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I have said it often and I even declared it as irrefutable fact: the best place to have ice cream in Antigua Guatemala has to be the Plaza Mayor (main plaza), better known as Parque Central. So, it comes as no surprise that there are seven ice cream shops within one block from parque central; maybe more. Still, if you don’t believe me ask these three happy-ice-cream-eating nuns.

One more thing, remember that the ice cream in Guatemala is unbelievably delicious because it is the real McCoy.

If you don’t know the Guatemalan artists Ricardo Arjona and Gaby Moreno this is your chance to catch them both doing a duet arrangement. They are the most famous and popular Guatemalan artists abroad. (more…)

Ayode en dulce or ayote en miel is among the most popular desserts for Día de Todos los Santos (Feast of All Souls) and Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead). Wondering what ayote is? well, ayotes are pumpkins. I bet you didn’t know that Guatemala is the cradle for pumpkins. The Guatemalan pumpkin is about the size of medium-size melon and it is green inside.

Here’s a simple recipe to prepare ayote en dulce.

Ingredients:

• 1 ayote mediado
• 1/2 pound of panela (read more about panela below)
• 1/2 half of cinnamon stick
• 1/2 of a ginger root
• 1 allspice ball

Preparation:
Wash well and break the ayote in small pieces. Put all the ayote pieces, cinnamon, ginger root, panela pieces and allspice in a pot and add enough water without covering ayote. Boil until the ayote is soft and the syrup has been absorbed by the ayote.

Panela is an unrefined food product, typical of Central and South America, which is basically a solid piece of sucrose and fructose obtained from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice.

Bon appetite!

Here are other Guatemalan desserts that are prepared for the season:

• Guatemalan Dessert: Jocotes en miel
• Guatemalan Dessert: Camote en miel
• Guatemalan Dessert: Coyoles en Miel
• Guatemalan Dessert: Coco en Miel
• Guatemalan Dessert: Chilacayote

Guatemalan Fiambre is a rare and unique dish which includes close to 50 ingredients. Fiambre is primarily a salad, served chilled, made up from a large selection of cold cuts, all kinds of meats, fish, shrimp, fresh and pickled vegetables. Guatemalan fiambre is served on the 1st and 2nd of November for Día de Todos los Santos (Feast of All Souls) and Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead) respectively. In summary, fiambre is a very special meal for Guatemalans and it is mostly available on November 1 and 2.

Come back tomorrow to see what Cabecera dessert looks like in Guatemala for the days of Todos los Santos and Conmemoración de los Fieles Difuntos.

The especially made sausages for fiambre can now be found in the supermarket and mercados.

Do you know what is fiambre? If not, read on. Fiambre is an extremely rare and unique dish which includes over 40 ingredients; basically it’s a salad made from cold cuts, all kinds of meats, fish, vegetables and pickled vegetables. It’s served on Novem- ber 1st and 2nd for Day of the Dead and All Saints Day. Fiambre is a cold meal of Spanish origin, possibly from the Ex- tremadura provinces in Spain. Fiambre is a very special meal for Guatemalans, and it is only available on November 1 and 2. Follow the white rabbit to see photos of fiambre!

It’s been a while since I posted something in the Vegetarian category. I can honestly say that nowadays it is easier to be a vegetarian and dine out in La Antigua Guatemala. There are many restaurants that cater for the meat-free crowd. Sometimes it is only a few dishes like a miso soup or vegetarian roll at Ubi’s; other times it’s a whole section in the menu like in Sabe Rico where the photo of this delicious and fulfilling salad was taken.

The “green” salad pictured above has an assortment of deluxe organically grown lettuces, cherry tomatoes, watermelon dices, sliced olives, sesame and roasted pumpkin seeds. I recommend you give it a try even if you’re not vegetarian, you won’t miss the meat with such a rich and flavorful salad. I promise!

You may or may not know this: Guatemala is divided politically in Departamentos which are the equivalent of States or Provinces in other parts of the world. La Antigua Guatemala is the capital for the Departamento de Sacatepéquez. I share this fact with you so you can have an idea of the relevance of La Antigua Guatemala.

