Roberto Barrios, Lanzarote's only Canary knife artisan: "The more you use it, the more beautiful it gets"

Ángel Roberto Barrios is from Tinajo and has worked for many years as a welder at the Cabildo de Lanzarote, but in his free time, for the past 15 years, he is also the only artisan on the island who produces Canarian knives, which are originally from the island of Gran Canaria.  

“I had always liked the forge and at a Feria de Los Dolores I saw the work of a Canarian knife artisan,” so he decided to travel to Gran Canaria and learn from the master cutler Ramón García in San Lorenzo.

When asked if he gives training on the trade in Lanzarote, Barrios confesses that he cannot give courses to groups, because only the masters from Gran Canaria are authorized, but they do allow him to teach his son, who at only 14 years old already helps him with the elaborations. 

Barrios, who has created or restored hundreds of Canarian knives in Lanzarote in the last 15 years, explains that “the blade, from the chin to the tip, must have 13, 15, 17, 19 or 21 centimeters”. 

The master from Tinajo takes between one week and fifteen days depending on the number of pieces in the handle: “Between the rings, I make stripes with pintadera shapes, stripes, flowers, geometric figures, inspired by old Canarian knives”. 

Indeed, the making of the handle, or as it is known among cutlers, the cabo, is the key and distinctive feature of the Canarian knife.

In addition to its characteristic geometric figures between the washers, the handle is defined because it is constructed “with ram's horn and metal, which can be brass, aluminum, silver, nickel, or gold,” shares Barrios. The price of Barrios' knives ranges between 150 and 300 euros depending on their complexity. 

The Canarian knife was born in the countryside. “Everyone used it before, for livestock, for banana plantations, for tomato growers… for everything. Now we mostly keep them in our homes for vegetables, we take them out for the romería, for a tenderete… they are knives to be used”.

“They are strong knives, they don't break, the more you use it, the more beautiful the knife looks, the more the handle shines. If you take care of it and use it, the handle lasts a lifetime. If the blade breaks, it is replaced”.

In fact, that is another of the peculiarities of the Canarian knife, which has an interchangeable blade, a unique characteristic among traditional knives in the world. Also, the fact that the blade is not welded, “makes them sound different”.  

If you decide to give a Canarian knife as a gift, don't forget to ask for at least one coin in return. “According to tradition, you have to receive a coin in return because weapons cannot be given as gifts”.