with added vegetables, pork ribs, beef, as well as onions, garlic, tomatoes, and salt.
- Escaldón de gofio – a thick porridge made from local cornmeal called gofio, often served with fish or meat broth.
- Puchero Canario – a thick soup or stew made with various types of meat (beef, pork, chicken), vegetables (chickpeas, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes), and local cornmeal “gofio”.
- Cazuela de pescado – fish soup with potatoes and various spices.
Main dishes:
- Carne de Cabra – stewed goat meat.
- Conejo en salmorejo – rabbit in a spicy marinade.
- Carne de Fiesta – pork marinated in a spicy sauce and then fried.
- Ropa vieja canaria – a traditional dish of shredded meat (chicken, beef), typically with the addition of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and other vegetables.
- Garbanzas – simply chickpeas with smoked meats and sausage.
- Pollo Asado – grilled chicken.
- Chocos – squid.
- Cherne – a type of fish, often grilled or fried.
- Sancocho Canario – a traditional fish stew made from salted fish (usually cod or sea bass), sweet potatoes, onions, and tomato sauce.
Desserts:
- Frangollo – a sweet rice dessert with raisins, cinnamon, and lemon zest.
- Rapadura – a dessert made from sugarcane juice, sometimes with the addition of anise and other spices.
- Truchas de batata – a dessert made from sweet potatoes (batata), usually filled with almonds, cinnamon, and anise.
- Huevos mole – a dessert made from whipped egg yolks, sugar, and milk, resembling custard.
- Gofio escaldado – a dessert made from local cornmeal “gofio” mixed with milk or broth until it forms a thick porridge. It can be either sweet or savory.
Among the appetizers, be sure to try the famous “papas arrugadas” potatoes with “mojo” sauce, grilled goat cheese, padrón peppers, and a variety of seafood. Soups like “potaje de berros” and “rancho canario” will warm your soul and stomach.
Meat lovers will be delighted by the stewed goat meat, rabbit in a spicy marinade, and the traditional “carne de fiesta” pork. Don’t forget about the fresh seafood, especially squid and cherne fish.
For dessert, it’s recommended to try the sweet rice pudding “frangollo” and the unusual “rapadura” dessert made from sugarcane.
You are welcome to try new dishes, enjoy the unique flavors and aromas of Canarian cuisine!
