Canary Islands
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Two products stand out in the agricultural production of the so called Fortunate Islands: tomato and banana. They are of extraordinary quality, but the
cuisine of the Canary Islands is not based on them. It is a cuisine with ancient roots where the cooking is influenced by the Peninsula (especially
Castile, Estremadura and Andalusia) and of course by the native race of
the Guanches, of whom hardly anything is known. Among the oldest recipes handed down from the Guanche past there is el gofio.
El gofio used to be the popular staple food of the Canary Islands for a long time. It is made with wheat flour, barley, maize or chickpeas, which are
roasted and then mixed with water or milk until a ball of appropriate size is formed. This mixture used to take the place of bread with the meal.
The dish with mainland connotations is the ever present stew called puchero canario which is different from the original version because native
products were added, among them pumpkin, yam, pear, sweet potato, potato, tender chickpea....
It is made with (salted, not fresh) fish caught in the surrounding water, boiled with potatoes and served with mojo.
El mojo is perhaps the most typical recipe of the Canary cuisine, because it is found everywhere. It accompanies meat, fish, potatoes and just about anything.
It is a dressing made with oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and various spices, depending on the kind of mojo: paprika for red mojo, piquant peppers for
el mojo picón, coriander for green mojo.
There are a great many broths and soups, especially the popular and original potaje de jaramago, a typical plant of the islands, which resembles turnip tops. Another excellent stew is made with watercress.
Other typical dishes are el escaldón, las papas arrugadas, which are simply potatoes boiled in their jackets and served with one of the mojo varieties.
One of the sausage products is black pudding prepared as a sweet dish with --believe it or not-- sugar, sponge cake and raisins.
As regards the wines of the islands, famous were the Malmsey wines, especially from Lanzarote and Hierro. Today there are acceptable wines, while rum is excellent.
Native confectionery is multifarious and very abundant: potato, milk and lemon bread, banana cake, yam with honey, tirijaras, and turrón de gofio.
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