What to Buy in Tenerife: Souvenirs, Products and Crafts
From aloe vera creams to volcanic wines, choosing your souvenirs from Tenerife means tasting the island's culture — and its Canarian cuisine. The largest of the Canaries blends local produce — gofio, mojo, honey rum, palm honey — with crafts inherited from the Guanches, its first inhabitants. We haven't shopped here ourselves yet; this guide gathers verified, up-to-date information to help you know what to bring back, where to buy authentic, and discover the local traditions.
The essentials at a glance
- Local produce: aloe vera, honey rum (ronmiel), gofio, jarred mojo, DO wines, palm honey, goat's cheese.
- Crafts: calados (openwork embroidery), Guanche pottery, textiles, the timple (a small stringed instrument).
- Where to buy: local markets, Casa de los Balcones (La Orotava), produce shops rather than tourist bazaars.
- Culture: Guanche heritage, lucha canaria (wrestling), the timple and traditional music.
Our approach: verified research, not first-hand experience (yet)
- We haven't visited Tenerife ourselves yet. This guide is built from thorough research — local sources and up-to-date data — to help you plan your stay transparently.
- We'll enrich it with our own on-the-ground experience after our next visit. Until then, the details are indicative: check them before you go.
What to bring back: local produce and Canarian food
A good place to start is the larder. Canarian cuisine travels well: honey rum (ronmiel), a rum-and-honey liqueur, makes an ideal digestif, as do the island's volcanic wines, while island-grown aloe vera comes as prized creams and cosmetics.
For the pantry, gofio (toasted-cereal flour), jarred mojo (red and green), palm honey, goat's cheese and the Canary banana are essentials. These are best found in markets and delis rather than souvenir shops.
Crafts and Guanche culture
Tenerife's local crafts draw on an ancient heritage. Calados, an openwork embroidery on linen or cotton, adorn tablecloths and mats; the Casa de los Balcones, in La Orotava, is its best-known showcase. Pottery echoes the Guanches, the island's first inhabitants, hand-shaped without a wheel.
Local culture continues in music — the timple, an emblematic small stringed instrument — and in traditions like lucha canaria (Canarian wrestling) or the juego del palo. All facets to discover during your stay.
Where to buy authentic souvenirs?
To skip the bazaars and bring back the real thing, favour the municipal markets (such as Santa Cruz or La Laguna), produce shops and artisans' workshops. The Casa de los Balcones in La Orotava and the Casa del Vino in El Sauzal are go-to addresses.
For treats and wines, the guachinches and bodegas often sell their own production directly. See our page on Tenerife food and our Tenerife wine route.
Cuisine and recipes to take home
The best souvenir of Tenerife sometimes fits in a recipe. Papas arrugadas and their mojos are easy to recreate at home: see our Canarian recipes (papas arrugadas and mojo) to extend the trip in your kitchen.
In short, Tenerife's finest souvenirs are those of the land and local crafts, chosen from producers and artisans. To plan the rest of your trip, see our Tenerife guide.
Frequently asked questions
What should you buy in Tenerife?
Aloe vera products, honey rum (ronmiel), DO wines, gofio, jarred mojo, palm honey, plus crafts such as calados (embroidery) and Guanche pottery.
Where to buy authentic souvenirs in Tenerife?
At municipal markets, produce shops and artisans' workshops, rather than bazaars. The Casa de los Balcones (La Orotava) and Casa del Vino (El Sauzal) are references.
What is ronmiel?
A Canarian liqueur made from rum and honey, sweet and aromatic, often served as a digestif. It's a typical edible souvenir of the archipelago.
What are calados?
An openwork embroidery technique, on linen or cotton, creating geometric patterns for tablecloths, mats and household linen. It's an emblematic island craft.
What is gofio?
A toasted-cereal flour inherited from the Guanches, which accompanies many Canarian dishes. You'll find it bagged in delis and at traditional mills.
What heritage did the Guanches leave?
The Guanches, Tenerife's first inhabitants, left their mark on pottery, gofio and certain traditions. Their traces show up in the island's crafts and museums.