The best nutritional bread in Spain is made in Vigo, but thanks to the hands of a Tenerife native, Diego Marín, and the unique powder extracted from the red figs of the sugar company Tuno Canarias.
He Tintococcus, which is what the bread is called because of its two main components, the properties of prickly pear and organic wheat flour, won the prestigious The Baker competition, held recently in Sabadell, also with a nod to Tenerife, not only because of the powder of the red fig, but because of the shape of the bread, reminiscent of Teide. Diego Marín won over the 40 participants from all over Spain, and this is the second grand prize he has won, after winning two years ago for the “best sourdough bread in Spain, with a French baguette of nutty gofio”, showing that there Wherever he goes he does not lose his Canarian roots.
Diego Marín could not be a prophet in his land, because after studying cooking he began to be enthusiastic about bread working at the Leticia bakery in Finca España. Shortly after, in 2008, he opened a sourdough bakery on the capital’s Álvarez de Lugo street, “which I had to close in 2012 because that bread did not fit in the area then.” He traveled to Madrid until love took him to Vigo, three years ago.
There he opened Pandemoniumwhere “I already have waiting lists for the Tintococcus, which logically I make it round and not with the shape of Teide, that was only for the contest.” A waiting list, he tells us, which is explained because “it is difficult to find that type of wheat, triticum monococum and the toasted seeds, which enhance the properties of this bread, and the red fig that I put in the dough, which comes from the pink fruit from the prickly pears of the Canary Islands and that I get through Tuno Canarias”, adding that “all these ingredients have enormous, almost unique properties, but the bread also needs a lot of love, because the bread picks up the mood you have. that day,” he says.
He explains that “the 24-hour fermentation and baking make this bread almost a souvenir, a delicacy, apart from how healthy it is: it is low in gluten and has antioxidants, while the fig is rich in fiber and controls weight. ”.
Red figs from the San Lorenzo Valley
ijo Adrián, are responsible for Tuno Canarias, located in Valle San Lorenzo (Arona). “Since we were little we dreamed of sharing the wonders of the Indian prickly pear fig. Its nutritional richness exceeds that of many fruits, making it a perfect ally for our health and well-being,” says José Ledesma, who has managed to commercially exploit all the properties of the unique prickly pear. Jam, infusions with mint, organic sea salt, pulp for smoothies, juices and pastries and even fermented fig wine vinegar. A year ago Tuno Canarias was considered the Best Spanish Product at the Iberian Fair in London.
José Ledesma was surprised and even worried by the campaign to eradicate prickly pear plants in Tenerife carried out by the Cabildo. “It would be the last straw if they took away the possibility of marketing a product that is beneficial for health and that has eliminated so much hunger in many Canary Islands in centuries,” he commented, to clarify: “I suppose that when they talk about it not being able to be marketed, they are referring to the plants themselves, not their fruits and products”, understanding, of course, that it is “an exotic and invasive prickly pear tree”.
