Experience dining out with a difference

The phrase "dining out" has extra meaning in the Canary Islands. With a showcase of International cuisine and wine so uniquely palatable, those who wish to experience a variety of tastes with their menu selections, will be spoilt for choice.

Both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura cater for every taste - whether you like to stick to high quality British cuisine or sample something a little different and perhaps more exotic you will find food to thrill you in both of the islands.

One thing is certain of all the restaurants; the Spanish, with their strong family roots, welcome children with open arms, which immediately creates a warm friendly ambience. All restaurants have high chairs and many offer a children's menu or will certainly adapt something from the main menu to keep the kids smiling. And it is standard practice for the waiter's to issue every child with a lollipop after lunch or dinner!

From tapas to silver service, from chow mein to burritos, the islands restaurants truly offer something for visitors with any taste and a growing demand for variety. And with several home-grown, award winning Lanzarote and even now Fuerteventura wines to select to accompany your meal your dining experience is sure to be a success from start to finish.

There isn't a better time than when you are on holiday to select foods you've tried or read about elsewhere - dishes beyond the familiar. Several renowned chefs from every part of the world have brought their experience and talent to the Canaries, resulting in a melting pot of choice.

Forget all the years when holiday fare was little more than fuel for hungry travellers. It is now a dining experience not to be missed or rushed! Canarians like to take their time when dining and lunch can often go on well into the early evening. Similarly dinner can go well into the wee small hours of the night. So when staying here, make dining a major part of your holiday. Try different restaurants, different dishes and different wines. You will be spoilt for choice.

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Tapas
A Delightful Culinary Tradition from Spain

The Italians call it antipasto, the Chinese dim sum, the Turks meze, the French hors d'oeuvres... and the Spanish tapas. Throughout Spain, from the smallest villages to the largest cities, you'll find tapas bars and restaurants offering dozens of tasty varieties, served in individual ceramic oval dishes and accompanied by a glass of vino. This dining craze has gone global with tapas bars in all the major cities from New York to London.

The word tapas means lids or covers, and tapas were originally pieces of bread or cured ham placed on top of a wine glass to keep dust and flies out.

Little dishes of food are served anytime in the local tapas bars. There are as many variations of tapas as there are cooks in Spain. What are they? Small portions of food, which are served as often as the drinks are poured. Spaniards go to bars to converse, join friends, argue, joke and flirt. Tapas are provided to keep them going, and are rarely eaten instead of a main meal; this comes later and again most Spanish like to really indulge.

Some of the most likely tapas to be had on the Island include:
Tortilla - Egg and potato omelette
Calamares en su tinta - squid in their own ink
Pollo al ajillo con vino - Garlic chicken with wine
Ensaladilla Rusa - Tuna, potatoes and mayonnaise
Quesillo Flan - cheescake Canary style
Albondigas con picada de almendra - meatballs in almond, garlic and parsley sauce
Paella a la marinera - mixed seafood paella, Spain's famous rice dish
Gambas al ajillo - Prawns in garlic (sizzling)
Estfado de Carne - Meat stew
Bacalao al ajo arriero - Dried cod with peppers and tomatoes
Gazpacho - cold tomato soup, almost like a salad

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Understanding the different varieties and using olive oil, however, can send the uninitiated into a panic situation. What, for example, is the difference between virgin and extra-virgin? What are the benefits, health wise? And is the cost justified?

Although olive oil is advertised globally as healthy oil, it's important to remember that it is still a fat. While diets high in olive oil have been associated with lowered levels of cholesterol - studies show it also raises the good cholesterol levels- it is recommended that you do not increase more fat of any kind to your diet, but instead switch whatever fats you currently use to olive oil.

Taste is why the leading chefs use and recommend olive oil, and the snobbery once associated with wine has extended to the olive. Price may be an indicator of high quality, but it's not the only consideration in determining which olive oil you prefer. Olive variety, growing conditions and region all affect oil's flavour and quality.

Spanish oils have a full-bodied fruitiness tinged with slight bitterness while others are sweet and mild. Italian oils usually taste rich and fruity with peppery accents, while southern Italian oils are generally more delicate and mellow. Greek oils are typically robust and assertive.

Harvesting and when and how it's done are important to flavour and quality. Oil production starts with picking, despite modern technology, hand picking is still the most reliable method for gathering olives, and is least likely to damage them. Since olives don't ripen simultaneously, it's necessary to pick a tree several times to assure consistent ripeness.

While milling equipment has come a long way from bare feet, basic principles for producing the best oils have remained relatively constant. The olives are crushed to break down the cell walls that hold the oil, then the resulting puree is compressed to force the juice, called must, from the fiber. The oil, less dense than water, is separated, filtered, bottled and labelled "virgin."

"Extra-virgin" olive oil, is the product of the very first pressing, and contains no more than 1.5 percent acidity and this is reflected in the delicious flavour. Another category of olive oil to enter the market recently is light olive oil. This does not refer to fewer calories or fat, it is lighter in colour and has almost no olive oil taste.
When buying olive oil there are a few other ways to help guarantee the best value with great taste.

Use olive oil for light frying, sautéing, baking, and salad dressings and unheated sauces. The cost may dictate you to reserve your best quality olive oil for special occasions, but always strive to use the finest quality oil you can afford. Quality oil makes a difference in any dish, whether drizzled over roasted peppers, blended into pesto, added to savoury herb bread or used in a long-cooked tomato sauce.

Did you know...
Every man, woman and child in Spain, in 1997, consumed 24,000 times more olive oil than anyone in the United States?