Lorraine Williamson
A town on Tenerife has just proved that Christmas spirit can be measured — and not in half measures. In Puerto de Santiago, a glossy, pale ribbon of turrón unfurled across the public square until it hit an extraordinary 1,151.15 metres, officially certified on site by Guinness World Records.
For Santiago del Teide, this wasn’t a lucky one-off. It was a deliberate second swing — and it landed. The municipality has now beaten its own previous record, turning a local festive tradition into a headline-making spectacle.
A record set in the middle of the street
The scene was part bake-off, part civic pride. The turrón was laid out in the Plaza Pública of Puerto de Santiago, where the final measurement was verified before the certificate was issued.
It also appears to have pushed past the previous world benchmark, recorded in Italy, placing a small corner of Tenerife firmly on the global Christmas map.
Not just long — unmistakably Canarian
Turrón is a Spanish Christmas staple, usually built around almonds and honey and sold in neat blocks. Santiago del Teide kept the tradition, but made it speak with an island accent. Alongside almonds, honey and sugar came banana and gofio — the toasted grain flour that has fed Canary Islanders for generations.
The scale was just as striking as the flavour profile. More than 3,366 kilos of locally sourced ingredients went into the finished piece, with organisers framing the project as a showcase for “kilometre zero” produce.
A community build, not a solo stunt
Records like this don’t happen with a single chef and a big pan. The town council led the effort, backed by professional kitchens, producers and hospitality groups, including ACYRE and specialist technical staff to manage food safety and logistics.
Local reporting around the build-up captured another truth about food culture: who gets invited matters. In Tenerife, where traditional turrón-making still survives in the north of the island, some artisans publicly questioned why they weren’t formally involved.
The best bit: it was made to be eaten
Once the tape-measure moment was done, the turrón didn’t sit behind barriers like a museum piece. It was cut up and distributed to around 20 social organisations, with portions going to vulnerable families so the record left a tangible benefit behind.
That detail changes the mood of the story. It’s not only about size. It’s about what a community chooses to do with the attention.
Santiago del Teide’s sweet spot
For Tenerife, the timing is no accident. December is peak season for visitors chasing winter sun, and food has become one of the Canary Islands’ strongest cultural calling cards — a way to sell a place without turning it into a theme park.
Santiago del Teide has now shown a workable formula: take a traditional product, ground it in local ingredients, then turn the making of it into an event people want to witness. If other towns copy the idea, the next records may be less about length — and more about what “local” really tastes like.
Sources: Santiago del Teilde, Tenerife Weekly, Cadena SER