Canary Islands Food: 8 Traditional Dishes You Have to Try
Sitting in the Atlantic about 100 km (60 miles) off the coast of Morocco, the Canary Islands have been Spanish since the 15th century, yet their food is unlike anything else in Spain. You'll find the legacy of the Guanches, the archipelago's first inhabitants, in gofio, a flour made from toasted grains; the influence of mainland Spain in the stews and marinated meats; and that of Latin America, where so many Canarians emigrated and came back from, in the potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes. All of it grown on volcanic soil that gives the produce a very distinctive flavor.
On our stays in Tenerife, we were mostly expecting beaches and hikes around Mount Teide. What we found was a simple, rustic cuisine, often served without fuss in guachinches, the small family-run eateries in the north of the island where you eat among the vineyards while drinking the owner's wine. This isn't fine dining: it's potatoes, cheese, grilled fish and lots of sauces. But what sauces!
Here are the 8 traditional Canary Islands dishes we recommend you try, with our favorites, our few reservations and some tips for finding them.
1. Papas arrugadas con mojo: wrinkly potatoes
If you only remember one dish, make it this one. Papas arrugadas, literally "wrinkled potatoes," are small potatoes boiled in their skins in very salty water (seawater, in the old days), then drained and left on the heat until the water evaporates. The skin wrinkles and gets coated with a thin film of white salt, while the inside stays soft and creamy. The best ones are made with papas antiguas, old potato varieties grown on the islands since the 16th century and protected by a designation of origin.
They never come without mojo, the signature sauce of the Canary Islands. Mojo rojo (or mojo picón) blends garlic, cumin, paprika, oil, vinegar and chili, and is more or less spicy depending on who makes it; mojo verde is made with cilantro or parsley. We ate papas arrugadas at almost every meal, and our little game was comparing the mojos from one restaurant to the next. Our favorite was a fiery mojo rojo, into which you dip the whole potato, skin and all. Fair warning: after a plateful, you'll be very thirsty.
2. Gofio: the flour of the Guanches
Gofio may be the most Canarian food of all, and also the most puzzling for visitors. It's a flour made from toasted grains (corn, wheat, barley, sometimes chickpeas) that was already eaten before the Spanish arrived. It turns up everywhere: sprinkled into breakfast milk, stirred into fish broth to make escaldón, kneaded with water, oil and sugar into a pella that's cut into slices, or even turned into mousse and ice cream in more modern restaurants.
We first tried it as escaldón, served with raw red onion: the texture is thick and slightly grainy, with a toasted-grain flavor close to rye bread. Honestly, it's not our favorite dish, more of a hearty filler that keeps you going all day. Gofio mousse for dessert, on the other hand, genuinely surprised us with its hazelnut and cookie notes. A bag of gofio is also one of the most authentic souvenirs you can bring home.
3. Queso asado: grilled cheese with mojo or palm honey
It's easy to forget, but the Canary Islands are cheese country, mostly goat's milk cheese. Three have a protected designation of origin: majorero from Fuerteventura, palmero from La Palma, often smoked, and flor de Guía from Gran Canaria, curdled with thistle flowers. The most popular way to eat them is queso asado: a thick slab of fresh or semi-aged cheese grilled on the plancha until golden on the outside and soft on the inside.
It's served with both mojos or, our favorite version, with a drizzle of palm honey (miel de palma), a dark syrup made from the sap of the Canary Island date palm on La Gomera, with notes of caramel and licorice. The contrast between the slightly salty cheese, the grilled crust and the syrup is irresistible. It's the perfect starter to share. If you come across almogrote, a spread of aged cheese, garlic and chili typical of La Gomera, try it on bread too: very strong, but addictive.
4. Conejo en salmorejo: Tenerife's marinated rabbit
This has nothing to do with Andalusian salmorejo, the cold tomato soup: in the Canary Islands, salmorejo is a marinade of vinegar, white wine, garlic, paprika, thyme, oregano and chili. The rabbit sits in it for several hours, often overnight, before being fried and then simmered in that same sauce. It's Tenerife's great festive dish, found on almost every menu in the island's inland restaurants.
The first one we had, in a village restaurant in the north of the island, came in a small pot with papas arrugadas on the side for mopping up the sauce. The meat falls off the bone easily, and the sauce is tangy and spiced without being fiery, with a vinegar kick that surprises you at the first bite and then becomes really enjoyable. It's a fairly rustic dish with lots of small bones, but very typical of the island's cooking.
5. Ropa vieja canaria: chickpea stew
Its name means "old clothes," and that says it all about its origins: ropa vieja is a leftovers dish, made with the shredded meat (beef and chicken) left over from puchero, the big Canarian boiled dinner. It's sautéed with chickpeas, potatoes, onion, tomato, bell pepper, garlic and spices (paprika, cumin, sometimes saffron) until it becomes a thick, orange-hued stew. Don't confuse it with Cuban ropa vieja, which is shredded beef in tomato sauce without chickpeas.
We discovered it almost by chance, as the dish of the day in a small neighborhood restaurant, and it became one of our favorite dishes of the trip. It's the kind of grandmother's cooking that warms you up, with tender pieces of meat and chickpeas that have soaked up all the sauce. Portions are generous: one plate between two is often enough, with a piece of bread on the side.
