What to bring from Tenerife

There is nothing more precious than memories of travels to warmer climates, isn’t it? In this sense, Tenerife is simply paradise, it is always sunny, there are beautiful mountain and sea landscapes around, unique architecture, you can see, learn and do something new every day. But when it’s time to leave, what should you take with you as a “material” piece of the island as a keepsake? Things from Zara, ham And Riojan wine? Forget everything you know about Spain, because you are in the Canaries!

We will tell you about what you can bring from Tenerife, - gifts, which will really please you.

What you can't take out of Tenerife

Let's start with what you can't take out of Tenerife.

• Black sand on Tenerife's natural beaches - the result of a meeting of basalt chips, which are formed from lava, and cold ocean waters, which crush the chips into tiny grains. It is forbidden to export the sand, and it is quite difficult to collect it: in a day it heats up to 50 degrees in the sun!
• Pine branches and cones. Canary pine has a healing effect and is widely used to treat a variety of diseases, as well as their prevention. However, if you decide to bring a useful gift from Tenerife, you should know that picking branches or cones in the National Park Teideprohibited. No one is watching you, but it is not customary to do so. When you go to the sacred Pino Gordo pine, pay attention to the fact that there are no traces of vandalism either on the tree itself or in the surrounding area. It is as if the island protects itself.
• Flowers and plants. Flowers and other unusual plants are more difficult, as they are everywhere, not only on the mountainside, and you just want to pick them. This is also not recommended, because you can buy a sprout of any tree or flower you like in a store - the local authorities have taken care of you.

What to bring from Tenerife: souvenirs, flowers and other gifts

Flower sprouts. In every Spanish style store (a large chain of Canarian stores selling all sorts of things – cigarettes, alcohol, chocolates, caps, towels, glasses and souvenirs), as well as in the Hiper Dino grocery supermarkets, you can buy specially sprouted plants Canary Islands and transplant them at home. The choice is very large: dragon tree (dracaena), hibiscus, various cacti, banana, evergreen bougainvillea, oleander, yucca, flowering aloe. If you do not know what to bring from Tenerife and are limited in budget, then a sprout in plastic packaging will cost you about 5 euros. It must be checked in. By the way, we do not recommend buying anything in Hyper Dino except for especially attractive souvenirs: the prices for food here are very high due to the fact that this is the only chain that works on Sundays.

Cactus jam. The extraordinary taste and smell of the Canary Islands flora can be taken home in the form of a jar of jam made from the prickly pear cactus. These are the same cacti with large needles and red fruits that you will see everywhere in Tenerife and other islands of the archipelago. Jam made from their fruits tastes like kiwi and raspberry at the same time, and there is also freshly squeezed juice from the prickly pear. The product has an unusual taste and is very useful, in particular, it strengthens the immune system. This jam is sold in supermarkets, costs 3-4 euros per jar and up.

Fruits can be taken out even in hand luggage. The real dwarf Canarian bananas and grapes grown on the slopes of Teide are sold only in markets, such as Agromercado de Adeje. Mangoes, avocados, guavas and papayas are grown all over the island. We also recommend trying nispero (in Cataloniait is called "nespru"), which ripens in April, small fruits similar to plums, light orange with several seeds inside. Juicy, sweet with a slight sourness, healthy and refreshing fruit. You can bring from Tenerife kiwano, a banana-lemon “cucumber” with large pimples (also called “horned melon”), an African fruit that has taken root on the island.

Red or green mojo sauce. It is a natural traditional product made of olive oil, garlic, salt and spices: mojo rojo with pepper and mojo verde with parsley and cilantro. It is served in all restaurants and cafes with Canarian potatoes, and is also sold in supermarkets in gift packaging. A set of two different jars costs about 4 euros.

Flower honey. Tenerife also has classic apiary beekeeping, and the shops have a large selection of local honey: chestnut, orange, heather, avocado flowers, but the most exotic is honey from a plant called "Wildpret's echium", which blooms at a cloud altitude of over 2000 meters (high "panicles" covered with pink flowers), it is endemic to the island. The Spanish name is tajinaste. Imagine that this ancient flower has survived only in Tenerife!

Palm honey. One of the original and useful gifts that you can bring from Tenerife. Palm honey is one of the treasures of the local gastronomy. Honey is produced only on the island of La Gomera, and since Tenerife is the closest island to it, you can also buy this honey here, although it is a little more expensive than on La Gomera. The traditions of palm honey production are passed down from generation to generation, it is considered a panacea for all diseases, mainly due to its immunomodulatory and antiseptic properties. Bees have nothing to do with palm honey - it is produced manually from the juice of date palms, obtained during their flowering period. It is sold in souvenir shops at a price of 10 to 25 euros.

Alcohol and tobacco.Restrictions for the export of such products are as follows: no more than 800 cigarettes, 200 cigars or 1 kg of tobacco, no more than 10 liters strong alcohol and no more than 90 liters of wine. These are the ideas of the Spaniards about the norm of personal consumption of these drinks. How to navigate the range of Spanish wines, authentic liqueurs and rum on the shelves of Tenerife, read here. Please note that you must keep the receipt for each bottle, even if it is not from the airport duty free. And check the baggage rules of your air carrier and customs regulations for import into the Russian Federation.

Aloe cosmetics. The evergreen window sill plant that is familiar to us grows everywhere on Tenerife and blooms abundantly with small yellow and orange flowers. Aloe is the raw material for high-quality local cosmetics different brands. It is sold in specialized cosmetics stores and souvenir shops. It is not worth buying creams in Spanish Style or from street vendors. A jar of simple moisturizing cream costs 4-5 euros, a more serious cream - 15-30, shower gel - from 10.

Olivine. The mineral is a frequent inclusion in basalt layers, and is very abundant in the volcanic rocks of Tenerife. It is a semi-precious stone of a pleasant olive color, and it is because of it that the bare slopes of Teide shimmer green. Jewelry with olivine are sold everywhere in Tenerife. Talismans with this stone protect a person's peace, protect from bad dreams, bring luck to the unlucky, and also help to master various knowledge and secrets. Souvenirs cost 5-20 euros, jewelry with gold or silver is more expensive.

Pearl. It is simply impossible to pass by the Tenerife Pearl shops. These are real pearl palaces with a huge selection of pearls and pearl products, created for any age and budget. Prices start from 15 euros for bracelets, from 35 euros for earrings and beads and reach several thousand for designer items made from rare pearls. All jewelry is a unique product of a local factory. There are five Tenerife Pearl shops on the island, the largest of which with the best selection is located in a quiet village called Armeñime.

Clothes and shoes. There are flea markets where you can “dig up” unusual things, and the standard Spanish El Corte Ingles shops are also open with the same assortment as in Madrid or Barcelona, but the prices on the island are lower. And if compare prices, for example, with Moscow, then you will win almost twice. As you remember, in the Canaries, the effect of many taxes, which operate fully in the rest of Spain.

Olive oil. In Tenerife, as in any other part of Spain, you can buy olive oil in an iron five-liter canister (about 10 euros) and take it out of the country without any problems. Olive oilwill be a good gift if you haven’t decided to bring a gift with a bit of exoticism from Tenerife.

Source: https://espanarusa.com/ru/pedia/article/590302