Canary Islands

Visit the Canary Islands and go bananas! After all, the best bananas produced in Europe come from these very diverse islands. People only think of the Canaries in terms of holidays. But we'd have a much poorer diet were it not for the diligent farmers who produce thousands of bananas, and much more.

The cuisine here is not fancy. It is simple and robust. Big soups and stews. Roast meat with hot spices. Poached fish, sugary sweet desserts and very strong wine to wash it all down with. 

In Spain the banana, known as the plátano, has been the most important crop and the chief commercial product of the archipelago for well over a century. The dwarf banana is still popular today and sold throughout Spain. Its skin is thinner and it tastes sweeter. The growers of the Canary Islands are diversifying. More tropical fruits are being grown there, including mangos, the prickly pear and the ever popular avocado.

When dining out you can expect to be served wrinkled potatoes, little limpets that have been washed up on the shores or the Canaray Island stew known as Puchero Canario. The favoured fish is called Alfonsio and is fried. The red coloured fish is usually served simply with salt, pepper, lemon and garlic. If you are holidaying on the islands, be sure to eat locally grown or caught food. It is much better than some of the blander fayre often on sale to tourists.

And, whatever you do, have a banana.

 

Pork Roast with Corn

Corn on the Hob

I was walking past corn fields today. Plants the size of skyscrapers and soon, they will be bringing in the maize. I shall be writing about the use of corn in Spain very soon.

Spain is the 16th largest grower of corn, 20% of which is harvested in the north of the country.

Down my way in the south of Spain it is not something you see on many menus. And yet it is growing tall and proud all around me.

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Gofio

Gofio
Counting the Calories in the Canaries

I guess this site should not be only about the Spanish meals and recipes you should eat. Occasionally, I should maybe warn you of traditional foods that have not stood the test of time or match current culinary thinking.

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Limpets in Piquant Sauce

Limpets are Lush

I've written in our articles section about how some dedicated people walk over wet rocks and cliffs to net limpets in the Canary Islands. They are either selling them to bars and restaurants or taking them home to cook. It all sounds a bit of a slippery way of catching your lunch to me. I'd rather buy them and cook them simply in the traditional fashion of the Canary Islands. With lots of garlic and a piquant sauce.

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Fried Alfonsino Fish

Keep your head on!

The Canary Islands are not alone in serving up the distinctive Alfonsino fish. The Japanese also land this fish every day and you will often find it served in Japanese restaurants the world over. But, a little closer to home, it is served in the restaurants of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and the smaller Canary Islands on a regular basis.

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Canary Island Fish

Canary Islands
Cooking in the Canaries

On our quick tour of the ever sunny Canary Islands, we look next at the fish landed here. They may not be among the most famous fish in Spain, or the most commonly served on the mainland; but that only means they are even more special. What fish can taste fresher than that pulled from the clean and warm waters off the Canary Islands?

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Goat Cheese

Canary Islands - home of goat's cheese
Canary Island Cheese

When people think of Spanish cheeses they automatically think of Manchego. And that is understandable. After all, the vast quantity of manchego cheese available in Spain is what makes it stand out from the crowd.

But it would be foolish to overlook the other cheeses made in Spain. Including the sheer quality of goat's cheese that can be sampled in many locations.

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Cuban style Rice

Rice with Herbs

Herbs can play a big part in Spanish cooking. I like to use them with paella in particular and with rice in general. Here is a recipe for Cuban style rice which has become very popular in Spain. Here you can use sprigs of thyme or oregano. I favour the latter as this herb offers more flavour. This rice is served in restaurants as far apart as the Canary Islands and Catalunya.

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Wrinkled Potatoes

Papas Arrugadas
Aged Potatoes

You will know by now of how i sing the praises of the Spanish potato. So full of flavour, so cost effective and so very adaptable whether it comes to serving them with other food or, as is the case here, as a meal in itself. A filling tapas where the taste of the spud itself is the only filling you need. That and some salt, of course. How would the Spanish survive without salt in their food? The answer is: they wouldn't!

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Banana and Cinnamon Pancakes

Banana Pancakes
Go Bananas!

Did you have a favourite pudding or sweet when you were a child? Mine was bananas and custard. Nobody made bananas and custard like my mum! Time moves on as, thankfully, do tastes. Here is a recipe using the bananas grown throughout the Canary Islands. All you require is a sweet tooth to enjoy Banana and Cinnamon Pancakes (this recipe delivers around 24 pancakes). 

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Go Bananas!

Canary Island Bananas
Go Bananas!

The influence of the Canary Islands on Spanish cooking is often overlooked. And yet, historically, the islands have played a major part in growing ingredients that are crucial to many a Spanish meal. Not least the humble banana. At the Western end of the Canary Islands, banana plantations dominate the landscape. They are everywhere.

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