Tenerife Food Guide: Local Dishes You Must Try

Canarian cuisine is a fascinating blend of Spanish, African and Latin American influences, shaped by the islands' position at the crossroads of three continents. It is a cuisine built around honest ingredients — freshly caught fish, local volcanic-soil vegetables, aged cheeses and tropical fruits grown in the island's microclimates.

No visit to Tenerife is complete without papas arrugadas — small wrinkled potatoes boiled in very salty water until their skins crinkle and crystallise. They are always served with mojo — either mojo rojo (a red sauce made from dried peppers, garlic and olive oil) or mojo verde (a green version with coriander and green pepper). You will find them on virtually every Canarian menu.

Fresh fish is central to the Canarian diet. Look for vieja (parrotfish), cherne (wreckfish) and sama (red snapper) on restaurant menus. The fish is typically grilled simply with salt and served with papas and mojo. Along the coast, fresh barnacles (lapas) grilled with butter and lemon are a local delicacy.

For meat lovers, the conejo en salmorejo (rabbit marinated in a spiced sauce) and the hearty ropa vieja (shredded meat stew) are worth seeking out. Round off any meal with bienmesabe — a honey and almond cream — or quesillo, the local version of crème caramel. To complete the picture, see our guide to Tenerife's volcanic wines — the island's listán negro reds and listán blanco whites pair beautifully with the local cuisine.