18
ENYESQUE
Welcome to GRAN CANARIA
JULY I JULIO 2018
CANARY FOLKLORE AS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE Something similar has happened with local Canary dialect; following the implanting of the vernacular language, there remain certain differences in syntax, phonetics, entonation, and above all in vocabulary, in which expressions are mixed in from countries such as Portugal, England and Galicia, which have been altered to local usage, along with the odd age-old word of local guanche origin, together with a whole host of aboriginal toponyms. Another great manifestation of local popular knowledge is forged out of the rich and diverse Canary cuisine, characterised by almost limitless influences from elsewhere while never losing its own ancestral qualities at certain times. Highlights of the island’s menu choices include the famous ‘puchero canario’, a stew made from many different components, comprising different meats and vegetables. There is also water cress stew, radish, cabbage, jaramagos liver, all slow cooked, with fried tomato and onion, spices and potatoes with bacon. Pork is a common food here, in marinade, sauce or fried. Its many by-products go into many cold meats including chorizo and Canary black pudding, setting it apart from mainland Spain with its added sugar, raisins and almonds.
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Romería de San Antonio.
■ The ethnographic, indigenous and most genuine side to each village is one of the most striking attractions for tourists. The word ‘folklore’ as a term to describe “knowledge of the people” through a series of authentic popular traditions, beliefs and customs are expressed through language, narration, crafts, magic and popular medicine, plus music and dance, architecture, cuisine, clothing, film, superstitions, and so on. Among the islanders’ many different legitimate creations, we can highlight the Carnival, which although is held in other different countries, the sheer crowd numbers make for ever new show formats and stages adapted to grand television productions. Another element to be found at different locations around the island are the so called ‘papahuevos’, a variant to the traditional large-sized papier-maché heads to be found on
the European continent. Not so bull-fighting, which never generated enough public following to make its high cost viable, as opposed to home-grown ‘lucha canaria’ wrestling and ‘vela latina canaria’ sailing boats, the latter being an exclusive sport to be found on the waters around the island’s capital. It is musical folklore which has developed the deepest roots in popular terms, with clear influences of “jota aragonesa” and other musical styles that have filtered in from mainland Spain. Other popular songs from America have also crossed the ocean to the island, highlighting the Canaries’ location as a strategic crossroads, hence the many varied influences that have formed the base of local folklore. There are also pre-Hispanic references that shine through today on the islands, that ran all the way through to the 15th century, conserving the neolithic culture that had all but died out between the peoples of Europe and North Africa.
The famous ‘sancocho canario’, is a salted fish dish boiled slowly in water, accompanied by potatoes and spicy mojo sauce. Added to this dish is the ancestral gofio cornmeal, in a tightly packed lump called “pella”. It has been the staple diet for Canarians over the years thanks to the grains from wheat, barley, and more recently maize, which is previously toasted and crushed. The surrounding seas provide ‘tollo’ fish, with cartilage strips of dry fish called called “cazón” prepared in a sauce. And finally, the afore-mentioned liver that goes into local ‘carajacas’ Canary singing boasts many different facets, from songs shaped by outside influences, of monastic origins, as well as ancestral and autoctonous ones, along with songs with high levels of social identity that flourished in the 1970s. These include La Folía, la Malagueña, los ‘ranchos’ and even Christmas Carols known as -’los divinos’-. From a distant aboriginal past emerges the Tajaraste, with nostalgic and harrowing percussion sounds, contrasting starkly with ancient Canary loping dancing styles known in 16th century Europe as ‘el canario’. All this, without forgetting that in times gone by people used to communicate in mountainous regions by whistling, now not so common but still prevalent in the island of La Gomera. So as you can see, there are plenty of experiences to try out…