Typical food in Tenerife: a gastronomic paradise

You are enjoying your vacation on the island of Tenerife and you are wondering what activities you can do to discover the canarian culture. The Canary Islands are known as the Fortunate Islands for many reasons, but it is clear that one of them is the gastronomy of the archipelago. In this blog we are going to discover the typical food in Tenerife.

The canarian cuisine is an exceptional case, since it combines several factors that make it privileged at international level. Simplicity is one of the characteristics that best defines it, the result of its success, which materialises in the choice of ingredients and the way of cooking them.

Wrinkled potatoes, the star dish

On the one hand, the canary weather provides a land generous in crops, while its location as an archipelago provides abundant fishing off its coasts. In addition, it has a wide influence of African, peninsular and Latin American culture, which for centuries has shaped its cuisine. The combination of these factors with the autochthonous island recipes, results in an exotic and varied table with typical food in Tenerife, such as ‘’papas arrugadas con mojo’’ (wrinkled potatoes with mojo sauce), ‘’ropa vieja’’ o ‘’almogrote’’.

In addition, although Canary Island gastronomy shares many aspects in common, each of the eight islands has its own dishes and ingredients that make this cuisine a varied world full of nuances.

A simple gastronomy, but full of nuances

At this point, it is time to talk about the typical food of Tenerife and get to know the main canarian dishes:

Papas arrugadas. Let's start with the typical dish par excellence. Wrinkled potatoes are the key ingredient of all the gastronomy of the archipelago. This simple dish is prepared with small black potatoes, grown locally on the islands, which are cooked with plenty of salt until the water evaporates and the potatoes acquire their characteristic wrinkled texture.

They can be enjoyed alone, as an appetiser, or as an accompaniment to main dishes, whether meat or fish. However, it is essential to serve them with some kind of mojo, a typical sauce of Canarian gastronomy that gives a unique touch of flavour to this dish. The most typical ones are red mojo, also known as mojo picón, and green mojo.

Canarian stew. One of the most typical dishes of Tenerife's gastronomy, it is made up of various meats (such as beef, pork, chicken, chorizo, bacon), vegetables, such as corn cobs and stewed chickpeas.

It is usually prepared as a soup for the first course, and then the remaining ingredients are served along with a delicious escaldón of gofio (a type of corn flour toasted in an artisanal way) as an accompaniment.

Roja vieja.Another star dish of the typical meals of Tenerife. It is the perfect example of ''the food is not thrown away'', because the stew is the base of this recipe, in which the leftovers of this stew are used.

The result? A delicious dish of shredded meat combined with onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato, chickpeas and spices.

Grilled cheese.Each of the eight islands has its variety of cheese, often identified with an appellation of origin. Some of the most outstanding cheeses include the ‘’majorero’’ cheese from the island of Fuerteventura and the ‘’palmero’’ cheese from La Palma.

Among the typical food in Tenerife is grilled cheese, which is made by grilling a piece of cheese, usually goat cheese, on a grill or griddle until it melts and caramelises on the outside. It is then accompanied with sauces, such as mojo or palm honey.

Cherne. Undoubtedly, the most common fish of the typical food of Tenerife. It is a type of grouper that is served grilled and accompanied by wrinkled potatoes with mojo. Simply delicious.
Bienmesabe.We could not finish this list of the typical food in Tenerife without a dessert. It is a sweet paste made with almonds in a completely handmade way. It has a thick, grainy and creamy texture.

Guachinches are the heart of the canarian gastronomy

If you have come this far you are probably as hungry as we are and you are wondering where you can enjoy these delicacies of Tenerife's gastronomy. For this you just have to keep in mind the word: ''guachinche'', which is the name given to the traditional canarian restaurant where all these typical food in Tenerife is prepared.

In this web page you will be able to discover almost all the ’’guachinches’’ of the island, accessing their location, description and specialties.

Certainly, calling it a restaurant is too much, since they are committed to simplicity, in their form and in their essence. However, do not let this fool you: you will be able to enjoy the best dishes of the typical food in Tenerife. In addition, in our Landmar Hotels restaurants you can also find options of canarian dishes that will surprise you.