Excited to discover the finest flavours on your trip to Tenerife? The huge variety of local cuisine is one of the Canary Islands’ distinguishing features. Most of these dishes are typical throughout the archipelago, but you’ll also find recipes and produce that are unique to each island.

Read on to find out the secrets of delicious and traditional Tenerife food.

What’s the food like in Tenerife?

Tenerife shares a culinary history similar to the rest of the islands in the archipelago. The ‘Guanches’ (the Berber people who lived on the islands before the conquest in the fifteenth century) left a legacy of typical produce that’s still consumed today, such as ‘gofio’.

As cultures blended across the territory over the years and the colonists brought their own influences, traditional Canary Island cuisine evolved. Prominent examples include produce brought by incomers from the Mediterranean (such as dates), Spain and Portugal (such as mango) and other European nations such as England, who introduced the tomato to the islands at the end of the nineteenth century.

We know that the guanches cultivated barley, wheat and pulses like beans and peas, introducing them to traditional Tenerife food. Key introductions such as potatoes, corn and bananas appeared following the opening of trade routes with Latin America in the fifteenth century.

The main gastronomic difference between Tenerife and the other islands are the famous guachinches, premises offering traditional homemade food and local wine. These renowned local restaurants serve up most of the traditional dishes and products key to Tenerife cuisine.

Roasted cheese

Roasted cheese is a tasty starter combining two of the main features of island gastronomy: fresh produce and simple preparation.

It’s made from thick chunks of soft, smoked or semi-cured cheese. It’s often served with red or green ‘mojo’ sauce, or sometimes blueberry, strawberry or even dragon fruit jam.

The ideal pairing for bread, or any other Canary Island dishes!

Potatoes with ‘mojo’ sauce

This is probably the most famous dish in the Canary Islands. A simple recipe that packs a punch, it’s also famous in Tenerife. You can order it at most of the island’s restaurants.

Tenerife is home to some unique potato varieties, including black potatoes.

They often come with mojo, a delicious Canary Island sauce; either red mojo, made from peppers and/or tomatoes; or green mojo, made from parsley, coriander and sometimes even avocado.

Try one of the area’s delicacies: limpets

Limpets are another, very traditional delicacy in Tenerife, although they can be found on all the islands. These molluscs are plucked from the rocks on the coastline, and cooked in a variety of ways.

In the Canary Islands, they’re usually grilled and served with green mojo on top for a dash of flavour. A unique culinary experience, guaranteed.

And now for something completely different: Fiesta meat

Fiesta meat (carne fiesta) is undoubtedly one of the essential elements of typical Tenerife cuisine, and one of the most popular dishes on local restaurant menus. It’s made from chunks of marinated pork fried in plenty of oil and served with chips.

A Canarian marinade spices up the flavours, made from paprika, oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. The mixture gives it a unique and utterly mouth-watering aroma.

‘Gofio escaldón’ maize broth

Gofio is a kind of flour made from toasted grain, especially wheat and maize (corn), and it’s very popular in Canary Island cuisine. It’s used as a base for endless dishes, from starters such as ‘pella’ to desserts like ‘mus de gofio’ mousse.

‘Escaldón de gofio’ is very typical of the western islands, especially Tenerife. It’s made by blending a tasty meat or fish stock with the gofio flour until it reaches a porridge consistency. It is usually paired with mojo, and served with raw onion and soft cheese on top.

Rabbit ‘salmorejo’, a typical Tenerife dish

Did you know that Tenerife is famous for its rabbit (conejo) dishes? ‘Conejo al salmorejo’ is most typical of the northern part of the island.

Salmorejo is a marinade consisting of crushed garlic, coarse salt, paprika and pepper, with a little water and oil, which is used as a marinade. It’s smothered onto the rabbit meat, giving it a delicious and intense flavour.

‘Almogrote’ a cheese spread you’re going to love

Although it’s most commonly served in La Gomera, ‘almogrote’ has made its way onto the menu in Tenerife. Similar to pate in consistency, it’s made from cured cheese mixed with oil and red pepper, giving it a distinctly red colour.

You can eat it on its own, with bread, or in traditional dishes such as ‘batata con almogrote’, a sweet potato dish. Delicious!

And for dessert? Discover the desserts of Tenerife

Tenerife is an island with a sweet tooth. After you’ve savoured your main meal, choose one of the typical desserts like ‘fangollo’ made with milk, millet flour, lemon, eggs, sugar, butter, raisins, almonds and cinnamon. This one isn’t too sweet, and there are a number of different takes on the dish.

As well as these delights, you’ll find a number of other typical desserts from different municipalities in Tenerife. Must-tries include ‘rosquetes de huevo’ (egg donuts) from Guía de Isora, ‘laguneros’ from San Cristóbal de La Laguna, turrón (white nougat) from Tacoronte, almond cake from Vilaflor de Chasna and puff pastry cake from Los Realejos.

Each of these delectable desserts stands out for being made by hand from scratch, with the finest quality ingredients. Cinnamon, aniseed and lemon are common flavours. But without a doubt, the biggest secret to these delicacies is being made with a lot of love.

Pair the dishes with some incredible local Tenerife wine

What better accompaniment than a fine wine from one of the island’s dozens of wineries? White, rosé, red or malvasia, you can’t go wrong with these wines, imbued with the flavours created by Tenerife’s climate and geology.

There are five winemaking zones on the island: Tacoronte-Acentejo, Ycoden-Daute-Isora, Valle de la Orotava, Valle de Güímar and Abona. We recommend you visit them and discover the stunning flavours of Tenerife wines for yourself.

So, is your mouth watering yet? These traditional Tenerife foods are a must when you visit the island, not to mention dishes from all the other Canary Islands. You won’t regret it!

Categories: Tips, Be inspired, Canary Islands, Tenerife