Nevertheless, I still consider La Antigua Guatemala no more than an enchanting little town with a 10×10-block grid. So small, in fact, that if it wasn’t for the fact that La Antigua Guatemala also happens to be the tourism capital for Central America it wouldn’t as cosmopolitan as it actually is. Take a culinary tour through some of the cosmopolitan gastronomic options available in La Antigua Guatemala.

Sushi, for instance, happens to be very popular. I know of three or four sushi bars in La Antigua Guatemala. The sushi bars that I know by name are Akai Sushi, Nokiate and Ubi’s Sushi; this last one being my favorite one and where I took the photo above. Also, I consider the sushi bars in Antigua Guatemala to be much more authentic than the sushi restaurants found in Guatemala City.

What other cosmopolitan gastronomic option available in Antigua Guatemala do you think I should visit and profile?

So, what would you like for postre (dessert) today?

Here are two choices based on fruits very popular in Guatemala: Bananas and Peaches. Bananas, of course, can be found in Guatemala all year long; that’s just one of the benefits of having been a Banana Republic. By the way, the bananas are tempura banana slices.

Peaches, on the other hand, are seasonal and now it’s the season. Both desserts have vanilla ice cream and yerba buena (Guatemalan mint) with a touch of strawberry mermelada.

Did you know that Guatemala is the birthplace for chocolate? If not, read on.

Cocoa bean (also cacao bean,[1] often simply cocoa and cacao; Mayan: kakaw; Nahuatl: cacaua) is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter are extracted. They are the basis of chocolate, as well as many Mesoamerican foods such as mole sauce and tejate.

A cocoa pod (fruit) has a rough leathery rind about 3 cm thick (this varies with the origin and variety of pod). It is filled with sweet, mucilaginous pulp (called ‘baba de cacao’ in South America) enclosing 30 to 50 large seeds that are fairly soft and white to pale lavender in color. While seeds are usually white, they become violet or reddish brown during the drying process.

The cocoa bean was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica before the Spanish conquest.

The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carl Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, who called it Theobroma (“food of the gods”) cacao. (Source: Wikipedia)

In La Antigua Guatemala we now have some very good chocolaterías (chocolate shops); don’t leave town without paying a visit to Fernando’s Kaffee and Chocolatería Sabe Rico.

Criollo or Criolla is the Guatemalan Spanish word often meaning native or garden grown. Although criollo in colonial times was the word used to label the offspring of Spaniards that were born in America (remember America means the entire Continent not just the U.S.). Nowadays, in Guatemala we use the word criollo/criolla for things that grow in an orchard or garden. For instance, the small limones (limes) are limones criollos. In the case of the Caldo de gallina criolla, it means a hen grown in the patio, garden or orchard. The gallinas criollas are usually smaller than mass-grown farm hens and the meat is darker and much more delicious. What terms are used in your neck of the woods for gallina criolla?

Bon appetite!

I found this recipe at Revista Amiga. Can anybody help with the translation?

Caldo de gallina criolla

Rinde 6 porciones
Ingredientes
2 litros de agua hirviendo
1 gallina de 3 libras
2 chiles pimiento
2 cebollas
5 tomates
5 papas
1 zanahoria
1 güisquil
1 cucharadita de aceite
1 manojo de hierbabuena
1 manojo de cebollín
sal al gusto
polvo de consomé al gusto

Preparación
En una olla grande cueza la gallina en el agua hirviendo, sazónela con sal y consomé al gusto, añada el tomate y la cebolla picados.
Corte las verduras en pequeños trozos y saltéelas en una sartén con el aceite. Añádalos al caldo y cueza por 45 minutos. Pique la hierbabuena y el cebollín, incorpórelos al caldo, retire la preparación del fuego y sirva.

On sundays there is a restaurant open on the top of the mountain within Finca Filadelfia. The food is delicious, and the majestic view will captivate you for hours. If you haven’t taken the time to visit this restaurant you need to schedule it for this sunday! Your life isn’t complete until you’ve visited this restaurant. All the food is wood fire cooked, and tastes as fresh as if you grew it yourself. The ride up and down is bumpy, but worth it. I wish we could go there everyday, it is that breathtaking.

text and photo by Zach Olson.

