Isla de Gran Canaria Local Custom Tips by Maria_75 Top 5 Page for this destination

PAELLA

This is one of the most famous dishes in all of Spain, and also in the Canary Islands. You can not be in Spain without trying this!

The most normal ingredient in the paella is seafood, chicken and rice, but there are a numerous ways of making it. Usually every chef (or family) have their own variations. So if you don't like it in one place, give it a try somewhere else and you might love it.

The paella is cooked in a special pan that is very wide and the sides go up a little bit. The more surface the better. Many of the toppings are added as a last step at the top of the paella.

MOJO

This is a very traditional sauce (salsa) used in the canary islands. You can have it either red or green, and is very delicious along with papas arrugadas. The sauce is made mainly of chili and garlic, and recipes can vary both in flavour and strength, from the extremely hot and spicy to medium or very mild.

PAPAS ARRUGADAS

These canarian potatoes are a typical traditional meal, and you will find them everywhere. I just love them and eat them all the time, even at home.

Papas is the canarian word for potatoes, and arrugadas means wrinkly. This wrinkled effect comes after the potatoes have been boiled in water with seasalt for about half an hour. So easy, and so delicious. Try them with a red or green mojo, and you will definetly fall in love with them... ;)

Guanches

The guanches was the people that lived in the Canary Islands before the spanish came here in the 1400's. The guanches fought hard to defend theirselves, but in 1483 the spanish had control over the whole island.

It's still a mystery where the guanches originally came from. Some say they are the remains of the lost Atlantis, others say they were berbers that migrated here from north of Africa. Because they were tall, blond and blue-eyed some even say they were vikings from the cold north that settled here.

Anyway they lived here for centuries and all over the island you can find remains of their cities, like in Cueva de los Cuatro Puertas. Today there are no guanches left as they were either extincted or mixed with the spanish that moved here.

The best place to learn more about the guanches is in Museo Canario situated in the Vegueta district in Las Palmas.

Enjoy one of the many festivals

The canarians love partying, and has plenty of festivals. If you have the opportunity you should try to attend one of them. Every city has it's own festivals, and there are plenty that are celebrated all over the island.

The most famous is of course the carnival in february/march. But they also have great festivities in easter (Semana Santa), and the rest of the year.

There are too many to list them all here, but ask your hotel or your travel agent if there are any festivities when you are there. If there is any, you should try to go just to enjoy the atmosphere. The canarians really know how to party and enjoy themselves.