Tenerife, my dear Tenerife. A lovely island, where weather is always good, like an eternal Spring, with a mild temperature that allows water sports and sunbathing in any season. For many tourists, Tenerife is just that: beaches, sun and beautiful landscapes. But today I want you to discover a less known side of the island: the cuisine of Tenerife. I have prepared my best advice and recommendations to enjoy the island in a different way.
Although “Tinerfeña” cuisine, and Canary cuisine in general, is one of the aspects that visitors know least about, it is genuinely interesting. The different microclimates of the Island make for a variety of fresh and exotic produce, and having been the “Great Harbour of the Atlantic” it received many foods from around the world that have become an integral part of the daily consume on the islands.
The Canary Islands have many points in common with Latin American culture and food is one of the main ones. “Ropa Vieja” (“old clothes”), for example, a dish made of meat with vegetables and potatoes, is also a typical dish in Cuba. When you go to Tenerife, you cannot miss the fried fish, the cheeses and the “papas arrugadas” (boiled potatoes served in their jackets) with “mojo rojo” (a typical sauce made with red paprika). Another typical Canarian dish is “gofio”, a toasted and ground flour used as an added ingredient in different dishes and also used in desserts and ice-creams.
Wine
In Tenerife, a home cooked meal must be enjoyed with a local wine. The north of the island holds more than 2500 hectares of vineyards. So, in that area, “guachinches” abound. They are very informal places, garages or patios on the same farm where the owner offers you the wine of his own harvest accompanied by some typical food. However, I must warn you of several things: First, they only open during the four months of harvest, for only a few hours a day. Second, you can only drink wine there! Don’t ask for coffee or any other drink, because they won’t have. The food served is an accompaniment but the main thing is the wine. Third, when they run out of wine the guachinche closes, so it’s best to go early.
How do you find them? Well, there are several pages like http://guachinches.es that has gathered information on most of the guachinches and where to find them. A unique experience, for adults only, that you cannot miss.
If you prefer to try the local wines in a different, more tourist way, you should try the Tenerife Wine Route, which runs along the northern part of the island, where you will visit the big wineries or family farms where wine is harvested in a very traditional way.
All this is making my mouth water. Today I’m going to try to cook some “papas arrugadas” with “mojo”, that seem attainable and easy to cook at home. It won’t be the same as in a Tenerife restaurant, but I’ll risk it. The wine I brought from Tenerife is, however, a safe bet, and I will enjoy it thinking of gentle melody of the waves of Tenerife.
See you soon!
foto©: http://www.webtenerife.com/