Canarian cuisine
Encyclopedia
Canarian cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Canary Islands
. These include plentiful fish, generally roasted, papas arrugadas
(a potato
dish), mojo
s (such as mojo picón), and wine
from the malvasia grape
.
Mojo
is a sauce which may be orange, red, or green depending on its ingredients. Mojo is heavy in garlic
and can be moderately spicy, referred to as mojo picón. It is usually made of oil, vinegar, salt, red pepper, thyme, oregano, coriander and several other spices. This is the father to all mojos of Latin America
, especially Cuba
, Puerto Rico
, and Venezuela
, due to heavy Canarian emigration, and have also influenced the cuisines of the non-Hispanic Caribbean islands.
Papas arrugadas are small unskined potato
es which have been boiled in salt water
and are usually served with chicken
and topped with mojo. Their name in Spanish
means "wrinkled potatoes" and refers to their condition after being boiled and served.
One very typical Canarian product is gofio
, a flour created by grinding roasted sweetcorn. Gofio is produced locally and is added to many foods and also to warm milk as a drink, as well as made into a dough-like food called pella and eaten alongside meals. It is also made into a hot dip
.
Canarians widely use olive oil
in their foods, which are often prepared from scratch.
Other typical Canarian foods include ropa vieja
("old clothes"), a dish of chicken and beef mixed with potatoes and garbanzo beans, and potaje, a generic name for one of many stews. Canarian ropa vieja is the father to Cuban
ropa vieja through Canarian emigration
.
A sweet indulgence is bienmesabe which mean in Spanish "Tastes good to me". It's a paste made from grounded almonds, lemon rind and eggs. It's normally served as a dessert, nowadays sometime with cream or ice cream.
The wine
from the malvasia grape
was a product of canarian export since the 17th century, immediately after the decline of sugar plantations and until its commerce was blocked by the British navy in the late 18th century. Nowadays the islands produce ten of protected geographical indications. Canarian Denominación de Origen wines are:
Other foods include sancocho canario, puchero canario, gofio escaldado, bacalao (bacalhau
), plátanos (plantain
), pasteles
, etc. Canarians often dye
their food yellow, using either a local azafran (saffron) or food coloring. Canarians also eat foods typical of the Spanish
peninsula
, including Spanish tortilla and paella
.
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. These include plentiful fish, generally roasted, papas arrugadas
Canarian wrinkly potatoes
Canarian wrinkly potatoes is a traditional baked potato dish eaten in Canary Islands. They are usually served with a pepper sauce, called Mojo, or as an accompaniment to meat dishes....
(a potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
dish), mojo
Mojo (sauce)
Mojo is the name, or abbreviated name, of several types of sauces, varying in spiciness, that originated in the Canary Islands. It is predominantly either a red , green or orange sauce....
s (such as mojo picón), and wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
from the malvasia grape
Malvasia
Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world...
.
Mojo
Mojo (sauce)
Mojo is the name, or abbreviated name, of several types of sauces, varying in spiciness, that originated in the Canary Islands. It is predominantly either a red , green or orange sauce....
is a sauce which may be orange, red, or green depending on its ingredients. Mojo is heavy in garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
and can be moderately spicy, referred to as mojo picón. It is usually made of oil, vinegar, salt, red pepper, thyme, oregano, coriander and several other spices. This is the father to all mojos of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, especially Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, due to heavy Canarian emigration, and have also influenced the cuisines of the non-Hispanic Caribbean islands.
Papas arrugadas are small unskined potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es which have been boiled in salt water
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
and are usually served with chicken
Chicken (food)
Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world, and is prepared as food in a wide variety of ways, varying by region and culture.- History :...
and topped with mojo. Their name in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
means "wrinkled potatoes" and refers to their condition after being boiled and served.
One very typical Canarian product is gofio
Gofio
Gofio is the Canary Islands name for flour made from roasted grains or other starchy plants , some varieties containing a little added salt...
, a flour created by grinding roasted sweetcorn. Gofio is produced locally and is added to many foods and also to warm milk as a drink, as well as made into a dough-like food called pella and eaten alongside meals. It is also made into a hot dip
Dip (food)
A dip or dipping sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor and/or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, cut-up raw vegetables, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, and falafel...
.
Canarians widely use olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
in their foods, which are often prepared from scratch.
Other typical Canarian foods include ropa vieja
Ropa vieja
Ropa vieja, which is Spanish for "Old Clothes," is a popular dish of the Canary Islands, Cadiz, Greater Miami and the Caribbean, especially Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic...
("old clothes"), a dish of chicken and beef mixed with potatoes and garbanzo beans, and potaje, a generic name for one of many stews. Canarian ropa vieja is the father to Cuban
Cuban cuisine
Cuban cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines. Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish and African cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavor. This results in a unique, interesting and flavorful blend of the several different cultural influences...
ropa vieja through Canarian emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
.
A sweet indulgence is bienmesabe which mean in Spanish "Tastes good to me". It's a paste made from grounded almonds, lemon rind and eggs. It's normally served as a dessert, nowadays sometime with cream or ice cream.
The wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
from the malvasia grape
Malvasia
Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world...
was a product of canarian export since the 17th century, immediately after the decline of sugar plantations and until its commerce was blocked by the British navy in the late 18th century. Nowadays the islands produce ten of protected geographical indications. Canarian Denominación de Origen wines are:
- D.O. Abona (Tenerife)
- D.O. Tacoronte-Acentejo (Tenerife)
- D.O. Valle de Güímar (Tenerife)
- D.O. Valle de La Orotava (Tenerife)
- D.O. Ycoden-Daute-Isora (Tenerife)
- D.O. El Hierro
- D.O. Lanzarote
- D.O. La Palma
- D.O. La Gomera
- D.O. Gran Canaria
Other foods include sancocho canario, puchero canario, gofio escaldado, bacalao (bacalhau
Bacalhau
Bacalhau is the Portuguese word for codfish and—in a culinary context—dried and salted codfish. Fresh cod is referred to as bacalhau fresco .-Use:...
), plátanos (plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
), pasteles
Pasteles
Pasteles are a traditional dish in several Latin American countries. In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and Panama, it is similar to a tamale. In Central American cuisine, it more closely resembles a British pasty or an Italian calzone.In...
, etc. Canarians often dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
their food yellow, using either a local azafran (saffron) or food coloring. Canarians also eat foods typical of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, including Spanish tortilla and paella
Paella
Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish...
.