Discover Tenerife’s Gastronomy

A visit to Tenerife would not be complete without sampling its rich, varied and delicious gastronomy. The typical food of the Canary Island is a perfect combination of tradition and culinary avant-garde, with a wide variety of dishes where healthy and local food is its hallmark. The products of the sea and the land are combined in a wide range of recipes for the most demanding palates. Remember that you can hire your car in Tenerife with Atlas Car.

Avant-garde and tradition

As we were saying, in Tenerife you can try some of the best traditional dishes of the Canary Islands, such as gofio, papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes) and honey, three typical island dishes that can be eaten on their own or prepared in a wide variety of gastronomic recipes. There are a multitude of homemade food restaurants where you can try these typical dishes. Of course, the most advanced culinary avant-garde can be tasted in the many Michelin-starred restaurants on Tenerife, which always know how to give a twist to the most traditional products.

Fruit and vegetables

The fruit of its fertile land and privileged climate, Tenerife’s market garden is one of the greatest exponents of the island’s gastronomy, always emphasising the fact that it is fresh produce of the highest quality. In Tenerife, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, sweet potatoes, chard, pumpkins, potatoes, aubergines and beans, among others, are grown. If we focus on fruit, of course, we must mention the banana, perhaps the greatest symbol of the whole of the Canary Islands, and appreciated all over the world. But bananas are not the only ones. The tropical climate favours the cultivation of fruits that cannot be grown anywhere else on the European continent, such as papayas, pineapples, mangoes, avocados and custard apples.

The wines

But first let’s start with the wine, a tradition in Tenerife with many denominations of origin and nuances for lovers of grape wines. They are the best alternative to accompany any dish. Tenerife is known for its excellent wines and its numerous certified designations of origin, such as Tacoronte-Acentejo, Orotava Valley, DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora, Abona and Güímar Valley. Both red and white wines are produced, so it is best to try several to accompany the dishes mentioned below.

Seafood

Freshly caught and freshly caught fish and seafood are usually the star on the menu of any restaurant or restaurant on the island. If you have to name the island’s star fish, it is, without a doubt, the vieja. It is a soft, white-fleshed fish that can be prepared in many different ways. Besides the vieja, the cherne, the bocinegro or the salema are cheap and delicious fish, usually accompanied by potatoes and salad. Mackerel and sardines are also very typical fish and, of course, mackerel. This fish gives its name to the inhabitants of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island’s capital, who are known as chicharreros, for a reason. In addition, the culinary delicacies of the sea are complemented by cuttlefish, limpets and squid.

Meat from the land

The interior of Tenerife is home to a highly prestigious livestock tradition, with beef, goat and chicken being of particular note. Rabbit is also very typical, and the most common ways of presenting it are in salmorejo (gazpacho) and in condumio. All the meats are usually prepared on the grill, in the many barbecue restaurants spread throughout Tenerife. It is worth mentioning the wide range of pork products, such as sweet black pudding, chistorra sausage, salted ribs, sausages and chorizo spread, known by the locals as chorizo “de perro” (dog sausage), a real delicacy.

Canarian mojo

Mojo, or rather mojos, are one of the true stars of the gastronomy of Tenerife and the Canary Islands. You can never be without a little mojo to accompany your dishes. There are two most typical mojos: mojo verde, made from coriander and parsley. And mojo rojo, which is made with plenty of paprika. These slightly spicy sauces go perfectly with meat and fish dishes and, of course, with the famous papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes).

Canarian cheese

A wide variety of cheeses are produced on all the islands of the Canary archipelago. Tenerife, the largest of them all, is no exception. The cheeses of Tenerife are available in many different versions, both cured and semi-cured, as well as fresh cheeses. All of them are produced from the milk of the extensive goat herd, although there are also cheeses made from sheep’s milk and even cow’s milk. They can be eaten on their own, roasted and, of course, accompanied with a little mojo.

Gofio

Gofio is something that can only be found in the Canary Islands, a very typical product and a direct inheritance from the aboriginal people of the Canary Islands: the Guanches. Gofio is a flour made from toasted cereals, mainly barley, wheat and maize, although it can also contain legumes, such as broad beans or chickpeas. It is usually served as an accompaniment to casseroles, meat and fish dishes, although it can also be eaten on its own, thanks to its excellent nutritional properties.