{"id":15075,"date":"2026-04-15T09:35:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T09:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/blog\/que-es-el-gofio\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T09:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:06:15","slug":"what-gofio-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/what-gofio-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you know what Gofio is and where it comes from?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We cannot talk about Canary Islands gastronomy without mentioning gofio<\/strong>. Do you know what it is<\/strong>? It is toasted cereal flour, usually wheat or corn, which is used in various preparations.  Today it is considered the most famous Canarian dish. This is not surprising, given that for a long time it was the staple food of the Canary Islands’ aboriginal population, allowing them to survive thanks to its excellent nutritional qualities. But what is gofio made of<\/strong>? Here you can find out more about this dish that will make you want to try it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of gofio<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gofio was first eaten by the aborigines of the Canary Islands<\/strong>. Although its origin is unknown, it is believed that Berber tribes arrived from North Africa between the 1st and 5th centuries BC. Their diet was based on legumes, local berries and some fruits that could be found on the islands, such as dates and blackberries. Fishing also played an important role in the diet of the first Canarians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did they eat cereals? The original inhabitants of the Canary Islands consumed barley and wheat grains<\/strong> by toasting them evenly, without burning them, and grinding them in a stone mill. In this way they obtained a flour with a characteristic roasted flavour, which they used to make bread or porridge. The earliest archaeological evidence of gofio consists of the remains of ferns and seeds with crushed and toasted wheat grains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where gofio comes from<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see from the history of gofio<\/strong>, the Canary Islanders seem to have been the first to consume cereals in this unique way. However, it is very similar to polenta<\/strong>, made with maize instead of wheat, which originated in Italy but is very popular in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Chile and Venezuela. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays it is also common to find gofio de millo (corn)<\/strong> in the Canary Islands. Over time, oats, spelt, etc. have also appeared. Any grain that can be toasted can be used to make gofio, and all of them can be used to make these Canarian delicacies!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"how
Stone mills are still essential to achieve the traditional texture of gofio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How gofio is made<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we have seen, in the beginning a rudimentary stone grinder with a goat’s bone was used. Later an instrument called the toaster was used, which still exists today. It consists of a metal container, usually round, which is placed over the fire. The beans are placed inside and stirred with a wooden stick so that they roast evenly. They are then ground with stone or iron mills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, the process is simplified by technological means. First of all, the impurities (other grains) are removed by sieving in machines called cleaning machines. It is then toasted in toasters at 150\u00b0C. This process, which distinguishes gofio from other flours, gives it its characteristic toasted flavour and also eliminates any micro-organisms that may be present in the grain. It also makes it easier to digest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before milling, the grain is cooled. Traditionally, this was done at room temperature in bags called coolers. Nowadays, however, forced ventilation or Archimedes screws are used to speed up the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike other flours, gofio is not milled with rollers. Stone mills <\/strong>are still used to grind gofio. In the past, basalt was used, but now stones from Alicante, Catalonia or Germany are used, as any stone is not suitable for grinding gofio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use in Canary Islands gastronomy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we have already mentioned, there are many types of gofio<\/strong> today and it has always been used in different preparations. But what is the traditional Canarian gofio<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best known in the islands is gofio escaldado, escald\u00f3n<\/strong> or simply gofio<\/strong>. It is usually prepared by adding gofio to a fish or meat broth. There are also vegetarian versions made with vegetable broth and, in La Gomera, with stew broth. Gofio is also decorated differently on different islands. The most common is to wrap it in onion rings and add a sprig of mint and fried garlic in the middle, although in La Palma it is often served with cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you ask those who have tried it, you’ll find very different opinions: some love it, others don’t seem to like it very much, and others can’t get used to its texture, which is reminiscent of baby food. Despite being such a simple dish, it does not leave diners indifferent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also recipes for sweet gofio, such as pella de gofio<\/strong>, which is gofio kneaded with palm honey, water or cinnamon. Sultanas and almonds can also be added. Another very common dessert is gofio <\/strong>mousse<\/em><\/strong>, also made with palm honey, with the usual texture of a mousse and the delicate cereal flavour of gofio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Canarian homes, gofio is commonly used to make bread, pancakes, biscuits, etc. You can even find gofio ice cream and, in some supermarkets on the islands, gofio energy bars and gofio and chocolate spreads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for gofio made from other cereals, there is oat gofio, which is perfect for drinking with milk at breakfast or for making all sorts of sweet recipes. However, the most popular gofio is still wheat gofio, closely followed by corn gofio. Although there are differences between each type, they all have one thing in common: a toasted flavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"use
Escald\u00f3n is one of the most traditional ways to enjoy gofio in the Canary Islands.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you want to try gofio, you have to do it in the Canary Islands, as it is very difficult to find in the rest of the peninsula. At the Lopesan Hotel Group<\/a>, we encourage you to try it in the restaurants that collaborate with the chain or in our hotels. We want you to make the most of your stay in our islands, while resting in our accommodation. Now that you know what gofio is<\/strong>, all you need to know is how it tastes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We cannot talk about Canary Islands gastronomy without mentioning gofio. Do you know what it is? It is toasted cereal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canary-islands","category-gastronomy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15099,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15075\/revisions\/15099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lopesan.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}