Canary Cuisine

No dish symbolizes the Canaries as much as Papas arrugadas con mojo — "wrinkled potatoes" with spicy sauce. It sounds simple, and it is in principle, but the details make the difference.

The potatoes (ideally the small, black-skinned variety "Papa Negra" or "Papa Bonita") are cooked unpeeled in heavily salted water (traditionally: seawater). When the water evaporates, a white salt crust forms on the shriveled skin — the "Arrugas" (wrinkles). The potatoes are eaten whole, with skin, and dipped in the Mojos.

The two classic Mojos:

• Mojo Rojo (Mojo Picón): The red, spicy variant — made from dried red peppers (Pimienta), garlic, cumin, olive oil, and vinegar. The spiciness varies from mild to fiery. Goes well with meat and potatoes
• Mojo Verde: The green, fresh variant — made from fresh coriander (in some regions also parsley), garlic, green pepper, cumin, and olive oil. Perfect for fish and seafood

Every family, every restaurant has its own Mojo recipe, and the discussion about which is the best can fill an entire meal in the Canaries. In the supermarket, there are industrial versions — forget them. Real Mojo is freshly prepared in a mortar.

Gofio is the oldest food of the Canaries — and perhaps the most unusual. It is roasted cereal flour (traditionally from barley or wheat, today also from corn or mixtures) that the Guanches produced even before the Spanish conquest. The roasting (Tueste) gives the flour its characteristic nutty, slightly caramel-like taste.

Gofio is not a dish, but a staple food used in countless ways:

• Gofio Escaldado: The flour is kneaded into a firm paste with hot fish broth and served as a side dish — classic fisherman's cuisine
• Gofio Amasado: Kneaded with honey, almonds, and sometimes raisins into a sweet mass — a popular dessert and children's snack
• In milk coffee: Many Canarians stir a spoonful of Gofio into their Café con Leche in the morning — it fills you up and gives you energy
• As a thickening agent: In stews and soups
• Gofio ice cream: A modern interpretation offered in many ice cream parlors — surprisingly delicious

In every Canary supermarket, there are various Gofio varieties. The mills (Molinos) on the islands — especially the traditional windmills on Fuerteventura — are partly still in operation and can be visited.

The Canaries are located in the middle of the Atlantic, and the abundance of fish in the waters is legendary. The cold Canary current and the nutrient-rich upwelling areas off the African coast provide a diversity unmatched in the Mediterranean.

The stars of Canary fish cuisine:

• Vieja (Parrotfish): The quintessential Canary fish — a colorful reef dweller with firm, white flesh. Grilled, fried, or served as "Sancocho" (pickled fish with Gofio and sweet potatoes). The absolute highlight in good restaurants
• Cherne (Wreckfish): A large, deep-dwelling fish with buttery soft flesh — the filet mignon of Canary gastronomy, correspondingly expensive
• Sama (Dentex): Popular as a whole fish from the grill
• Atún (Tuna): Fresh from the boat, not from the can. Canary fishermen mainly catch yellowfin tuna — grilled as steak or raw as tartare
• Pulpo (Octopus): Cooked and served with paprika, olive oil, and salt — similar to Galicia, but with Canary Mojo
• Lapas (Limpets): A Canary delicacy — the limpets are grilled directly on the shell with garlic, parsley, and olive oil. Sounds adventurous, tastes fantastic

Sancocho Canario

The most important fish dish of the Canaries: Salted and dried Cherne (or Vieja) is soaked, cooked with sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, and served with Gofio and Mojo Verde. Traditionally a Friday dish and Easter feast. A must in any good Canary restaurant.

The Canaries are a world-class cheese island group — and that's no exaggeration. Canary goat cheese has regularly taken top places in international competitions, and in 2009 a Queso Majorero from Fuerteventura was named the best cheese in the world.

The most important Canary cheese varieties:

Queso Majorero (Fuerteventura) — D.O.P.

Made from raw goat milk of the native Majorera goat, perfectly adapted to the dry climate. It comes in three maturity levels: Fresco (fresh, mild, creamy), Semicurado (semi-mature, spicier), and Curado (mature, intense). The mature version is often rubbed with Gofio or Pimentón (smoked paprika), giving the cheese a reddish crust and smoky aroma.

Queso Palmero (La Palma) — D.O.P.

Soft to semi-hard goat cheese, traditionally smoked over almond shells and pine needles — a unique process that gives the cheese an unmistakable taste. The smoked Palmero is an absolute highlight of Canary cheese art.

Queso de Flor de Guía (Gran Canaria) — D.O.P.

The most unusual: Made from a mixture of sheep and cow milk, curdled with artichoke thistle flowers (Flor de Cardo) instead of rennet. This plant-based curdling results in a creamy, slightly bitter, complex aromatic cheese that is one of the rarities of European cheese art. Only a few producers still make it traditionally.

