The archipelago's benign climate clearly helps the local agricultural sector, especially in Tenerife at the foot of the Teide, where the climactic conditions allow up to three harvests a year of exotic potato varieties to be grown.

The names of Canary Isle papas are an invitation in itself to try them. The black papa is the most popular, whose main variety is papa negra yema de huevo. It is characterised by a dark grey skin whose pulp is a pinky yellow in colour and sweet and smooth. The demand for this variety has increased greatly in recent years, although it is still nearly impossible to find on the Spanish mainland, and always at exorbitant prices.

Papas bonitas is not a local dish, but a large family of potatoes characterised by their unusual names. The bonita ojo de perdiz, bonita colorada, bonita negra, little known variety is grown in the Valle de la Orotava, as is the bonita blanca and bonita llagada, the most appreciated of the bonitas. Azucena blanca has an exquisite flavour that is only comparable to the black variety grown in the north of Tenerife.

The colorada de Baga improves in flavour a few months after being picked. Also not to be overlooked are the negrita herre�a� and the papa de ojo azul grown on Lanzarote.

If Canary cuisine is the least known of Spanish regional varieties, there is one dish that everyone knows and loves: the papas arrug�s served with the inseparable garlic sauce. The cooking technique is typical of the islands and only Canary potatoes should be used to obtain the best results. When the potatoes have been washed to remove soil, they are placed in boiling water with abundant sea salt and, after cooking, the excess water is drained off and the potatoes are once again cooked at low heat to evaporate the water from the potato's skin giving the vegetable a wrinkly and white appearance because of the salt.

Locals tend to have a special pan for this dish, in which successive cooking helps to form a thick layer on the base. This cooking method was apparently due to the lack of sweet water, which forced the locas to cook in salt water. Papas arrug�s are served whole, with their skin and accompanied by red garlic sauce, a local speciality made with dried, red Canary peppers, cumin, garlic, chilli peppers, oil, vinegar and bread. They can also be served with green garlic sauce, which uses coriander instead of peppers. They are perfect when served with all types of meat and fish.