Blog - Page 3 of 3 - ShopCanarias.es

2 June, 202010 September, 2020

Canary Islands Gofio

Índice

What is Gofio

Gofio are ground and roasted cereals; wheat, corn (millo), and these ones mixed also with chickpeas, barley, oats, rye, etc. More than 6 million pounds of Gofio are produced every year, and it is consumed in more than 80% of Canary Islands´s homes. As a matter of fact, its consumption dates back centuries, to the Canarian aborigines. But it is also consumed in countries such as; Germany, Japan, Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. And in other areas such as; Miami, Cape Verde, and Occidental Sahara.

By default salt is added to Gofio, but it is also sold without salt, and special for diets, what makes it a product for all audiences. You can mix it with whatever you want (usually with milk, bananas, water, etc.). Even formerly it was mixed with wine (ralera). And it is sold in various weight formats; 17 ounces, 8.8 ounces, monodose packs, etc.

Here in the Canary Islands we consume it on a daily basis. At breakfast; with milk, or as a slice of a sweet kneaded Gofio. At lunch; with a vegetable potage, “escaldón” (adding lots of Gofio to a vegetable soup until it gets too dense), or as a slice of kneaded Gofio with water and salt. At snack time with bananas, or with figs. And at dinner or supper, I at least sprinkle a little bit of Gofio on the yogurt or on the vegetable potage, specially when I´m hungry. “Para gustos hay colores” (a Spanish saying which means that there are as many personal preferences as colors exists).

If you want to read and watch a video of how to make a sweet kneaded Gofio recipe, then click on the link at the end of this post.

It is usually a complement to typical Canarian foods, for example with “papas arrugadas” (“wrinkled” potatoes stewed with water and coarse salt), with “mojo verde” (green sauce with coriander), with “mojo rojo picón” (red hot sauce with hot peppers), and with “pescado salado” (it is made with fish preserved in salt, which is desalted for days, before being stewed with other ingredients).

Still life made by ShopCanarias.es with Gofio, Papas, pineapple, dehydrated figs, and Mojo Verde — Still life made by ShopCanarias.es with; Gofio, “Papas”, Canary Islands´s tropical pineapple, dehydrated figs, and “Mojo Verde”

Advantages of the Canary Islands´s Gofio

Canary Islands´s Gofio got on year 2014 the official record as a designation of origin of Europe (also named IGP or Protected Geographical Indication).

Furthermore, Gofio is a very nutritious food;

• It´s healthy because it only contains cereals (and salt, if it is preferred that way)
• It has high nutritional value, because it contains all the grain´s parts (endoesperm, germ and bran)
• It has high mineral content
• It hasn´t more than 370 Kcal / 3.5 ounces
• It has low fat content (5% max.)
• It has low saccharose content (usually lower than 1%)
• It has high quality energy (frequently it has a 79% of starch)
• It has proteins (min. 7%)
• It has vegetable fiber content (min. 1,5%)
• And it has 50% of the recommended daily intake of vitamins; B3, and D.

Next you will see a couple of links to some of the studies carried out on Gofio;

https://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273(15)00605-1/abstract
http://scielo.isciii.es/pdf/nh/v29n3/31originalotros02.pdf

So, What are you waiting to eat some Gofio?

SWEET GOFIO RECIPE and VIDEO

Thank you for visiting and see you soon!

28 May, 202010 September, 2020

Canary Islands Sweet Gofio´s Recipe

Índice

Steps and video of how to make sweet Gofio ball or lump

Sweet Gofio ball or lump made by ShopCanarias.es

I summarize in another article the advantages of Canary Islands´s Gofio, which is made with toasted and ground cereals (if you want to know more then click on the link at the end of this post). But now I will share with you how I like to make kneaded Gofio, also named Gofio ball o Gofio lump. Below you can see the ingredients which you need, and the steps to follow. And you may also see the following video of our YouTube channel.

video of how to make sweet Gofio ball or lump

We need the following INGREDIENTS ;

2 table spoons of organic raisins,
Enough organic milk to cover the raisins, which I usually let soak in milk overnight,
2 table spoons of organic peeled almonds cut in pieces,
3 organic bananas from the Canary Islands, which we are going to smash,
2 table spoons of organic honey,
and organic gofio from the Canary Islands, made with corn and wheat in this case.

