In several posts we have already talked about fruits grown in the Canary Islands, from the famous banana, to milk figs or brevas, the canary tuno, among others. We have talked about their benefits and how important they are in the diet of all Canary Islanders, but have you ever tried the Canary jams made with these fruits?
Canary jams or the sweetest part of the island's gastronomy
The idea of elaborating Canarian jams with local fruits was born with the objective of diversifying the options that these products offer, as well as to make them last in time without spoiling. Below we will talk about several very popular and consumed jams in the islands.
Banana marmalade, a star product
Plátano de Canarias is an institutional brand under which bananas grown in the Canary Islands are marketed and which, in turn, account for practically all the cultivation and production of this fruit in Spain . In addition, bananas are the most important crop in the Canary Islands and, for decades, its industry has been the protagonist of the economic growth of the Archipelago. In addition, bananas from the Canary Islands account for 60% of the European production of this fruit. We talk more in detail about this product in this article: The famous Canary Island banana, a unique product.
Even if you know this fruit, surely you have never tasted the delicious jam made with this product. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
3 bananas, 190 grams of sugar, 150 grams of water, a few drops of vanilla extract, half a lemon.
Elaboration
Peel the bananas and cut them into thin slices, put them in a bowl and sprinkle them with the juice of half a lemon. Next, heat a saucepan with the water and sugar over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to take on a light color. Then add the banana and vanilla extract to the saucepan, turn up the heat and when it starts to bubble, reduce it.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the fruit with a wooden spoon, for about 20 minutes or until it has the texture of jam. Remember that it will thicken as it cools. Store the banana jam in a jar with an airtight lid and reserve in the refrigerator, and it is ready for tasting.
Milk fig or fig jam
The fig tree is a tree of great importance in the landscape and rural life of the Canary Islands . It is enough to check the diversity of existing denominations for the different varieties of this fruit, figs of milk or brevas. However, both names are correct and correspond to the seasons of the fruit.
In the Canary Islands alone there are more than 40 varieties of fig trees. In addition, there are currently some 68,000 fig trees registered. In the municipality of Frontera alone, on the small island of El Hierro, there are more than 200 hectares cultivated with this fruit. We talk about this fruit in more detail in this article: Milk figs or canary figs, are there differences between both fruits?
Surely you know this delicious and sweet fruit. It is used to make one of the most delicious jams. Here is an easy recipe for this one:
Ingredients
500 grams of figs or figs of the desired type, 125 grams of white sugar, the juice of half a lemon, 100 milliliters of water.
Elaboration
First, cut the stalk off the figs if they have it, wash them very well with cold water and chop them into small pieces. Next, squeeze the lemon and strain its juice so that it does not contain seeds. Next, put the chopped figs, sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat and mix everything together. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, lower the temperature so that it is soft and let it cook for 30 to 40 minutes. While it is cooking, you can grind the fruit according to your taste. Once it has the desired consistency, take it off the heat and store it in glass containers. And it's ready!
Paula Vera
Photos: recetastips.com; lagourmeta.com; urbanjam101.com
