Traditional canary specialities
If you visit the isle of Tenerife, at least you should taste something from the traditional cuisine. The small idyllic restaurants offer a varied and palatable kitchen with lots of specialties. Ingredients are the local fish, seafood, meat, potatoes, sweet potatoes and other kinds of vegetables combined with exquisite spices and fresh herbs.
Canarian Cuisine in Tenerife
Primarily fish, the paella, the different Tapas, the goat’s cheese, canarian otatoes with a salt crust are very popular. As well as tortilla, the Alioli dip, Empanadas and the Canary fish-soup.
Also the canarian wine is a speciality of the island.
Guachinches, specialty restaurants in Tenerife
where to eat typical canarian dishes
On Tenerife you can find lots of restaurants, taverns and so called «Guachinches» distributed all over the isle. So you can spend the time of your holidays with gourmandizing all around Tenerife…
The Guachinche restaurants are typical for the canary isles. Here you are served typical canarian dishes and specialties from the region like the typical fish meal Ropa Vieja, Chicken with Mojo, Carne Salsa, Carne Fiesta, Pulpo, Goats Cheese and Escaldon.
The ambience in the guachinche is something really special. Normally those kinds of restaurants are established in garages or old canarian houses. It happened often to me that I wanted to visit a guachinche and didn’t have any idea where to find one. As well as if you live for a longer time on the isle you don’t know even the half of the guachinches and typical restaurants existing here.
Spanish Tapas in Tenerife
A tapas contest is one of the more unusual features of colourful celebrations to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Tenerife capital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A full range of events is planned for the week-long festival which always takes place in April or May. The fiesta week is centred around May 3, the date on which the city was founded way back in 1494.
They take place across the city, but mainly in Plaza del Príncipe, Parque García Sanabria and Calle La Noria.
The whole city will be decked out with traditional floral crosses and the highlight of the programme will be the Great Canarian Fiesta with traditional Canarian dress. In 1999, the party, known as the Dance of Magicians, went into the Guinness Book of Records when 8,000 people ate, drank and danced in the streets in traditional costume. The tapas competition is another popular feature and is held regularly. Restaurants and bars specialising in tapas will compete in three classes – traditional, creative and Canarian.
Participating establishments will not be revealed until nearer the date, though generally they are concentrated around Calle La Noria and surrounding streets, which make up the old part of the city.
The winners will become part of a «Ruta de la Tapa» (Tapas Route) through the city, a great way of exploring the ancient capital while at the same time tasting some of its best gastronomic offerings.
May is a great month of celebration in Santa Cruz and the rest of the island, reflecting the traditional culture, history and religion of the island, and is marked by processions, pilgrimages and sporting contests.
So take the opportunity to taste some typical canary dishes when you make a stop during an excursion on Tenerife.
The canarien cuisine is worth it!