One of the best things about travelling and discovering new places is, without a doubt, tasting the local gastronomy and products. If you're planning a trip to Tenerife, there's one typical dish of the island that you can't miss: escaldón de gofio.
Escaldón de gofio is an ancient and traditional recipe from the island of Tenerife. It is made by boiling a meat or fish stock which is then poured over the gofio in an earthenware bowl (lebrillo) and kneaded to a more or less thick consistency.
Escaldón differs from escaldón in that the latter is prepared on the bottom of the fire, adding the gofio until it binds, whereas escaldón is prepared outside the fire with the hot broth.
There are many variations of this typical dish depending on which island you visit. Each island has its own characteristic recipe and each Canarian home has its own familiar way of preparing it, but the essence is always the same.
Gofio is, together with the broth, the main base of escaldón and has always been one of the most consumed foods in the Canary Islands. It looks like flour and is made from toasted and ground cereals. There are different types of gofio: millet, wheat, mixed or multigrain, and it can also include legumes such as chickpeas or lentils. You can read more about this nutritious food in the following link.
The history of this food dates back to pre-Hispanic times, being one of the main foods of the aboriginal Canary Islanders due to its high nutritional value and fundamental in successive periods as a staple food to alleviate famine. Moreover, gofio is not only eaten as a stew, but also mixed with milk, kneaded with honey and dried fruit and nuts, or as an accompaniment to stews. It can even be made into mousse or ice cream. In the following link you can find out what gofio mousse is and how to make it.
Escaldón de gofio can be served as a starter with other dishes or as a main course with a stew or fish casserole. If you haven't tried this dish yet, here is the recipe so you can prepare it at home.
Escaldón de gofio: how to make it
Ingredients
800 millilitres of meat, fish or vegetable stock; 250 grams of gofio (whichever you like best); one red onion; fresh white cheese; shredded pork ribs; coriander mojo; red mojo (mild or spicy).
Preparation
Start by heating the broth, which can be bought or made at home. Next, take an earthenware or ceramic bowl and add the gofio and add the stock little by little. Mix well with a fork until the mixture is homogeneous and season to taste.
We shred the pork ribs and add them to the escaldón and, in addition, we add the chopped onion and the chopped cheese. All this is optional.
When serving, add coriander mojo and red mojo on top.
And with this it is ready to eat. We hope you like this typical Canarian dish which is so easy to prepare.
Paula Vera
Photos: tenerifelicidad.net, Guía Repsol, bonviveur.es
