Everything is set in La Orotava to cook the largest stew this Saturday in Canary Islands. The 54 stainless steel cauldrons filled with natural produce are prepped to be placed on fire tomorrow and shared among attendees of one of the most popular festivities in the neighborhood of La Florida, Orotavense that have been declared of Tourist Interest in the Canary Islands and are held in honor of San Antonio Abad and the Virgin of La Esperanza.
Local volunteers from La Florida have been working in the community halls on Friday to prepare for the communal dish, which will be cooked Saturday morning and served later in the afternoon.
This year, the venue has been changed and moved to the area in front of the Florida football field. The space is larger. To avoid traffic and parking issues, the Orotavense City Council recommends using the bus.
In anticipation, Titsa has arranged for a special transportation plan. The Tenerife Council’s transport company will enhance the services of lines 345 and 373 during the neighborhood festivals in La Florida this weekend. These enhancements are in addition to the regular operations of these routes on weekends.
Both Saturday and Sunday, line 3. 4. 5 (Puerto de la Cruz station – El Botánico – La Orotava station – Camino de Chasna – Aguamansa and La Caldera de La Orotava) will offer extra journeys from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Titsa reinforces its links with La Florida neighborhood to facilitate public bus travel for attendees
Additionally, the 373 (Las Dehesas–La Florida–Camino Polo–La Piedad–Las Dehesas) will have more connections between La Orotava station and the Los Pinos de La Florida roundabout, as extra services will be available from 11:10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. This line will not enter the La Florida neighborhood but will operate from the Los Pinos roundabout.
During the festivities, the following stops will be affected: 4857 (Cercado del Moral), 4862 and 4856 (José Pérez Barbusano), 4861 (La Jarrita), 4860 (Jesús Luis Pérez), 4859 (La Florida) as well as 4855 and 4863 (Camino Los Guanches).
The company recommends using lines 101, which connect La Orotava station with Santa Úrsula, La Victoria, La Matanza, Tacoronte and La Laguna; and line 108, which connects the Santa Cruz Interchange Tenerife – La Laguna Interchange – Link Los Realejos and Icod de los Vinos Station with La Orotava station.
Titsa advises that the car parks at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Laguna interchanges offer special discounted rates of between 4 and 15 hours free when using the bus. The entire schedule can be found on the website www.titsa.com, by calling Titsa at 922.53.13.00, and across the company’s social media platforms.
The amounts of vegetables surpass 4,000 kilos and correspond to the traditional recipe, albeit in larger quantities. The haul includes over 600 cabbages, 75 kilos of pineapples, 700 kilos of potatoes, and 60 kilos of sweet potatoes, along with 1,300 kilos of pumpkin, more than 1,000 kilos of chayotes, 90 kilos of chickpeas, 70 kilos of beans and carrots each, nearly 1,000 kilos of bacon and ribs, 60 kilos of leeks, 25 kilos of garlic, 100 kilos of onions, 45 kilos of parsley, 75 kilos of bubangos, and 250 kilos of gofio.
All these are locally grown products from the community. The stew is cooked slowly over a low flame with dried broom from the national park Teide and takes a minimum of two hours. There’ll be entertainment from the groups Tres Quintos and El Golpito on that day.
The Cattle exhibition will also take place on this Saturday morning, marking its 52nd edition, featuring a procession of the images of San Antonio Abad and the Virgin of Hope for the blessing of the livestock after the mass celebration on the premises.
The Livestock Fair, which enters its 52nd edition, will be held this Saturday morning
On the other hand, Sunday will close the eventful program with the 41st edition of the pilgrimage. Following the conclusion, a lively festival will take place in the neighborhood square with the Kimbara group.
The commitment of the community and neighborhood associations is highly appreciated by the La Orotava City Council, both in organizing festival events and various projects that contribute to preserving traditions, customs, and local heritage.
