Posted on 03/28/2019 10:25:50 AM PDT by blam
The Canary Islands are a unique part of Spain. Geographically part of Africa and politically part of Europe, it is unlike anywhere where else in Spain or the EU. In addition to being different from the rest of Spain, the islands are all different from each other as well, sometimes having radically different landscapes and geographies.
(1) They were NOT named after the canary birds.
Despite the name, the islands were not named after canaries, the cute, chirping birds. It comes from the Latin word for dog, “canaria“. One story is that when some of the first Europeans arrived, they found large dogs on the island of Grand Canary. In fact, they might not even be named after dogs at all, but rather after seals which used to inhabit the island, which the Romans called “sea dogs”.
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(6) The city of San Antonio, Texas was founded by people from the Canary Islands
If you remember the Alamo, then you should also take a second to remember the Canary Islands. The city was originally founded by settlers from the Canaries and their descendants died fighting alongside Jim Bowie and Davy Crocket. The founder of the city of São Paulo, Brazil is also from the island of Tenerife.
(snip)
(10) Tex-Mex cuisine can trace its roots back to the Canary Islands.
As noted above, many of the settlers of Texas and Mexico came from the Canary Islands, and almost all of the Spanish conquistadors came through the Canary Islands on their way to the New World. Along the way, they brought with them many of their food. The use of peppers and chilies originally came from African Berbers to migrated to the Canary Islands and infused the food their with their flavors. Other things such as the use of sauces, which in the Canary Islands are called mojo sauce, later became the basis of the sauces and salsas which are found in Tex-Mex cuisine.
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Best Answer: Yes, of course. The original inhabitants of the Canary islands were the Gaunches who were descendants of Berbers, a white North African group. In fact, the original Spanish explorers were surprised to find that many of the natives had blond hair, unique among North African groups! The natives were later supplanted by the Spanish who colonized the islands in the 15th century. Modern Canary Islanders are mainly of Spanish background, but some do have significant amounts of native ancestry. However, today the population of the Canary Islands looks no different than the majority of other Spaniards.
Ping.
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Something You Didn't Know About Cajuns (Ilenos, Canary Islands)
No good.
I’ve known too many Spaniards.
"..chicken,they taste like unfulfilling tiny bits of chicken"
No canaries on the Canary Islands? I heard it’s the same story on the Virgin Islands......no canaries.
Thanks for posting this, blam. Very interesting and intriguing.
No canaries in the Canary Islands. It’s like the Virgin Islands. No canaries there, either.
Sorry.... I just like that gag.
Great minds....
Very interesting. Thanks.
Thanks blam. I suspect that the biggest selling automobile there is either the Land Rover or the Range Rover.
Yes, that was a dog joke.
18. The Canary Island has a current named for them that is the Eastern boundary of the only sea completely defined by currents.
“The use of peppers and chilies originally came from African Berbers”
Every source says chili peppers came from the New World.
Well done!!!
Yup. That's what I've been taught too. I've read that it was the Spanish who took the Caribbean hot peppers all over the world.
When Did We Start Naming Our Dogs Rover, And Why?
"One stereotypical name for a dog is Fido, from the Latin for faithful. "
The canary bird got its name from the Canary Islands--one of the places which it is native to.
Sargasso Sea
No coal mines in the Canary Islands either?
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