6. Vieja: the Canary Islands parrotfish
With its red and orange scales, the vieja (Mediterranean parrotfish, Sparisoma cretense) is the islands' most iconic fish. Its white, delicate, slightly sweet flesh is mostly prepared sancochada (poached in salted water) and served with potatoes, sweet potato and mojo verde, or simply grilled on the plancha. Sancocho canario, another great classic, follows the same idea with salted fish (often cherne, a grouper) and a ball of gofio.
We enjoyed this fish most at a fishermen's restaurant by the ocean: vieja of the day, potatoes, sweet potato and mojo verde, nothing more. The flavor is delicate, but we found the poached version a little tame; the grilled one, more flavorful, was our favorite. One tip: always ask for the "pescado del día" and its price per kilo before ordering, as the bill can climb quickly.
7. Bienmesabe: Gran Canaria's almond cream
"Bien me sabe" means "it tastes good to me": it's hard to find a more honest name for a dessert. Canarian bienmesabe is a thick cream made from ground almonds, sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest and cinnamon. Its capital is Tejeda, a village perched in the heart of Gran Canaria, surrounded by almond trees that bloom in January and February, but you'll find it a lot on La Palma too.
It's rarely eaten on its own: most often it's poured over vanilla ice cream, a flan or a piece of sponge cake. That's how we tried it, and the combination of cold ice cream with the grainy almond cream works really well. It is, however, very sweet: a few spoonfuls are enough, and we would have struggled to finish a whole cup each. In a jar, it makes a great souvenir to bring home.
8. Barraquito: Tenerife's layered coffee
The barraquito is Tenerife's coffee, and it's quite a show. In a tall clear glass, the barista layers sweetened condensed milk, a dash of Licor 43 (a Spanish vanilla liqueur), an espresso, hot milk and foam, then finishes with cinnamon and a strip of lemon zest. The layers stay neatly separated if the bartender knows their stuff. The name is said to come from a regular at a bar in Santa Cruz, nicknamed "Barraco," who always ordered his coffee this way.
We had one almost every morning in Santa Cruz, sitting on a terrace before heading out for the day. A waiter's tip: don't stir right away, take a few sips first to taste each layer, then stir to finish with a sweet, citrusy coffee. It's definitely more dessert than coffee, but at around €2, it's a daily treat that's hard to say no to. For the alcohol-free version, ask for a barraquito sin licor.
Where to try Canary Islands food
- Guachinches (north of Tenerife, around La Orotava, Tacoronte or La Matanza): family eateries set up in garages or wine cellars, serving homemade dishes with the grower's own wine for around €10. They're noisy and fast-paced, and it's where we had our best papas arrugadas.
- Harbor restaurants (Puerto de la Cruz, Los Abrigos, Agaete on Gran Canaria) for vieja and the catch of the day.
- Covered markets, like the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to buy cheeses, jarred mojos, gofio and palm honey.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife for more refined restaurants: find our picks in our selection of restaurants in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
FAQ – Canary Islands food
What is the most typical dish of the Canary Islands?
Papas arrugadas con mojo are the archipelago's signature dish: small potatoes boiled in very salty water, served with a red or green mojo sauce. You'll find them in every restaurant, from guachinches to more upscale places.
Is mojo sauce spicy?
It depends. Mojo verde, made with cilantro or parsley, isn't spicy. Mojo rojo (or mojo picón) is more or less hot depending on how much chili goes in: in touristy restaurants it's often mild, while in guachinches it can be very hot.
Is Canarian food vegetarian-friendly?
Partly. Papas arrugadas with their mojos, queso asado, almogrote, gofio and bienmesabe are vegetarian. Traditional main dishes (rabbit, ropa vieja, puchero, fish) rarely are.
What is a guachinche?
A guachinche is a small family-run eatery, found mostly in the north of Tenerife, where a winegrower sells their own wine alongside simple homemade dishes. They're often open only part of the year and menus are short, but it's the best way to taste authentic Canarian food on a budget.
What food souvenirs should you bring back from the Canary Islands?
A bag of gofio, jars of mojo, a majorero or palmero cheese, palm honey from La Gomera, a jar of bienmesabe and a bottle of Canarian wine (Malvasía from Lanzarote or wine from the Orotava Valley) all make excellent edible souvenirs.
Conclusion
Canarian food doesn't try to impress. It relies on a handful of ingredients, potatoes, goat cheese, fish, almonds, and on sauces that change everything. But that simplicity is exactly what won us over: a plate of papas arrugadas shared among the vineyards, a barraquito on a terrace in the morning or a slice of grilled cheese drizzled with palm honey tell the story of the islands better than any fine-dining restaurant.
If you're heading to Tenerife, take the time to leave the southern resorts and eat in the villages of the north. And between meals, make time to discover the most beautiful beaches in Tenerife.
About the authors
We are Camille & Fabien, two travelers who love authentic discoveries. On Revel Roads, we share our experiences, our favorite food finds and our best addresses to travel like a local. We wrote this article based on our stays in Tenerife, between the restaurants of Santa Cruz, the guachinches of the north of the island and small village bars.
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