Friday, 12 December 2014 00:00

Delicious Daily Doughnuts in Gran Canaria

Light and fluffy, golden brown, with a crust of flaky sugar and a hint of lemon: Gran Canaria's doughnuts, called donuts, are a delight. 

Donuts never make it into the guide books or the typical food lists. However, they are one of the island's unique treats and everybody who visits should try one. 

Donuts are made daily by the Panrico Donuts company in Teror town and delivered every by a fleet of vans. By 9.00 am every bar, corner shop and cafe on the island has a stack of delicious donuts on their counter.  

Panrico has been making donuts in Gran Canaria for over 50 years. Nowadays they produce a range of chocolate stuffed doughnuts a la crispy creme but their original version with the hole is still the best.
There are two ways to buy and eat a donut, both with their own local rules. These aren't enforced but are deeply entrenched in the Canarian psyche. 


The first is to buy it in a small shop, called an estanco. Here donuts are always served in a square serviette that has a blue or red line around the edge. You eat the donut before you leave the shop: It's rude to eat and walk at the same time in the Canary Islands if you are over the age of 18. 


The second way is to order your donut at a sit down cafe. It comes on a small white plate with a serviette (with no blue or white border), and a small fork. You eat your donut with the fork, not with your hands, accompanied with a cafe con leche. Dunking is permitted but causes an etiquette dilemma. You can't dunk with a fork. You can't you eat the donut with your hands. The solution is to break off a piece of donut with the side of the fork, using a downwards motion. You can then pick the piece up and dunk it in your coffee. 

Alex says: Donuts go stale in hours so never buy one on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday. You can get them in supermarkets but the packaged ones are never as good.

Join the Gran Canaria Info newsletter list

endanlfifrdeisitnoplptruessv

 

 

Follow us on Facebook

Tip of the day

  • Tip Of The Day: Avoid Bank Card Charges By Paying In Euros
    Tip Of The Day: Avoid Bank Card Charges By Paying In Euros

    Save money and avoid rip-off bank charges while in Gran Canaria by paying in euros when using your credit or debit card.

    Many bars and restaurants in Gran Canaria, and in almost all European holiday destinations, give you the option of paying in euros or in your home currency. Opting for your own currency, while it may seem like the safer option, can add as much as 5% to the bill as it triggers dynamic currency conversion. 

    DCC basically means that the exchange rate is calculated at point of sale rather than by your bank. It allows you to see the total cost of the transaction in your own currency but adds up to 5% to the total because it uses a terrible exchange rate. 

    Since the extra money is shared between your bank and the merchant, some places will automatically bill you in your own currency and hope you don't notice. You have the legal right to refuse and void the transaction should this happen. 

    ATMs too

    The same applies when taking money out of ATM machines in Gran Canaria (and anywhere in Europe); Always choose the local currency option to avoid losing money to poor exchange rates.

    If you opt for the local currency option, using bank ATMs is often the cheapest and safest way of getting euros in Gran Canaria. It's far safer than having a big pile of euros hidden in your room or tucked into your shorts.

    More details in this Daily Telegraph article.

Latest articles

Who's Online

We have 3667 guests and no members online

Login / Register

Take this website to the max, login or create an account now! By clicking on any Social Media platform logo, you can login with just one click.