Guatemala is the Ultimate Stew Country!

Rudy Giron: Antigua Guatemala &emdash; Guatemalan Cuisine: Subanik de Tres Carnes

Here’s your Mayan word of the day: Ik or hot, spicy, or picante in Spanish. You find the word Ik at the end of many Guatemalan meals such as Kak’ik and Subanik.

As I have mentioned before, Guatemalan gastronomy is so rich with stews. If the stews are watery we call them caldos and if the stews are thick we call them recados. In Guatemala we have plenty of caldos and recados and sometimes is difficult to decide whether a stew is a caldo or a recado. Take Kak’Ik for instance, which is caldo that looks like a recado.

Today’s picture is for the three-meat Subanik from Camille diner located at on Alameda El Calvario on the weekends only. Subanik, also known as “God’s meal”, is the perfect bowl of hot reddish-orange broth according to Cia from Writing With My Mouthfull. Subanik is a ceremonial dish of the Kaqchiquel Maya of Guatemala. It is traditionally steamed in a nest of about 6 to 8 large mashan leaves tied at the top with cibaque, or decorative rope according information shared by Brigid Schulte for The Washington Post.

Luckily for us, both articles include recipes in English to prepare Subanik in the United States, both articles also include recommendations for substituting ingredients not available in the U.S. and Canada.

Without further ado, here are the recipes for Subanik in English:

  • Subanik: 8 servings, this recipe includes nutrition facts. This Subanik recipe is adapted from a recipe of the Antigua Cooking School in Antigua, Guatemala.
  • Subanik: Guatemalan stew recipe adapted from Ezekiel, the chef for La Lancha, a retreat in Lake Petén Itza.

How many other Guatemalan stews can you name besides pepián, revolcado, tapado, subanik, pulique, hilachas, jocón, kak’ik, caldo de gallina, caldo de res, gallo en chicha, tiras de panza, pollo en crema, pollo a la cerveza, carne guisada, rabo en amarillo, caldo de mariscos, etc.?

How many of these stews have you tried?

© 2014 – 2020, Rudy Giron. All rights reserved.

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