STEP by step ;

1º- mix all the ingredients except the gofio, afterwards add the gofio slowly,

2º- keep adding gofio and mixing until it is too dense, then knead while adding gofio,

3º- and finally use your fists to knead until the dough doesn´t stick neither to your hands nor to the bowl.

4º- Give it the shape desired, round or like a bread loaf, and sprinkle more gofio around it.

Ready to eat for breakfast, o for lunch with a cup of Canary Islands wine, Enjoy it!

WHAT IS GOFIO?

Thank you for visiting, and see you soon !

25 May, 202010 September, 2020

Carnival Canary Islands

Carnival Costume — Photo taken by ShopCanarias.es, with permission and courtesy of this Carnivalero from Los Realejos, Tenerife, Canary Islands, from an original costume made of recycled materials

Nothing better to recycle than making a costume with recycled materials. But it is also worth it to wear the usual costumes, or dressing up with what we have at hand; a pajamas, an apron, a sheet, or whatever you can think of, with accessories you have at home; a bottle, a roller, chains, etc.

Carnivalrs of Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands — *Photo taken by ShopCanarias.es, with permission and courtesy of these Carnivals from Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands*

Carnival is a Christian tradition, to have fun before Lent. People dress up, and some of us make the costumes ourselves. People sing, dance to the sound of orchestras, walk in and out of the “coso” (parade), and some are part of “comparsas” (percussion and dance groups), and “murgas” (choral groups that make funny and critical songs).

At the end of the Carnivals, which always end on Sunday, there are different celebrations, although in all carnivalers they disguise themselves as black (mourning), and mourn the end of the Carnivals. In Tenerife, for example, in Santa Cruz you may see the burial of a sardine, where a giant cardboard sardine is burned. However, in Los Realejos, “Rascayú” is burned, who disguise him as the theme of that year’s Carnival.

Rascayú at the Los Realejos Carnivals in 2020

If you want to see some of the tourist attractions of the Canary Islands, here you can see the information of the Government of the Canary Islands;

http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/turismo/fiestas/index.html

Thank you very much for the visit, and see you soon!

22 May, 202010 September, 2020

Calima

Calima (haze) are very small particles of suspended dust, and in the Canary Islands, it is sometimes caused once or twice a year (during spring and/or summer time), due to alms and clays that come with winds coming from Africa towards the south and southeast.

But don’t worry, it only lasts a couple of days, or disappears sooner if it rains. But if you have asthma, then you should be alert to your symptoms.

The Teide as the calima disappears — Photo taken by ShopCanarias.es. *View of the Teide, from the north of Tenerife, when the calima disappears.*

Don’t forget to hydrate frequently, wear a hat and sunglasses, and put on sunscreen from time to time. And try to avoid full sun exposure between noon and 6pm, especially if you’re traveling with children. It would also be helpful to bring an umbrella in the car.

Photo taken by ShopCanarias.es. Views of El Teide.

And sometimes, when the calima disappears, the sky of the Canary Islands gets clear, and you can see the silhouettes of the rest of the islands.

Photo taken by ShopCanarias.es. Silhouette of the island of La Palma seen from Tenerife

For more information on the weather that we have right now in the Canary Islands, then click the following link, and hover over an area of an island to know; temperature, wind, humidity, etc.;

TIME in the Canary Islands TODAY

And to know the weather´s prediction in the Canary Islands up to six days ahead, then click the following link, and select the parameter which you want in the blue selectors on the left of the map;

TIME PREDICTION in the Canary Islands

Thank you very much for the visit, and see you soon!

21 May, 20209 September, 2020

El Teide announces winter

The first snowfall in El Teide, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, announces winter on December 11, 2019, just for the Christmas and New Year season.

The Teide for ShopCanarias.es — The snowy Teide for ShopCanarias.es

El Teide is a volcano of 3,718 meters high, and it is the highest peak in Spain. It is a National Park, and it was declared a World Heritage Site. Even on the winter season, it only snows in El Teide at times, and that is why we celebrate when we see El Teide completely snowy.

You can take a walk through El Teide, go to the visitor´s centre, ascend inside of the cable car, and then climb about 163 meters to reach the crater.

We also go up to El Teide to spend a great day with the family, and play with the snow, even on March.

Snow in El Teide in March 2016, in Tenerife, Canary Islands — Photo taken by ShopCanarias.es of snow in El Teide, in March 2016, in Tenerife, Canary Islands

Thank you very much for the visit, and see you soon!