Terrae begins with a popular meeting in Santa Brígida

Saint Brigid, and more specifically its Municipal Park, was filled with local audiences to inaugurate Terrae with a popular gastronomic day in which they could taste typical dishes from various regions. With popular prices and open 12:00h a 16:30h, This fair has highlighted the cuisine not only of Gran Canaria but also of other areas such as Asturias., Catalonia and even Portugal. A day that, beyond the gastronomic festival, It is “a way to thank all the people of Gran Canaria who welcome us during Terrae, and do it like kitchen people know how to do it, cooking these magnificent unique and traditional dishes”, as pointed out by the director of the congress Benjamín Lana.

Several of the chefs who have come to the island to participate in the fourth edition of this International Rural Gastronomy Meeting, which will last until Tuesday 17 March, They wanted to make their own gastronomic culture known to the Canarians and that is why all the tapas that have been offered at the popular fair have had a marked identity character.. It is the case of Xune Andrade from the Monte restaurant*, of San Feliz, who has offered his proposal based on traditional Asturian cuisine, his version of the Asturian pot; while Italy represented by the chef Giuseppe Iannotti from the Krèsios restaurant**, in Campania, has brought the essence of contemporary Italian cuisine to Gran Canaria with its pasta with chickpeas; from Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, the cook João Narigueta from the PODA restaurant has brought its proposal “Migas Gatas”, a dish with which it has conquered all the Canarians.

The Catalans Vicent Guimerà (The Old Mill*, Ulldecona) y Joan Capilla (The Algadir of the Delta, Poble Nou del Delta) They argued that “having the opportunity to show our identity dishes in Gran Canaria and also being able to learn from those here is priceless because, in the background, “What makes chefs great is culture”. Sharing that knowledge is essential for Ebro Delta chef Joan Capilla because, “The same dish has a version depending on the region in which it is cooked.”. All equally good but different from each other, either for the product, the land or the history of the place”. Vicent and Joan have demonstrated it with two large paella pans in which rice dishes were served non-stop that delighted the Canarians..

The local participation in this popular day has fallen to the six chefs from Gran Canaria who have offered traditional dishes but have also taken advantage of the occasion to demonstrate that local chefs know how to work creativity with proposals that offer new looks at the traditional. Carmelo Gonzalez, from the La Pasadilla restaurant, has offered an interpretation of island cuisine with its machorra meat stew; Carmelo Mugica from the Restaurant La Trastienda de Chago, a Canary suckling pig at a low temperature accompanied by Tejeda almond mojo; the cooks Saylem Cuevas and Creusa Ramos by Lemusa Catering, in Aldea de San Nicolás his goat in a dewlap cloak; y Aridani Alonso, from the Casa Romántica restaurant in Agaete, has chosen for the occasion a typical dish from the Canary Islands: fried cheese, simple but delicious; the cooks Alejandro Mederos & Javier Alabadi from the Anteo restaurant they have surprised us with their crispy ropa Vieja lasagna, canary cheese and fried chickpea; From the Dorotea restaurant, their delicious leeks have arrived, a tribute to delight the Canarian public from the hand of the chef. Carlos Padilla.

In addition, the association of artisanal cheese factories of Gran Canaria (ASOQUEGRAN) has allowed us to taste various varieties of cheeses that have been paired with wines, also local, offered by the distributor Vinófilos and the wineries Bien de Altura Vinos, Ventura Winery and Lava Winery.