Canarian cuisine makes extensive use of aromatic herbs and spices such as cumin, thyme, oregano, coriander, wild fennel, mint, paprika and others, used in the preparation of dishes, in sauces and dips and broths.
In fact, in addition to flavoring dishes, aromatic herbs have beneficial effects on health.
Potatoes and Batate (American Sweet Potatoes) arrived in the Canaries from America immediately after its conquest and have become an indispensable food for Canarian cuisine.
The potato, in the many varieties grown on the island, is present in practically every dish: it can be found as an ingredient in minestrone, soups and boiled meats or as a side dish for meat and fish.
Nothing represents Canarian cuisine more than papas arrugadas (photo on the right), small "wrinkled" potatoes, served with various sauces.
As islands, the Canaries have a natural seafaring vocation where the variety of fresh fish from local markets offers only the embarrassment of choice: snappers, groupers, blue fish of all kinds (tuna, mackerel, sardines, etc.) but also species less known as salpe and pagri.
Very often the families of fishermen are also owners of the restaurants where the fish is expertly cooked fried or grilled or in a casserole with potatoes and aromatic herbs.
The meat that is most commonly consumed is mainly chicken, pork, goat, beef and rabbit. The large traditional recipe book includes, in addition to the classic grilled or baked dishes, also boiled meats ("guisos") and marinades ("salmorejos") which give it a truly special flavor. This type of dishes are usually accompanied by a side of potatoes, “arrugadas” or boiled, and a good local wine.
Cheese is another typical product of the Canaries, very widespread and quite varied, particular and appreciated, made both with milk goat than sheep; the shepherds very often also raise cows and therefore process mixed milk cheeses to produce the traditional mixed cheese (among the most popular are those of the areas of the municipalities of Guía, Gáldar and Moya).
Very often the cheese is made in a family type in small-medium sized dairies and the finished products are basically divided into two categories for the consistency of their dough: seasoned (curados) and semi-seasoned (semi-curados).