Other Cheeses

• Queso de Guía (Gran Canaria): Related to Flor de Guía, but with a mixture of plant and animal rennet
• Queso Herreño (El Hierro): Made from a mixture of goat, sheep, and cow milk — smoked in traditional smokehouses
• Almogrote (La Gomera): Strictly speaking, not a cheese, but a cheese paste — matured hard cheese is processed with garlic, paprika, olive oil, and tomatoes into a spicy cream. Eaten as a bread spread and is La Gomera's culinary trademark

The Canaries are one of the most fascinating wine regions in the world — and one of the oldest: Here grow prehypoxic vines that were never infested by phylloxera because the louse couldn't cross the Atlantic. Some vines are over 200 years old and still stand on their own roots — an absolute rarity in continental Europe.

Malvasía Volcánica

The Malvasía Volcánica is the queen of Canary grape varieties — an aromatic white wine grape that develops unique mineral notes on volcanic soils. The wine can be dry, semi-dry, or sweet. The dry variant from Lanzarote (D.O. Lanzarote) is one of the most exciting white wines in Spain: mineral, salty, with notes of white flowers and volcanic rock.

La Geria (Lanzarote) — The Most Spectacular Vineyards in the World

In the wine region La Geria on Lanzarote, the vines are planted in funnel-shaped pits (Hoyos) dug into the black volcanic ash (Lapilli/Picón). Semi-circular walls of lava stone (Zocos) protect against the wind. The landscape looks like it's from another planet — and is UNESCO-protected cultural heritage. The Bodegas El Grifo (the oldest bodega in the Canaries, founded in 1775) and Bodega La Geria offer tastings.

Other Wine Regions

• Tenerife: Five D.O. areas — more than any other Spanish island. Particularly interesting: D.O. Tacoronte-Acentejo (red wines from Listán Negro) and D.O. Valle de la Orotava. In northern Tenerife, vines grow at up to 1,500 m altitude — extreme viticulture
• La Palma: Vinos de Tea — wine aged in barrels made of Canary pine wood (Tea), giving it a resinous, absolutely unique taste. A revelation for some wine connoisseurs, an acquired taste for others
• El Hierro: Tiny production, but the local white wine from Vijariego is remarkable
• Gran Canaria: The D.O. Gran Canaria produces excellent red and white wines in the highlands around Bandama and Santa Brígida

The Canary dessert cuisine is rich and influenced by Spanish, Latin American, and Arabic traditions:

• Bienmesabe: Literally "tastes-good-to-me" — a thick cream made from ground almonds, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and lemon. Eaten as a dessert on its own or used as a filling for cakes. Gran Canaria's specialty, especially from the town of Tejeda
• Frangollo: A cornmeal pudding with raisins, almonds, cinnamon, and lemon zest — the ultimate Canary comfort dessert
• Quesillo: The Canary version of flan — denser, more caramelized, and creamier than the mainland version. Made from condensed milk, eggs, and caramel
• Truchas de Navidad: Crescent-shaped pastries filled with sweet potato or almond paste and fried — traditionally at Christmas, but now available year-round
• Príncipe Alberto: A chocolate mousse cake with almonds and a biscuit base — originally from Gran Canaria, now popular everywhere
• Gofio Amasado: Gofio kneaded with honey and almonds into sweet balls — the oldest dessert of the Canaries
• Leche Asada: "Baked milk" — a creamy egg pudding with a caramelized surface

A Guachinche (pronounced: "Gwa-TSCHIN-tsche") is something that exists only on Tenerife and is a must-experience for any gourmet: a kind of illegal living room restaurant where winemakers serve their own wine along with simple food — in the garage, backyard, or living room.

The history: Canary winemakers are traditionally allowed to sell their own wine directly to guests without needing a full restaurant license. The concept dates back to the 19th century when British sailors asked, "What do you sell?" — which became "Guachinche" in Canary Spanish.

What to expect?

• No sign, no advertising: Guachinches are found through word of mouth (or now via apps like "Buen Guachinche"). A piece of cardboard with an arrow at the street corner is often the only sign
• Simple food: Typical dishes include Carne en Salsa (meat in sauce), Costillas con Piñas (ribs with corn cobs), Papas arrugadas, cheese, Chorizo — homemade, plentiful, extremely cheap
• House wine: The winemaker's wine, from the barrel — sometimes great, sometimes an acquired taste, always authentic. A liter rarely costs more than 3–5 €
• Atmosphere: Plastic chairs, paper napkins, neon light — but a warmth and hospitality that no Michelin-starred restaurant can match
• Only temporarily open: A Guachinche can only open as long as its own wine lasts — then it closes, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months

The best Guachinches are found in the north of Tenerife — around Tacoronte, La Matanza, La Victoria, and El Sauzal. Go on weekdays at lunchtime when the Canarians themselves eat there.