Food & Drinks on Lanzarote

The Canary Islands’ cuisine combines traditional Spanish recipes with African and Latin American influences. There are some popular mainland-imported dishes, but true original tastes can only be found in the Canary Islands’ specialities. Away from the standard Spanish food and the many tourist-oriented international restaurants in the hotels and tourist resorts, there is a genuine local cuisine on Lanzarote, which can be found mainly in the capital Arrecife and the inland towns and villages.

Like the other islands of the archipelago, Lanzarote has also adopted the popular Spanish tapas tradition. A tapa (comes from ‘tapa el hambre’ = literally ‘covers the hunger’) is a small, light piece of food, accompanied by a glass of wine or beer – or even two or three – taken before lunch or dinner. For many a perfect excuse to enjoy a few glasses before the actual meal starts.

Fish has always been the main staple food for the islanders for many centuries, and still is. Usually prepared fried or grilled, on Lanzarote you can get a taste of many common fishes – such as sea bass (lubina), hake (merluza), swordfish (pez espada) and tuna (atun) – often served with mojo verde (a green sauce made of coriander or parsley) and papas arrugadas (literally ‘wrinkled potatoes’, which are nothing more than small potatoes boiled in their skin in salty water until the water is gone). But if you want to try the local specialities search the menu for sancocho, a fish stew made of salted sea bream or stone bass, or ask for vieja (literally ‘old lady’), which is actually parrotfish cooked with its scales in oil and vinegar. A mouth-watering variety of shellfish, grilled with fine spices, is also offered on the menus everywhere round the island.

Meat features prominently on local menus too, not only in tourist areas, but also in inland villages. As you will hardly see any cattle when touring Lanzarote, you will easily conclude that most of the meat is imported from South America and other islands of the archipelago, with the exception of rabbits (conejos) that are reared domestically on the island. Traditional meat dishes include mainly the quite expensive kid (cabrito) and, of course, the rabbit, both deliciously served grilled, roasted or as part of a stew. The side dish, again, is papas arrugadas, accompanied by mojo picón (spicy, vinaigrette-type sauce, made of chilli, cumin, paprika and saffron), which is generally preferred with meat.

Another essential part of the islanders’ diet is gofio, a sort of flour made from ground and toasted barley, maize or wheat. It is used in multiple ways like to thicken soups and sauces or stirred into children's milk. It is also made into ice cream and a kind of bread, not unlike polenta, mixed with oil, salt and sugar.

The desserts (postres) usually comprise season fruits and the delicious bienmesabe (literally: ‘it tastes good to me’), a mixture of honey, almond cream, eggs and rum. You can also try the traditional frangollas (a corn-based milk pudding flavoured with cinnamon, honey and brandy) or torrijas (sweet fritters of maize flour flavoured with honey and aniseed). More choices on the dessert menus include crème caramel (flan), ice cream (helado) and fried bananas (platanos) with a topping made of sugar, brandy and lemon juice.

If you are a cheese fan, you should absolutely try the locally produced goats’ cheese. It is delicious and comes in different varieties, with the yellowish kinds being harder and the whiter ones being more crumbly. Generally can be said, the darker the colour, the better it keeps.

The wine produced from grapes cultivated on volcanic grounds is one of the best culinary surprises the island has to offer when it comes to complementing a nice meal. The most appreciated are the Malvasías, a generally strong wine, which can reach strengths up to 17 per cent, similar to a Sherry. Wine is also used for the very popular local drinks tinto de verano (literally ‘summer red wine’ consisting of red wine mixed with lemonade), and sangria (on Lanzarote, this is an unexpectedly strong combination of red wine, lemonade, liqueurs, fruit and ice). Rum is the best-known Canarian spirit and also very popular are ron miel, a rum liqueur with honey, and cobana, a yellow banana liqueur.

The popular gofio canario is one of the culinary items, which has survived in the Canary Islands’ gastronomy since Guanche times.

The traditional preparation of gofio has been passed on for centuries from generation to generation, making this healthy cereal mixture the second most consumed food product throughout the archipelago, coming right after the bananas!