What to eat in Lanzarote. Discover its delicious gastronomy!
Turquoise waters and golden sand beaches, art and nature that blend in harmony, warm and temperate climate all year round and the friendliness of the local people are enough reasons to visit this beautiful island. But if you still need one more, you should know that Lanzarote’s gastronomic is, simply, spectacular.
This island hides great gastronomic surprises for the traveller. In any restaurant or bar, the dishes are usually very plentiful and at a reasonable price. If you want to know a trick, don’t go for the prices and before ordering two dishes per person ask the amount. No one likes to leave a delicious meal on the plate or overeating.
To the delicious mojo picón
The papas arrugadas with mojo picon is, undoubtedly, one of the most famous gastronomic specialties of the whole Canary archipelago. They are as simple to cook as good. It is a recipe that you can taste as a snack, or to accompany both fish and meat dishes. Mojo picon is a sauce based on paprika and other spices. Its flavor is intense and usually very spicy. Didn’t you try it yet? You’ll love it!
El Amanecer, in the village of Arrieta, is one of the restaurants that make mojo picon as a specialty of the house and that has better ratings on TripAdvisor. But, without a doubt, it is a sauce that you will find in any restaurant on the island.
Fresh and succulent fish
The basis of Lanzarote cuisine is, logically, fish. One of the most important and indigenous dishes of the island is sancocho, a delicious soup. If you fancy trying one of the best sancochos on the island, made with fresh fish of the highest quality, you can visit the less crowded fishing villages, away from the tourist and bustling areas.
An ideal option is to spend a day on the island of La Graciosa. You can travel to it by ferry from Lanzarote and enjoy a day in the middle of nature. It is the eighth island of the Canary Islands and the perfect icing on your holiday. In this islet there are very few restaurants, but they all serve a fabulous fish. El Varadero is the restaurant located on the quay and is one of the most exquisite. Casa Enriqueta and El Marina are two other restaurant options offering fresh and quality fish.
Cheese and wine tapas
The typical cuisine of Lanzarote doesn’t stand out because of its difficult elaboration, but for its raw material, with quality products. Apart from fish, there are two very typical with designation of origin ingredients: cheese and wine.
The typical Lanzarote cheese is made only with raw goat’s milk. It is a pressed, uncooked product, and maintains all nutritional properties. Its main feature is that it has very thin crust and is white. According to the curing time, the cheese can be fresh, tender, semi-cured and cured, the latter having a more intense flavour.
The wine of Lanzarote, cultivated in ashes, is unique in the world. The Malvasia predominates, a variety of grapes perfectly adapted to the medium, small and of great quality. Wines are produced with designation of origin with this grape that brings balance, flavour and a very characteristic perfume. If you like the wine world, Lanzarote has a lot to offer you.
There are two well-marked wine routes. The two begin on the road of Arrecife, in the Monument to the Peasant of Cesar Manrique. One is in Tinajo direction and the other towards Yaiza. In this area, along the two roads, you will find several wineries like Mozaga, La Geria, El Grifo…
Recovery your energy with gofio
Another great classic of the Canarian cuisine is the gofio, a cereal flour that combines corn, wheat or barley toast. It is a complement that is added to different foods, such as ice cream, bread, mush or sauces. It comes from the ancient Aborigines and the traditional recipe has been passing from generation to generation. It is a food that provides a lot of energy, vitamins and proteins. So when you feel tired of sightseeing, it is the ideal ingredient to recovery your energy.
Lanzarote is a very rich gastronomic island, with traditional Spanish-style recipes, but also with African and Latin American influences. Surely during your holiday you will highly enjoy at the table. Bon Appetite!
