Canary Islands – do we eat Canarian or Spanish food?

OK, the Canary Islands belong to Spain, but nevertheless the distance, history and geographic location meant that we expected to experience the kind of delicacies that are typical only of the region.

The influence of Spanish culture can be seen here at every turn, including in gastronomy. Is the Canary Islands a place where you’ll eat more than tapas, Spanish egg and potato tortilla or paella?

Our first impression was poor: we cross the threshold of the hotel and from everywhere we are attacked by restaurants with Italian, Spanish, German and British cuisine. Next to a German and Spanish supermarket, where you can get products available on the mainland. Since we had kitchens in the apartment the proximity of such stores was quite useful for us. We didn’t want to spend too much time cooking, but a few times we bought semi-prepared or local frozen food to reheat – it’s always good to try new things :) We especially liked the desserts, or rather the way they were served (e.g. ice cream in coconut, pineapple) or banana bread/cake :)

A few words about the regional delicacies of the Canary Islands….

We wanted to try as many local dishes and delicacies as possible, but Spanish flavors and dishes are prevalent in the cuisine. Nearby we found a local canteen, where we could eat tortillas or calamari, served with French fries and coleslaw, for really not much money.

This is also where I discovered the best way to make coffee – barraquito, which is coffee with condensed milk, foamed milk, liqueur and lemon/lime zest. A fairy tale!

Layered drink, sweet, with a hint of lemon became my number one not only on this trip ;) I later tried to recreate this drink at home, but I still need more practice ;) As a souvenir from the islands you can bring back just the milk for this coffee as well as the very popular caffeine-free coffee.

Canarian cu isine draws from many other cuisines, but here we can always count on fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, seafood.

Popular bananas can also be found in salads with vegetables and white cheeses (we tried one on our way from El Teide).

On the islands, we absolutely wanted to try the traditional wrinkle potatos (pictured above) , which we have already written about in an entry. It is worth trying, necessarily with different sauces.

What else did we eat mostly in Tenerife? We followed the tips of guidebooks and TripAdvisor thanks to which we managed to get to some really interesting places, where we tried, among other things.

Delicious, refreshing Sangria:

Fresh pork served in a very original way in Gran Canaria at the Tasca Jamon-Jamon restaurant:

Ferrerro Canario – sounds like a dessert, but is actually an appetizer with black pudding, almonds and honey:

Fenka, or rabbit, which is also popular in Malta:

Personally, I was disappointed with the local cuisine. I expected more exotic cuisine, a higher proportion of fresh vegetables, fruits and seafood. As you can see, this is another place where you’d sooner find Italian pizza, German kebab or Spanish paella than something typically local. Nevertheless, one will not die of hunger ;)

Don’t forget our tips, too:

• What is the best way to fly to the Canary Islands?
• Whether and how to drive in Tenerife and other Canary Islands?
• Which island should you choose for your vacation sojourns and how are they different?
• And our TOP 10 from the Canaries:)