Date of publication 28/03/2023
Discover the best Canary Islands food: 10 dishes you have to try
The Canary Islands are much more than English breakfasts and easy pizza nights. If you want to get more in touch with Canary culture, there are certain local dishes that you shouldn’t miss out on.Want to taste papas arrugás with mojo picón? Dare to discover the mysteries of the escaldón de gofio canario? The Canary Islands are a paradise to be discovered and their cuisine is an original way of exploring it. Island by island, mouthful by mouthful, we want to guide you on a gastronomic adventure through the best typical dishes to discover top food from the Canary Islands that you will love.
Papas arrugás with mojo picón (potatoes wrinkled with mojo picón)
Papas arrugás with mojo picón are more than just a traditional Canarian dish: they are an institution. They are prepared with a variety of potato native to the islands, "la papa bonita", which is boiled in its skin in salted water and then left to dry until it acquires its characteristic wrinkled texture. Papas arrugás are accompanied by two types of mojo, picón (with red pepper) and verde (with coriander).
Best places to eat papas arrugás in the Canaries
The Papa Negra restaurant at the Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is known for its papas negras arrugás with mojo, as well as other Canarian delicacies. It is certified for sustainable fishing. Its menu also includes vegetarian and vegan options inspired by Canarian tradition, such as its tasting of Canarian cheeses or its tofu sealed in mojo and toasted sesame. Without leaving the hotel, the restaurants Los Menceyes and Los Laureles also offer guests an incomparable gastronomic experience by fusing history and avant-garde.
If you are interested in where to eat papas arrugás in Lanzarote, you can't miss Casa Torano, a place with more than forty years of history in the Gulf area; or El Guachinche de Luis, a charming bar-restaurant in the municipality of Teguise.
Sancocho canario
Sancocho canario is a typical canary islands dish that includes salted fish (usually grouper or wreckfish, corvina or burro), sweet potato in large chunks, onion, mojo and "sancochada" potatoes. The word sancocho means "half-cooked meal". It is served with "pella de gofio": gofio (corn or wheat flour toasted in a traditional way) kneaded with the fish stock.
Where to eat Canarian sancocho
The flavours of the sea are very present in the typical food of the Canary Islands: on islands such as Fuerteventura, local fishermen supply restaurants and hotels with fresh fish and seafood every day. To help take care of the oceans, there is nothing better than to opt for responsible fishing and for locally sourced products as far as possible. Sancocho canario is a typical Easter meal, a perfect time of year to visit the Canary Islands.
Watercress stew (potaje de berros)
Canarian watercress stew (potaje de berros) is a traditional stew whose main ingredient is watercress. Vegetarian watercress stew also contains legumes, usually white or pinto beans, yams and other vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkin, green pepper, onion or sweet corn. Optionally, salted pork can be added.
Where to eat watercress stew
To enjoy watercress stew in Lanzarote, it is best to go to restaurants with a set menu, such as Casa Arráez, where the locals gather. An excellent option is to accompany it with a special wine. Lanzarote, like Tenerife, is famous for its volcanic wines. Both islands are ideal for wine tourism.
Arepas
Arepas are small cakes made from corn flour. They are a typical food from the Canary Islands, but originate from Venezuela. They are usually filled with eggs, local cheeses, avocado, onion, fried plantain, seafood or other local ingredients.
Where to eat arepas
La Carajita arepera, in Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife, is perhaps the most representative. El Rayo, on the same island, offers up to twenty different types of arepas, at a budget-friendly price to suit all tastes and options.
Rancho Canario stew
Another typical Canarian spoon dish is the rancho canario stew. Of humble origin, the main ingredients of rancho canario are chickpeas, noodles, potato, tomato, onion, chorizo and blood sausage.
Where to eat Canarian rancho stew
To eat Canarian rancho in Tenerife, we recommend a visit to Mesón del Norte, a traditional restaurant located in the heart of the El Teno Rural Park, in Tenerife North. This establishment is also known for its typical desserts. They also prepare garbanzas canarias (a variation of the Canarian rancho), as does Casa Tomás, also in Tenerife.
Iberostar has several hotels on the island. If you're thinking of visiting soon, choose the one that best suits you: JOIA Salomé by Iberostar and Iberostar Selection Sábila are especially geared towards couples and groups of friends, while Iberostar Selection Anthelia is designed for families.
Tollos
Tollos are the strips resulting from cutting the fish, usually local dogfish, hung and dried in the sun. They are the main ingredient of Canarian tollos, a dish that can be prepared in different ways. The most typical preparations are tollos in sauce (with tomato, onion, white wine and spices such as bay leaf, thyme and cumin) and tollos in mojo.
