The Canary Islands are the place in Spain where the most cheese is consumed per inhabitant, with an average of between 14 and 16 kilos per person per year.
Tenerife has a long tradition of cheese making. Even today, the cheese and livestock sector produces large quantities of cheese, with goat cheese or a mixture of goat and sheep cheese predominating.
Several cheeses from Tenerife and the rest of the Canary Islands achieve important national and international recognition year after year in gastronomic and cheese competitions in particular.
Cheese is very present in Tenerife’s gastronomy, along with other products such as potatoes, mojo and gofio.
Cheese varieties in Tenerife
In Tenerife there are different varieties of goats, and they predominate over other types of livestock. For this reason, cheeses are mainly made from goats.
Among the main varieties of cheese we find:
- Fresh cheese: the most consumed on the island, with a soft texture and mild flavour. Ideal for salads or eaten with mojo.
- Semi-cured cheese: several weeks of maturation give it a more intense flavour. It is usually smoked using Canary Island pine wood or other native varieties, which gives it a unique character.
- Cured cheese: the longer maturation time gives it deep flavours and a firm texture. Perfect for tasting with wines, honeys and nuts.
- Mixed cheese: they combine goat’s milk with sheep’s or cow’s milk, achieving a perfect balance between creaminess and flavor.
- Paprika cheese: the cheese, usually goat (or a mix) and semi-cured, is covered with paprika, which gives it a characteristic reddish color and a slightly spicy flavor.
In Tenerife you can also find varieties that are made on other islands, with their own peculiarities and personality, such as the intense and rich Palmero cheese (from the island of La Palma), or the award-winning goat cheeses from Fuerteventura.
Where to buy cheese in Tenerife?
In practically all the markets and supermarkets on the island you can find cheeses from Tenerife as well as from other islands.
You can also go to one of the artisanal cheese factories that sell to the public and buy them directly from the producer:
- Quesería Montesdeoca (Adeje) – location – web site
- Quesería El Guanche (Quesos El Isorano) (Guía de Isora) – location
- Quesería Benijos (La Orotava) – location – web site
- Quesería José Luis Meneses (El Tanque) – location
- Quesería Naturteno (Buenavista del Norte) – location
- Quesería Hoya del Cura (Arico) – location
- Quesería Majuca (Arico) – location
- Quesería Agache (Güímar) – location
- Quesería Las Llanadas (Los Realejos) – location
Another option is to go to shops specialising in cheeses and artisanal products. Some of the best known are:
- Queso Proyect – location S/C de Tenerife – location La Laguna – web site
- Quesería Esencia Canaria (Garachico) – location
- La Quesería del Mercado (S/C de Tenerife) – location
- Charcutería Chicha (La Laguna) – location 1 – location 2
- Quesería Medianito (Valle de San Lorenzo) – location
- El Roquillo (Candelaria) – location
- Quesos Canarios y más Sabores (Icod de los Vinos) – location
Traditional dishes and recipes with cheese
Grilled cheese with mojo sauce or palm honey
Thick strips of semi-cured goat cheese, grilled and accompanied by Canarian mojo sauce, or honey and jams, or both.
It is one of the most requested and common dishes in guachinches and Canarian food restaurants.
Almogrote
It is a type of pasta made with very hard and very cured cheese, mixed with Palmera pepper or chilli, garlic and olive oil.
It comes from the island of La Gomera, although its use is widespread across several of the islands.
It is usually used as a pâté or spread on bread, although today there are other dishes filled with almogrote, such as croquettes or mushrooms.
White cheese and guava sandwich
A traditional snack from the islands, whose only 2 ingredients are fresh guava cheese and guava paste, a paste made from this fruit that is commonly sold on the islands.
It is also commonly consumed in other Latin American countries, such as Cuba.
Canarian Timba
A variation of the previous sandwich, used as a dessert, in which the bread is replaced with toasted biscuits, to achieve a “sweet sandwich” version.
Quesadilla from El Hierro
This dessert, originally from the island of El Hierro, is made from unsalted fresh cheese, mixed with flour, eggs, sugar and some spices such as cinnamon, anise or lemon zest.
In Tenerife it can be found in markets, local produce shops and some supermarkets and grocery stores.
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