Potatoes and sweet potatoes from Anaga, essential products of our gastronomy.

We continue discovering the products of the
Anaga Rural Park
. The potatoes and sweet potatoes from Anaga are our protagonists today. Because this natural environment of the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in addition to offering unprecedented beauty in its purest state on the island, offers authentic gastronomic treasures. Both the
potatoes and sweet potatoes of Anaga
are traditional ingredients in the island’s recipe book. But, let’s start by pointing out a small curiosity about these two products: we tend to think that both the potato and the sweet potato are first cousins. But, no. Not only are they different species, but they also do not belong to the same family.

A curiosity: potatoes and sweet potatoes are different species and belong to different botanical and belong to different botanical families.

The potato (solanum tuberosum) belongs to the Solanaceae family and is cultivated for its edible tuber (modified subway stem), while the sweet potato (ipmomoea batatas) belongs to the convolvulaceae family and is cultivated for its tuberous root.

The potato of Anaga, delicious catalog with different varieties

The potato has been found in Tenerife for more than 400 years, coming from America and since the land of this island is ideal for its cultivation, it soon became one of the basic foods of the population and also one of the most appreciated ingredients.

For centuries, Canarian farmers have preserved a group of ancient varieties of great heritage value.

In a catalog compiled by
PELLAGOFIO
,
magazine to know and savor the rural and natural world of the Canary Islands.
The “Anaga potato varieties”, sponsored by the Instituto Canario de Calidad Agroalimentaria (ICCA) and with the collaboration of the Centro de Conservación de la Biodiversidad Agrícola de Tenerife (CCBAT), the Centro de Agrodiversidad de La Palma (CAP) and the researchers Ricardo Lorenzo, Domingo Ríos and Jaime Gil, are highlighted:

• Borralla or melonera | It is the potato par excellence of the Anaga area.
• Blackberry | This potato is only found in a few hamlets high in the Anaga Mountains, where it is traditionally grown.
• White palm, red palm and black palm. It is cultivated in many areas of the island, especially Anaga and isolated areas in the south of the island.

Wrinkled potatoes with mojo are the most emblematic binomial of our gastronomy. But we are undoubtedly talking about indispensable products in countless recipes of our traditional cuisine and new gastronomic trends, more avant-garde.

The sweet potato of Anaga, a very versatile delicacy.

Sweet potatoes are also highly appreciated. Currently, more than 50 different local varieties are known, of which more than 20 are grown in the Anaga Rural Park.

In general, there are three types of sweet potatoes:

• Sweet potato of Lanzarote or “Colorada”.Dark reddish skin and pale pink to whitish flesh. Its flavor, quite sweet, makes it a very appreciated product in local markets.
• White sweet potato This denomination includes several varieties with brown skin, whitish flesh and less sweet taste than the rest. and less sweet flavor than the rest.
• Egg yolk sweet potato, “Patagallina” or “Empinada Roja”. |Cream-colored skin, yellow-orange flesh and very sweet flavor. Widely used for the preparation of one of our most typical Christmas sweets: sweet potato trout. Simple and delicious.

Both products, the potato and the sweet potato of Anaga, make any dish round and succulent. Now all that remains is to taste them and try a whole world of surprising nuances and flavors that can be achieved with these, our little gastronomic treasures.

FUENTE | 

papasantiguasdecanarias.org

GMR Canarias

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