Yesterday, La Orotava experienced one of the most anticipated and sweetest days of these Christmas holidays as a prelude to the arrival of Their Majesties to the municipality: the preparation of the giant Three Kings roscón.
The event, which has become a benchmark in the North of Tenerife, took place around Avenida Emilio Luque, outside the La Milagrosa school, where more than 4,500 people gathered according to municipal sources.
After four in the afternoon and with almost an hour left to start selling the portions, people crowded and queued to get a piece of the appreciated sweet. The line went up La Milagrosa Street and around to Sor Soledad Cobián. There were people who came from the south of the Island to try it given its “fame” and it did not disappoint them.
Others, like Iván, arrived from municipalities in the region, such as Santa Úrsula, or Carmen, who did so from La Matanza de Acentejo. “It was worth it because he is great, better than anywhere else,” he stressed.
She was accompanied by her daughter, María del Mar Donate, who lives in La Florida and in her case it was the second time she tried it but “it was better than last year,” she confessed.
For Cari it was also the first time. “I always wanted to come but I had to work but I’m already retired so this year I took advantage,” she told this newspaper.
The size of the roscón has been increasing over the years. From the 100 meters it had at the beginning, back in 2012, it went to 220 in 2018 until reaching 570 last year, becoming the largest in Tenerife. This year the great candy was made up of about 4,000 portions that, joined in a linear fashion, reached 500 meters in length and 450 liters of chocolate were distributed, an amount calculated for about 4,500 people.
The dough was made at the Jovita Bakery facilities and 300 kilos of flour were used to prepare it; 15 kilos of fresh yeast; 15 liters of orange juice; more than 125 kilos of candied and candied fruit, 50 kilos of orange, and other ingredients such as margarine, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, rum, eggs, water, milk and lemon.
The Manobuena sweet shop was in charge of filling the portions using 1,200 kilos of pastry cream that began to be made at dawn. At eight in the morning the staff, specifically twelve workers, moved to the place where the tents were already set up, to cut the dough, fill it and leave everything ready. “We have not stopped for a minute,” said the manager, Carmen Sosa, yesterday, while cutting the portions, helped by volunteers from the Red Cross and Cáritas since this year’s proceeds will go to both NGOs to help the most needy families in the region. municipality.
Carmen has had twelve editions of the roscón and has lived all of them with the same enthusiasm. “The first one was more clumsy because of the uncertainty, now we have more experience and it makes everything easier,” she said.
With the same enthusiasm, many people tasted the candy and looked for the surprises and gifts that were in the portions of the candy, donated by businesses in La Orotava, and more than one was surprised to find a bean.
News for 2025
In fact, every year we seek to improve this event and make it more attractive to the public. With this objective, in 2025 people with celiac disease will be taken into account and a part of the roscón will be made gluten-free, advances the Councilor for Commerce, Daisy Ramos.
The initiative is organized by this area and in addition to being another attraction for residents and visitors, it contributes to boosting commercial activity.
This was how it was yesterday since throughout the afternoon the good atmosphere reigned on Luque Moreno Avenue where there was no shortage of entertainment for the little ones with children’s characters while young and old were able to enjoy live music from Quimbao La Nuit and The Vandals.
La Orotava lived one more year in style on the sweetest day on the eve of the visit of the Magi of the East who will land today in the municipality to enjoy one of the largest parades with the greatest public attendance in the entire North. of the island.
