The Blossom Issue | Tenerife the new, Tenerife the old

The heart of Tenerife is not El Teide, the active volcano that dominates the horizon from 3718 meters above sea level. Unlike El Teide, which last erupted in 1909, the heart of the island beats to the rhythm of its people. A culture that is so unique, marked by and associated with the island's geographical features, its nature, and its generous land, which are also unique, that wonder is relentless. What shaped these people? The land. With all its whims. By accepting them, everything that nature offers is a gift. And man takes from the gift of the earth, nourishing it so that it nourishes him too. A kind of symbiosis that we now call sustainability. This is the new face of Tenerife: an ancient art of mastering the elements made authentic, a forged culture that, through hard times, has resulted in people who are tenacious, persevering, and, above all, proud of what sets them apart. If gastronomy is the mirror of a culture and if the products inherent in it are unique in the world and of superior quality, there is little else a destination can aspire to. So there is an identity.

The largest island in the Canary archipelago (canariense or canarinho) and also in Macaronesia (the Atlantic region made up of the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, the Canaries and Cape Verde), it is, after all, an impressive combination of ecosystems, microclimates and, of course, landscapes, all separated by very short distances and determined by a central mountain range where the El Teide-Pico Viejo volcano, Spain's highest mountain, reigns. It is a caldera 130km in diameter that separates the densely forested north from the semi-desert south. From this geography comes not only unparalleled beauty but also a diversity that the chicharreros (Tenerife's indigenous people) have been able to master for centuries. The island's gastronomy is a tribute to the love of the land and its products, to the knowledge and flavors passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition, to the influence of the Atlantic, cosmopolitanism, and cross-breeding between Europe, Africa, and America, and unique biodiversity. It's a legacy that is now being reinterpreted with innovation by avant-garde chefs who are responsible for a certain change in the island's tourist landscape, with top restaurants and charming hotels that offer a differentiated experience.

In a short stay, you can taste honey, which reflects the island's biodiversity. Incredible tributes to the Vieja (our Azorean see or bodião, continental denomination), which is as common as it is inseparable from gastronomy. Gofio (wheat, rye, or even maize flour, toasted), perhaps Tenerife's most distinctive product, reminiscent of the poorer times but now proudly revived in fabulous dishes. Meat from three indigenous goat species and a pig (Cochino Negro). And fabulous cheeses, predominantly goats, of a singularity that one would think impossible and without any other process in their manufacture than the purely artisanal. To top it all off, the wines of Tenerife. The vineyard accounts for 17% of cultivation, spread over 3200 hectares and five wine-growing comarcas. But there are only a hundred producers, which results in small, numbered vintages. From the influence of the trade winds, which cover the northern slopes with intense fogs, to the warm south with its rapid ripening, passing through altitudes of 1,700 meters or heroic viticulture, carried out in steep ravines, there are more than 500 years of knowledge that have resulted in the careful production of nectars with grape varieties that have adapted to the unique microclimates. With such a small production, every sip should be enjoyed, a journey towards wonder. Where? In the restaurants of the Las Madrigueras hotels (chef Jesús González), Hotel Palacio de Isora (chef Jorge Peñate), Hotel GF Victoria (chef Jesús Camacho), and the unmissable boutique hotel Baobab Suites, with its chef Máximo Concepción. In addition to the countless bodegas, where you can get to know the most central and typical Chicharrera cuisine, it can also be found, through fabulous reinterpretations, in one of the island's seven restaurants, which hold nine Michelin Stars. Whatever you choose, the result will be impressive, to say the least. And it will reflect the full potential of an island where everything trivial has been left behind.

Translated from the original in The Blossom Issue, from march 2024. Full credits and stories in the print issue.