If you’re a keen cook, an adventurous eater, a vegetarian or vegan, gluten intolerant or just fancy some new flavours, discovering the ethnic food shops on Lanzarote is worth doing.
Of course, British/Irish shops would also be classed as “ethnic” on Lanzarote, where Branston pickle and Marmite are as strange as anything from China or India, but here are some of the other cuisines that are represented on this multi-cultural island.
CHINESE/ FAR EASTERN
A trip to Arrecife is necessary if you want to stock up on far-eastern ingredients.
For many years the Chao supermarket at C/La Inés 25 was the largest Chinese store on the island. It’s still a great store, but now the Suko Cash & Carry on the industrial estate opposite the Traffic department is even larger. There are also smaller Chinese stores on C/Aniagua and opposite Playa Reducto.
You’ll find Chinese, Korean and Japanese products including tofu, a wide selection of noodles, spices, soy sauce, sriracha, oyster sauce, hoisin, seaweed (kombu, wakame, nori) and much more. The freezers are well worth a rummage, and fresh vegetables, including pak choi, spring onions, mustard greens, snake aubergines and okra usually arrive on Tuesday and Thursdays.
INDIAN
Yash Mini Market on C/Anzuelo 28-30 is the place to go for Indian ingredients, with a wide range of spices, pulses, pickles, chutneys and other subcontinental specialities. Owner Poonam is a legend among local fans of Indian cuisine, full of handy tips and advice on what to buy and how to use it.
MOROCCAN
At 127 C/León y Castillo, just opposite the Open Mall, you’ll find one of the island’s best Moroccan stores, simply called Mini Market.
It stocks preserved lemons, olives, halal meat, labneh, pulses, spices and many other Moroccan ingredients, as well as equipment such as metal teapots, tagines and brightly coloured ceramics, all at reasonable prices.
LATIN AMERICAN
Lanzarote’s significant Latin American population means that these ingredients can often be found in normal supermarkets, but there are several smaller grocers in Arrecife that stock south American products. Look out for panela (raw cane sugar), yucca, plantains and various dried maize products.
GERMAN
German and Eastern European products are available at 2 Calle Guanapay, just off Puerto del Carmen’s Avenida de las Playas.
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