The popular food festival in Santa Brígida was a huge success

Santa Brígida, and more specifically its Municipal Park, was filled with locals for the opening of Terrae, featuring a popular food festival where visitors could sample traditional dishes from various regions. With affordable prices and open from 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM, this fair highlighted the cuisine not only of Gran Canaria but also of other regions such as Asturias, Catalonia, and even Portugal. An event that, beyond the culinary festival, is “a way to thank all the people of Gran Canaria who welcome us during Terrae, and to do so in the way that culinary experts know how—by cooking these magnificent, unique, and traditional dishes,” as noted by the conference director, Benjamín Lana.

Several of the chefs who have come to the island to participate in the fourth edition of this International Rural Gastronomy Gathering, which will run until Tuesday, March 17, wanted to introduce their own culinary culture to the Canarians; as a result, all the tapas offered at the popular fair have had a distinct regional character. This is the case of Xune Andrade from the Monte* restaurant in San Feliz, who presented his take on traditional Asturian cuisine, his version of the Asturian stew; while Italy, represented by chef Giuseppe Iannotti from the Krèsios** restaurant in Campania, brought the essence of contemporary Italian cuisine to Gran Canaria with his pasta with chickpeas; from Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, chef João Narigueta of the PODA restaurant brought his dish “Migas Gatas,” a dish with which he has won over all the Canarians.

The Catalans Vicent Guimerà (L’Antic Molí*, Ulldecona) and Joan Capilla (L’Algadir del Delta, Poble Nou del Delta) argued that “having the opportunity to showcase our signature dishes in Gran Canaria and also to learn from the local ones is priceless because, at the end of the day, what makes chefs great is culture.” Sharing that knowledge is essential for Joan Capilla, the chef from the Ebro Delta, because “the same dish has a different version depending on the region where it’s cooked. They’re all equally good but distinct from one another, whether due to the ingredients, the land, or the history of the place.” Vicent and Joan demonstrated this with two large paella pans where rice dishes were served nonstop, delighting the Canarians.

Local participation in this popular event came from the six chefs from Gran Canaria, who offered traditional dishes but also took the opportunity to demonstrate that local chefs know how to be creative with dishes that offer new perspectives on tradition. Carmelo González, from La Pasadilla restaurant, offered an interpretation of island cuisine with his machorra beef stew; Carmelo Múgica from La Trastienda de Chago restaurant, a Canarian suckling pig cooked at low temperature accompanied by almond mojo from Tejeda; chefs Saylem Cuevas and Creusa Ramos from Lemusa Catering, in Aldea de San Nicolás, served their kid goat wrapped in pork jowl; and Aridani Alonso, from the Casa Romántica restaurant in Agaete, chose a typical Canarian dish for the occasion: fried cheese, simple yet delicious; chefs Alejandro Mederos & Javier Alabadi from the Anteo restaurant surprised us with their crispy lasagna made with ropa vieja, Canarian cheese, and fried chickpeas; from the Dorotea restaurant came their delicious leek and ham dish to delight the Canarian public, prepared by chef Carlos Padilla.

Likewise, the Association of Artisanal Cheese Makers of Gran Canaria (ASOQUEGRAN) offered tastings of various cheese varieties paired with local wines provided by the distributor Vinófilos and the wineries Bien de Altura Vinos, Bodega Ventura, and Bodega Lava.