Churros

Written by Colin Kirby on 12 November 2009 | 3 Comments | Food & Drink, Tenerife Uncovered

Is it the crunch as you bite into the golden shell, or the warm yielding dough inside, or the sweet taste, for me, most of all, it’s overdipping it in hot chocolate and letting it dribble down my chin.

Churros are one of my favourite indulgencies, a popular snack all over Spain, Tenerife is blessed with many Churrerias that serve the treat. If you are going to have a calorie frenzy, you might as well do it in full view, that’s why I like Marcos in the centre of Los Cristianos, Tenerife. Some might say it’s just a van parked for the last 15 years between the cultural centre and the traffic lights at the main road junction, some people have got no soul.

Churro is a breed of sheep from mainland Spain, and the theory is that these fatty friends look like their horns. The dough mixture is a little like choux pastry, with water, butter and flour, at Marcos you can see him pour the mixture into the metal funnel and into the pan to fry as a wheel, before being snipped into short lengths. The churros at Marcos are fairly smooth but many piping nozzles push them out ribbed, presumably for added pleasure.

At fairs and fiestas, stalls often serve them on their own in a bag, or you can have them with coffee, but the real enjoyment is churros con chocolate, with a cup of hot, sweet, sticky, chocolate. I love the way that Marcos serves them up with a large shaker of sugar, just in case you don’t find them sinful enough.

Go on, give into temptation, grab a table and order your gooey snack, they are just 2.50 euros with chocolate, I had already eaten some from the plate in the photo. Marcos also serves hot dogs, soft drinks, and alcohol of course, and is open from 7a m to 12.30 and 5.30 pm to 10 pm in the week, mornings only at weekends.

Tags: Churros, Los Cristianos, Tenerife