From the land to the table

The Anaga Biosphere Reserve grows several products, as we have already explained extensively in other entries on this page. From the jewel in the crown, potatoes, with its own denomination of origin (there are only three potatoes in Spain with denomination of origin) to sweet potatoes, fruits such as the delicious mango -omnipresent in the town of Igueste de San Andrés, where it has become a distinctive sign of the locality-, yams or of course gofio or wine, also with denomination of origin and produced on the terraces that try to tame the slopes of the Massif.

But a question arises: where do ordinary Tenerife residents or visitors to the island have access to buy what the hard-working local people grow and work for? It is not uncommon for the farmers themselves to sell their products at some of the viewpoints along Anaga, or to sell retail on their own farms. If we look for these points, we will surely find them. But the best option to access its fruits is to go to the markets or flea markets.

There are several so-called “
farmer’s markets
“on the island. But also, in the heart of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, we find the option of the Nuestra Señora de África Market, where there are many stalls selling fresh products from Anaga and other parts of Tenerife.and also from other islands. Oranges, lemons, honeys or cheeses from Tenerife should be added to those mentioned above, just to mention a small range.

It is this place, as we have already told in the specific sections dedicated to the Market Nuestra Señora de África, one of those corners where you not only go to buy but you can also taste these and other products, because here you will also find another great local food, perhaps the most sought after by many tourists: the fish, which comes mostly from the Atlantic through the fishermen of San Andrés.

And in addition to the Market of Our Lady of Africa and in addition to the street vendors dotted around the Massif, we also have the occasional street markets. Without going any further, the festival ‘Anaga Biofest’ usually organizes them and also the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife itself proposes appointments several times a year, mainly in the streets of the neighborhood of San Andrés, the gateway to the Anaga Rural Park.