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Food
It's not all about riding bikes here in the Canary Islands; there are many local Spanish bars and cafes which offer a selection of authenitic Canarian cuisine as well as the more traditional Spanish tapas. Local Canarian cuisine is absolutely delicious!
POTATOES:
Canarian potatoes are very flavoursome and have been grown here for centuries (since the 1700s and 1800s). One traditional Canarian recipe is wrinkled potatoes with olive oil & parsley sauce known as "mojo". Don't ever criticise olive oil in the presence of a spaniard or you'll be attacked (verbally but vehemently).
OTHER DISHES:
The main Canarian dishes are fish soups & light vegetable stews (called "potaje" here). Meats include chicken, pork, rabbit and goat; these are often cut into pieces, fried and served with homemade potato chips ("carne fiesta"). Lamb is better served on the tiny island of El Hierro. You'd think there'd be more fresh seafood in the Canary Islands. Yes you can order calamary but it's more likely to be frozen. Fried sardines and other fish soups are a favourite.
"Gofio" is a well known staple food consisting of ground corn kernels; slowly mixed into hot milk, it's usually eaten that way for breakfast. It can also be sprinkled into soups and stews, but quickly makes them thick & gluggy if you add too much. It's got the honorable reputation for imparting incredible strength to those that eat it (a bit like spinach does elsewhere). If Popeye the sailorman was Canarian, he'd be eating this all the time...
LOCAL CHEESES:
Goat and sheep cheese (and mixtures of the two) are also suprisingly tasty; the best place to buy those is in Teno Alto and Arico. Of course there's the infamous tortilla, which is technically a mainland dish.
WINE GRAPES: Wine grapes are still grown on some of the upper slopes of Tenerife, especially around the following regions: La Matanza, Tegueste, El Sauzal, La Victoria, and the La Orotava Valley. Red grapes (actually more of a deep purple/black colour) are more common than green grapes; they're used to make red wine (called "tinto"), but you can also eat them by themselves too!
FRUIT:
The citrus & tropical fruits are also worth a mention. Any type of citrus fruits grow amazingly well here (oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruit). We actually grow our own oranges and along with the grapes and they are irresistable. Although not native, there are some strange tropical fruits such as the prickly pear, khaki, loquats, papaya, cherimoya, mangos, kiwis, avocados and guavas. And who can forget the infamous Canarian banana?
Beverages
COFFEE:
Coffee is also an institution in Spain, typically served in very small cups or glasses. Locals often ask for "un cortado natural", otherwise it comes with a layer of horribly sweetened condensed milk sludge in the bottom. Bring your teapots with you because tea is practically non-existant amongst local households (sorry punks!).
WINE:
It's customary for Spanish people to consume a small glass of red or white wine with their meal. Spain dedicates 42% more land area to wine production than Italy and 36% more than France. Of the Canary Islands, Tenerife is by far the biggest producer of wine. Most of the crops grow in the North of Tenerife. Look for local brands of wine with the following "Denominaciones de origen" (designation of origin): Tacoronte Acentejo, Valle de La Orotava, Ycoden - Daute - Isora, Abona, and finally Valle de Güímar.
Music
There are several local bands in Tenerife, including the heavy rock group Meridian Zero. I'm a bit clueless when it comes to other bands, so I best refer you to MusCana, the best music portal dedicated to the Canary Islands.
Many younger Canarians listen to music from all over the world, obviously with a strong emphasis on Spanish lyrics. Two popular mainland Spanish groups are Dani Martín and Amaral. They often listen to English and American pop music on the radio; from what I've witnessed they don't always know the meaning of the words, but that doesn't stop them enjoying the same beats and rhythms we do and even miming the sounds!
Fiestas
Fiestas are a big part of Tenerife Life. It is commonly said that the municipality of Los Realejos has the most holidays in the entire kingdom of Spain (and Spain has more holidays than any other country in the European Union!).
There are many fiestas -too many to list here. The most well-known are: "noche San Juan" in Puerto de la Cruz which celebrates the Summer solstice; Corpus Christi culminating with the sand carpets in La Orotava; Tenerife is also home to the second biggest Carnaval in the world, in Santa Cruz (second only to the one in Rio de Janeiro). By far the best source of information for what's going on in Tenerife is the Secret Tenerife webpage, with local news updates and event calendar.
Life from an outsider's perspective
For more up-to-date details on what life is like for an expatriate Australian living with a Canarian family in the North of Tenerife, please visit my personal "Life in Tenerife" blog page.
(live webcam of a street in the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
relevancy factor ~ 1% but it's fun to watch.
