Quick answer: this is a historical food-festival story, not a current event listing. The photographs were taken at the II Festival del Patudo Canario y los Vinos de Tenerife, held in Tegueste in March 2017. If a new edition appears, use the organiser’s live programme for dates, tickets and travel details rather than assuming the same plan returns every year.
The old “Tuntsa” spelling is not the name of a local festival. It is a translation slip around the word for tuna. The real Spanish title is longer, more delicious, and much easier to find once you know it: Festival del Patudo Canario y los Vinos de Tenerife.
We drove north for it on a bright day while the south was getting soaked. Tenerife enjoys making weather forecasts look a little too confident.
The reward was a small, cheerful tasting event. Chefs cooked tuna tapas in front of us. Local wine had a very convincing supporting role.
What happened in Tegueste in 2017?
The 2017 programme lists the second edition from 17 to 19 March. The Mercadillo del Agricultor de Tegueste was its main meeting point.
The programme brought together cooking demonstrations, tastings and a tuna-tapa fair. Tenerife wines were part of the same experience.
This was not a tourist show performed at arm’s length. It put Canarian tuna, island wine and working cooks in the same small space.
The festival also used the name Tegueste tiene mar — “Tegueste has a sea”. It is a good line for an inland town that was temporarily looking towards the fishing side of the island through its food and wine.
Why the proper name matters
Patudo canario is the ingredient at the heart of the event. The title pairs it with wines from Tenerife.
The common spelling mistake hides both the food and the place. It also sends people searching for something that was never officially called that.
The 2017 programme presented a collaboration around Canarian tuna, Tenerife wine, chefs and the agricultural market. This is useful context. It is not a promise that a tasting fair will be on during your holiday.
Local verdict: come to this page for a real small-event memory and a useful name, not for a fictional permanent festival calendar.
Is Tegueste worth the detour?
Yes, if you enjoy local food, wine and a quieter north-side day. Tegueste sits close enough to La Laguna to make a natural cultural pairing.
The rhythm is different. La Laguna gives you grand-city wandering. Tegueste gives you a valley, a market and a slower meal.
I would not turn it into a race from the south coast. If you need a bigger north plan, use the North Tenerife guide. The broader Things to Do in Tenerife guide helps you decide whether this kind of day fits.
| Traveller | Why this story helps | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Culture-focused visitor | A small food event can show the island through producers and cooks, not only scenery. | Do not mistake this 2017 story for a confirmed future programme. |
| First-timer with a car | Tegueste and La Laguna make more sense as one unhurried north-side idea. | Keep the day flexible; weather and live event logistics decide the final shape. |
| Family | Shared tasting and a market setting can be pleasant when the live programme includes family-friendly activity. | Check current timings, queues, allergens and children’s programming before committing. |
| Photographer | Food preparation and wine service gave us intimate detail rather than postcard scenery. | Ask before close portraits and never block a cook or a stall for a shot. |
Handcrafted Teide guide
Want one big Tenerife day planned properly?
My Teide guide helps you plan the route, timing and practical details before you leave the coast. It is for the days when you want one major Tenerife landscape, not a heroic list of five unrelated stops.
The food we actually ate
The chefs gave us more than a slice of tuna on a plate. There was ceviche with lemongrass sauce. There were tuna burgers with vegetables and avocado cream.
There was also tuna over sweet potato. Small plates, yes. Timid, absolutely not.
Stands with local wines ran alongside the tapas. In 2017, one tapa ticket cost €2.50 and wine cost €1.
A three-tapas-and-four-drinks offer was €10. Those prices belong to the memory, not to your future budget. Treat food, formats and prices as live information.
We bought four tasting tickets and somehow received five. I will not pretend to understand the accounting. We were very happy with the outcome.
If a future edition appears
Start with Tegueste’s official festival information. Then check the market or named organiser’s own announcement.
Confirm the dates, venue, ticket system, allergens and family activity. Check bus reinforcement, road access and parking only when that programme exists.
For a no-car visitor, special transport can change from one edition to another. For drivers, access and parking can change too.
Do not use an old photo story as a reservation system. Pack a light layer and an umbrella if the forecast looks unsettled.
How to enjoy it respectfully
A tasting fair works best when you treat it as somebody else’s working day, not a set. Queue without leaning over the counter.
Let cooks plate before you photograph. Ask before close portraits. Keep children beside you in busy serving areas.
If you drink, make the car decision before the first glass. If you travel with children or anyone with food restrictions, ask the live stall about ingredients.
Pace the day around a proper meal, not seven heroic bites of tuna.
Safety rule: festival routes, parking rules, ticketing and food-allergy information belong to the current organiser. A beautiful old photograph is not a live instruction.
A small festival, properly enjoyed
We have fewer photographs than usual because we spent more time enjoying the moment. That still feels like the correct editorial decision.
The point was not to turn every tapa into evidence. It was to taste something thoughtful, drink something local and let a small north-Tenerife afternoon be enough.
If your holiday puts you in Tegueste or La Laguna when a properly announced edition returns, go with curiosity and a loose plan. If it does not, build your day around places that are actually open.
