
Key chains, shots glasses and “I Heart Tenerife” T-shirts can always provide a quick souvenir fix, but unfortunately they can also be a clear indicator that you’ve most likely done your souvenir shopping the very last minute, or worse – in the airport. Therefore, if you’re looking to bring something home that will long remind you of those sun-drenched afternoons on the beach, or give your loved ones a taste of the largest of the Canary Islands, then here are five keepsakes to look out for.
1) Birdsong Whistles
If your trip to Tenerife was a parent’s getaway and you want to bring home something that would make it up to your little ones, make sure to pick up some birdsong whistles from Pinolere Craft Fair. Crafted by the local artisans in a community that has mastered the art of carpentry, basket weaving and ironmongery for centuries, they shouldn’t cost you more than a few euros and will serve as an excellent educational material, should your kids want to find out more about the mysterious Whistled (Silbo Gomero) language. Although spoken by the original inhabitants of another island, the Guanches, it is also represented in Tenerife.
2) Photos of Mount Teide
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to bag something 100% original, instead of shopping for postcards, go and snap a few shots of Spain’s highest summit, Tenerife’s volcano Mount Teide. The main tourist resorts of Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos don’t really provide the best views of the monumental mount, so get out your hiking shoes, head into the Mount Teide National Park or La Orotava Valley and start snapping!
Just make sure to do something creative with the photos when you get home, rather than leaving them to sit on your memory card for the next 5 years. You could add the snaps to a scrapbook of your travels or get a couple of photo canvases printed for family and friends.
3) Peridot Gemstone
Whether you actually make it to the volcano or not, this semi precious gemstone, born in fiery lava, is a must-have keepsake from your Tenerife trip. Ranging in colour from olive-green to yellow-brown, it is usually available as pendants or bracelets. It can allegedly benefit your health and wellbeing by helping your liver and kidneys remove toxins from your blood.
4) Bottle of Mojo Sauce
For all the gourmets among you, there couldn’t be a better way of securing a little taste of Tenerife than in a bottle of Canarian signature Mojo sauce. Commonly served cold, red Mojo is made of mixed hot and sweet peppers, while green Mojo is milder, consisting of coriander, parsley and garlic. The sauce gives an ideal touch to fish and vegetable dishes and tastes great with cheese too. In the Canaries, Mojo sauce is a traditional accompaniment to another traditional dish – “wrinkled potatoes” (you’ll spot it on the menu as papas arrugadas).
5) Goatskin Wine Bottle
Tenerife’s wine making traditions are centuries old and so is the practice of consuming it out of goatskin bottles, still massively popular during Tenerife’s afternoon siestas, as it keeps the wine cool even during the most blistering of temperatures. Goat skin was a very popular material among Guanches – the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands, who also used it in their garments, as well as in burial traditions.
So, which one of these would find space in your suitcase after your luxury beach holidays in Tenerife? Have you come across any other exciting souvenirs yourself?