Dia de Canarias May 30

A celebration in the Canary Islands commemorating the first session of the Canary Island Parliament, which took place May 30, 1983.

  It is now a fiesta day of folkloric and cultural events in all of the seven Canary Islands.

 Here a display of typical Canary food samples to taste, sponsored by a local supermarket with the employees dressed in their local costumes, the 'trajes de mago'.

                          Fish croquettes - a popular local tapa.                                  

Local goat cheese and chorizo.

Canary Island sweet cakes.

A sample of locally made red wine.

Thanks for dropping by....do come again and until then...  ¡Hasta la Vista!

45 ~ Dia De Canarias

Girl in Canary costume slicing gofio
(click to enlarge photos)

Today is the day when Canary Islanders celebrate their heritage. Dia de Canarias, Canary Islands Day, is celebrated every 30th of May in each of the seven islands that make up this archipelago. Local people decorate their towns and plazas, display Canary products in shops and markets and put on their traditional colourful costumes, their trajes de mago for dancing and folkloric events throughout the day and evening. Firework displays will surely put a noisy end to the night.

Three girls in their Canary costumes

As I'd heard that a nearby supermarket would be offering free samples of local products today, I went there this morning to find a group of young ladies in their trajes de mago behind a makeshift food counter in the shopping centre. They were busy slicing crispy baguettes and spreading on a soft chorizo as well as passing out small cups of red wine and soft drinks. Other foods laid out on paper plates included rosquetes de vino, a type of round small doughnut, crispy with sugar, several types of cakes, pickled fish, tuna croquettes, frangollo...a cornmeal and raisin pudding, and other typical Canary foods.

As I hadn't yet had breakfast I didn't hesitate to try what they offered.

Here are more photos I took there:



Pouring a wine sample

Rosquetes de Vino (Wine Rusks)

Preparing bread & chorizo

Bread and soft chorizo

A hand reaches for a tuna croquette

Gofio as never before

I have tried gofio on several occasions since living in the Canary Islands but never have I see it in this fudge-like form and never has it tasted so good! Gofio is a nutritious food made from toasted maize or other flours which has been a staple of the Canary diet for centuries, being put even into a bottle of baby's milk or served in a restaurant mixed with broth as a type of porridge. Many Canary people have powdered gofio spooned into a glass of milk for breakfast.

More about gofio and how it is made is
on an earlier post of this blog. But this was so good I think I took three pieces. It tasted toasty, nutty and fudgy all at once. It would make a perfect snack food, because it tastes like a rich treat and yet it's healthy!
I must find out where it is sold in this form.

Serving gofio

Serving frangollo

Frangollo was a treat today since it had been well made and was full of raisins, which I love. Frangollo is a custard type of dessert made from yellow corn meal, flavoured with cinnamon and lemon and topped with raisins, cinnamon and sometimes syrup. Simple to make, it is however a tasty dessert. And so popular here that the corn meal is sold ready for preparing this dish.

My serving of frangollo

Frangollo

FRANGOLLO - Canary Maize Pudding Dessert
Frangollo is a typical dessert from the Canary Islands which has many variations, sometimes made with milk, other times with water. Here is one recipe:

1 quart milk or water
1/2 lb coarse sweet corn (maize) flour -- (approx 225 grams)
grated lemon rind
piece of lemon peel
a few almonds -- peeled & ground or chopped finely
1 handful raisins
2 Tablespoons sugar -- more or less to taste
1 teasp cinnamon & more for sprinkling over top

Put the milk (or water) in a pot together with the piece of lemon peel and a pinch of salt.
Put on the stove.
When it boils, remove the lemon peel and add the corn flour, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, ground almond and grated lemon rind.
Stir constantly and cook until the mix separates from the sides of the pot.
This can take around 20 - 30 minutes of constant stirring.

Pour into a deep glass dish and allow to cool.
Sprinkle with ground cinnamon, raisins and if desired, a little syrup or honey.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

42 ~ Friends & French Cuisine

(click to enlarge photos)

Yesterday I attended a lovely charity luncheon sponsored by the Friends of Tenerife, a group whose purpose is to sponsor money-raising social events to benefit needy persons and charities on Tenerife. The luncheon was held in La Orquidea, a French restaurant which has been a favourite of mine for some years.

I arrived early so I could take a few photos for the club's event albums and was able to watch while the finishing touches, including bouquets of fresh roses and menus were put on the tables.



Yesterday the money raised was going to the Association of Apanate Norte, the group established to aid parents of autistic children in the villa of La Orotava.
Present were representatives of the Association, José and Mari, to whom a cheque of two thousand Euros was presented on behalf of Friends of Tenerife by the president, Helen Jameson.

José & Mari
Helen Jameson

The chefs were busy in the kitchen preparing what was to be a superb first course salad, complete with edible nasturtiums bordering each plate.

As members arrived, they were greeted by Helen and vice-President Jean Pennington.
Here is the magnificent salad, a work of culinary art, with shrimps wrapped in three shapes of phyllo pastry: beggar's purses, triangles and wraps, topping a lovely plate of greens with caviar, smoked salmon, salad herbs and accompanied by lemon and a sweet mixed chutney sauce.
As a second course I chose the Coq Au Vin, a French classic of chicken cooked in red wine with bacon, onion and carrot. It came with baked potato, the insides mashed with butter and cream and placed back into the crispy skins.
Dessert was yet another treat for both eyes and palate. A slice of chocolate tart with gourmet ice cream and a miniature strawberry cream puff. Ohhhhhh!
Here the president of Apanate Norte, José Luis Barquin Diez holds a photo of the new residence for the Association, recently ceded by the municipal government of La Orotava as a new center for the work and activities of Apanate.
And here a closeup of the new centre.
Well that was a lovely lunch and afternoon. I was able to catch up on news chatting with a good friend of mine who had just returned from a long holiday. The next Friends of Tenerife event will be an evening dinner with Canary Folk Dancing on Dia de Canarias, a Canary Islands holiday celebration at the end of this month. I may just make it there as well. It should be an interesting evening!