8.-+Canarian+Cuisine


 * CUISINE**

The cuisine of Gran Canaria is both rich and varied, and, while it has some unique features, is similar to that of the rest of Spain.

There is no lack of tasty appetizers available in Gran Canaria known as 'enyesques'. Here we can include the vast range of local cheeses, dressed olives, or baby jacket potatoes 'papas arrugadas' in a spicy dip known as 'mojo picón'.

'Papas arrugadas' the most of one of the most widely available and easily grown vegetables on the islands, papas arrugadas (meaning ‘wrinkled potatoes’) are made by boiling the smallest available, unpeeled potatoes in salted water until (meaning ‘wrinkled potatoes’) are made by boiling the smallest available, unpeeled potatoes in salted water until tender and shrivelled. Originally baked in seawater, the idea is to evaporate the water away so that a dry salt crust forms on the skins.

Perhaps the most typical of all Canarian dishes, 'mojo' is served with a large number of local recipes, most notably 'papas arrugadas'. Coming in red or green, it is made from olive oil, garlic, paprika and cumin. Flavourings such as vinegar or lemon are also sometimes added. 'Mojo picón' or hot spicy dip (the red variety) gets its colour and distinctive bite from the addition of peppers and chillies while mojo verde is mixed with coriander. The former is best served with potatoes, while the milder green variety is the perfect accompaniment to fish. 

In terms of starters we could mention fish soups and vegetable stews, which combine vegetables with pork and beef to the diner’s taste. Potatoes, one of the key features of Canarian cuisine, are another important ingredient of the dish. Different varieties of the stew can include 'jaramago' (a wild vegetable), watercress, lentils, vegetables and chick-peas.

However, perhaps the most emblematic dish from the island is 'Sancocho Canario'. The basic ingredients of this dish are a dried, salted local fish known as 'cherne' (wreckfish), together with potatoes and sweet potatoes. The dish is traditionally eaten with a type of thick paste made from a ground corn or wheat flour product known as 'gofio'. The dish is dressed with 'mojo'.

The island boasts a wide variety of fish which is one of the main ingredients of the local diet. 'Mero//'// (grouper), 'vieja' (parrot fish) and 'cherne//'// (wreckfish) are amongst the favourite types of fish and are used in popular dishes such as 'sancocho' or traditional fish soup.

And what better accompaniment for the fish soups than a steaming bowl of 'gofio escaldado' (a mixture of //gofio// and fish stock, seasoned with pepper and coriander and mint leaves). A salad would normally be served with this dish.



Another main course worth mentioning is 'pata de cerdo', roast leg of pork; a juicy star turn of Canarian cuisine along with other dishes such as calf liver, and 'ropavieja', a chick-pea and meat stew.

To round off the meal, as well as the wide range of fruit available, visitors could try a traditional dessert made from black-seeded gourd called __‘cabello de ángel’__, __'bienmesabe'__, a dessert made from crushed almonds, honey, almonds, __marzipan__ from Tejeda or the typical __sponge cakes__ from Moya ('Bizcochos de Moya').