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The Búster potato variety achieved the best ratings at the Gran Canaria Island Tasting, while Galactica stood out for wrinkle and jelly per image
>>>The variety Booster was the great protagonist of the XVII Island Tasting of Gran Canaria Potatoes, organized by the Cabildo through the Primary Sector Department, Food sovereignty and water security. Its performance in different preparations placed it at the top of the organoleptic evaluation and also made it the favorite for two very domestic and very serious gestures in Canarian cuisine.: parboil and fry.
The tasting met in the Experimental Agricultural Farm to a panel of twenty specialists, in charge of analyzing ten varieties selected among the most productive or with the best sensory properties. It wasn't, therefore, a simple comparison of pretty potatoes on a table. The exercise sought to measure texture, flavor, cooking behavior, performance and real possibilities for the field and for the kitchen.
After the Buster, the best organoleptic evaluations were for Black Egg Yolk y Gatsby. In the category of potatoes to crinkle, first place went to Galactic, followed by Gatsby, while Buster took third position. In image, The jury placed in the lead Jelly, ahead of Electra y Picasso.
The result confirms something that Canarian cuisine has known for a long time.: Not all potatoes are the same for everything.. The potato that gains presence on the plate is not always the one that responds best to sancocho, to wrinkled or fried. Hence the value of a technical tasting that helps to sort varieties, culinary uses and commercial possibilities in a crop that is part of the agricultural and gastronomic identity of the islands.
During the opening of the day, the president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, He recalled the importance of this product on the island when defining the potato as an essential food, a source of employment and economic activity and an element of identity of the agricultural landscape. The Primary Sector counselor also participated in the event., Food sovereignty and water security, Miguel Hidalgo, and the mayor of Teror, José Agustín Arencibia.
The tasting comes at a relevant time for the sector. Gran Canaria currently has some 1.200 hectares dedicated to growing potatoes, an area that has grown 6,3% from 2016, compared to the decrease registered in the Canary Islands as a whole. The annual production is around 49 million kilos, a figure that helps understand the economic and nutritional importance of this crop.
The XVII Insular Tasting is part of the Insular Potato Cultivation Development Program, a strategy that combines research, technical advice and direct support to farmers. The program includes training in cultivation techniques, irrigation, fertilization and pest control, in addition to soil analysis, phytopathological studies and variety performance trials.
In the campaign of 2026 were analyzed 24 varieties in the Finca de Osorio through a system of random blocks and three repetitions per variety. Among the new varieties tested are Jelly, Karelia, Venezia, Striker, Eternity, Next, Pink Borralla and Black Lily. Others were selected again due to their previous good results, for its presence in the market or for its recognition in island tastings.
The campaign was conditioned by the rains and temperatures recorded during the first months of the year.. According to the information conveyed by the Cabildo, no attacks by Guatemalan moth or common moth were detected in the trial. The institution maintains a specific plan to control these pests, equipped with some 600.000 euros per year, which incorporates measures such as crop rotation and the use of ecological phytosanitary practices and products.
The results of the tasting and performance tests will be presented at the VIII Gran Canaria Potato Island Fair, which will be celebrated from 16 al 18 October in the Teror Auditorium. The event will include a sample of varieties grown on the island, technical days, photography and gastronomic contests, a competition for potatoes of greater weight and recognition for producers.
Beyond the specific result, The tasting once again puts the value of the potato as an agricultural product on the table, everyday food and gastronomic heritage. In the Canary Islands, Few preparations explain so much with as little as a well-chosen potato., well cooked and served just right.