Where to eat tollos in the Canary Islands
La Bodeguita Canaria, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is the place par excellence where food lovers go to try tollos, as well as other traditional Canarian dishes such as seasoned tomato or tomate aliñado. At the Poseidón gourmet restaurant, at the Iberostar Selection Anthelia hotel in Tenerife, local fish and seafood form the basis of fantastic dishes.
Escaldón de gofio
To cook a good escaldón de gofio canario, the most important thing is to start with quality gofio (which is a typical type of flour that has been created with toasted grain), either corn or millet, which are the most typical, or wheat, toasted in the traditional way. The gofio is blanched by pouring a homemade broth over it and then kneaded until they get a creamy texture. Slices of garlic fried in olive oil and paprika can be added too. When served, it is topped with a little chopped raw onion and fresh coriander or parsley. Escaldón de gofio canario is eaten both as a main dish and as a side dish.
Where to eat escaldón de gofio
This dish is typical of Tenerife. Where to eat escaldón de gofio in Tenerife? In restaurants such as Casa Fito Chimiche or El Calderito de la Abuela they prepare it homemade and with local flour. It is also usually offered in the guachinches. A guachinche in Tenerife is a traditional eating house, usually located in rural settings in the north of the island. On the other hand, in Lanzarote you can try escaldón de gofio canario and other equally typical dishes at La Casa de la Playa, a very special beachfront chiringuito (beach bar).
The repertoire of flavours at the Iberostar Selection Lanzarote Park hotel also includes the best typical Canarian food. In Tenerife, at the Papa Negra restaurant at Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey, gofio jareado is served with fresh cheese. If you are travelling to the islands and want to surprise your family and friends with a gastronomic souvenir, you're sure to hit the spot with gofio.
Carne de fiesta
The main ingredient of this typical Canarian meal is marinated pork. The Canarian marinade is made with red pepper, white wine, garlic, olive oil and spices (paprika, thyme, oregano, bay leaf). Once marinated, the carne de fiesta is fried in plenty of oil and served with fried potatoes.
Where to eat carne de fiesta
The best carne de fiesta in Tenerife is prepared at El Calderito de la Abuela and at La Hierbita, the latter a typical Santa Cruz de Tenerife manor house that also has vegetarian and vegan options made with local produce.
Canarian marinade or Adobo canario
Adobo canario, roughly translated as canary meat, which is present in festive meat, is also used for other dishes, both omnivorous and vegetarian. Typical dishes are rabbit in Canarian adobo, chicken in Canarian adobo or fish in Canarian adobo, but also potatoes in Canarian adobo or other local vegetables, depending on the season. It is even used as a salad dressing.
Where to eat adobo canario
Adobo canario in all its versions is a typical preparation in the guachinches and in the most typical bars and restaurants. In the Puerto de la Pena restaurant (also known as Casa Pepín after the name of its host), in Fuerteventura, many fish and seafood dishes are seasoned with this delicacy.
With no less than twenty-four volcanoes, Fuerteventura is one of the wildest islands in the Canary archipelago, and also one of the most paradisiacal: out of its 202 mile-long perimeter, 77 miles are beaches. Iberostar hotels are located on the seafront, so that the experience of visiting the island is absolutely integrating and perfect.
Puchero canario stew
This traditional Canarian stew contains chickpeas, vegetables (green beans, potato, sweet potato, cabbage, carrot, pumpkin, courgette, corn on the cob and onion) and meat (beef, pork or chicken; also in the form of sausage, such as chorizo). There is also a veggie version.
Where to eat puchero canario
The Cruz del Carmen restaurant is perfect for tasting a Canarian stew in Tenerife, while the Don Pepe is known for serving Canarian stew in Fuerteventura. The latter island is home to the Iberostar Selection Fuerteventura Palace, an All Inclusive where nature and luxury go hand in hand without neglecting gastronomy, and the Iberostar Waves Playa Gaviotas, ideal for outdoor sports and also for discovering the best typical Canary Islands food. Its new Tapas Bar is a success.
Extra: typical Canarian desserts
Bienmesabe
Bienmesabe is a sweet paste with an almond base. It is served on its own or as part of more complex preparations. In El Risco de Famara, Lanzarote, they prepare this and other Canarian desserts.
Frangollo
Another of the Canarian desserts that are a hit with the most demanding palates is frangollo, a cream made with milk or water, millet flour, lemon, sugar, sultanas, almonds and cinnamon.
Príncipe Alberto
This is a mousse made with cocoa powder, coffee, eggs, sugar, flour, butter, hazelnuts and almonds. As the story goes, Prince Albert of Monaco may have visited the island of La Palma and fallen in love with the taste of this dessert, hence its name; but there is also another legend that claims that the confectioner who created it, when asked for the name of the dessert, replied that it was called Príncipe Alberto because "it's as good as him".