About Guest Contributor: Zach Olson is a Photographer from the Dallas Texas area. He enjoys shooting all types of photography, capturing a single moment that explains and entire event or emotion.

I can’t believe it has taken me over 5 years to share with you a plate of carne adobada. Shame on me. Although, I believe I’ve shown carne adobada before with other meats at a charbroiler.

Carne adobada is basically adobo marinated pork loin. The adobo marinate includes achiote, garlic, oregano, thyme, a little bit of vinegar, and pepper as shared with us by Joanne a while back. I am sure there other ingredients that can be included in the adobo marinate, but I don’t know what they are.

Can anybody share a adobo marinate recipe with the rest of us?

Pitahaya season is here!

A Pitaya (pronounced /pɨˈtaɪ.ə/) or pitahaya (English pronunciation: /ˌpɪtəˈhaɪ.ə/) is the fruit of several cactus species, most importantly of the genus Hylocereus (sweet pitayas). These fruits are commonly known as dragon fruit. The vine-like epiphytic Hylocereus Pitaya producing cacti are native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. Hylocereus has adapted to live in dry tropical climates with a moderate amount of rain. The dragon fruit sets on the cactus-like trees 30–50 days after flowering and can sometimes have 5-6 cycles of harvests per year… continue reading at Wikipedia.

You can buy pitayas in your nearest mercado or supermarket right now. There’s an upcoming article in REVUE magazine about the pitayas with a recipe for Ginger Dragon Delight which has rum and pitahayas as the main ingredients. You can find the article on page 66 of the July 2011 issue of REVUE magazine.

Have you ever had pitayas?

Today’s entry is a follow up on the comment left by Lynn on June 1:

Accidentally stumbled on your site somehow, and it made me nostalgic for all things Antigua and Guatemalan. Was there exactly 10 years ago for a couple of weeks, and spent every day in amazement. I remembered a fruit someone shared on a boat to Santiago Atitlan, the most sublime stuff of paradise, it had bright fuschia-colored flesh, and I looked for it everywhere for years, but never really knew what it was and have never found out since. Would you have a clue? These pix make me long to take a return trip. Soon.

In La Antigua Guatemala we are so lucky to have fresh tropical fruits year round to prepare our licuados and smoothies. Since the low coastal lands are within one or two hours distance, we are guaranteed a fresh supply of tropical fruity goodness any day, any time.

Sweet. Refreshing. Natural. Licuados are one of those treats that truly define a Guatemalan experience. The blended fruit drinks can be found most anywhere in La Antigua from fancy restaurants to local, hole-in-the-wall comedors… and I absolutely LOVE them declared Giramonda in the Licuado Culture post.

What tropical fruits will you include in your licuado? We do home deliveries

En La Antigua Guatemala somos afortunados de tener frutas tropicales frescas todo el año para preparar licuados. Ya que las tierras bajas de la costa nos quedan a tan sólo una o dos horas de distancia, tenemos garantizada una fresca oferta de frutas tropicales cualquier día.

¿Qué frutas tropicales incluirán en su próximo licuado? Hacemos entregas a domicilio

Nothing is sacred in the kitchen and fusion is the tendency in vogue. So it comes as no surprise to find new ingredients as part of the Pupusas repertoire such as chipilín and mushrooms.

Pupusas are tortilla-like dish, about the size of CD and made from a mixture of maize dough, cheese and some typical ingreditients like loroco, beans, chicharon, chirozo, et cetera. Pizza Maya is what I called a giant pupusa the first time I introduced them. We can even find black or blue pupusas in Antigua Guatemala.

It’s quite common to find pupusas with cheese and loroco, an exotic herb from Central America in El Salvador and sometimes in La Antigua Guatemala, but I had never had pupusas with cheese and mushrooms or cheese and chipilín, another exotic herb/weed from Guatemala.

What’s next? Pupusas with cheese and flor de izote, queso y flor de ayote, maybe bledo, espinacas could also work or even quiletes weeds sauté with onions? What do you think?

If you want to learn about Guatemala’s editable weeds, flowers and herbs, follow the white rabbit!

By the way, these two pupusas and a licuado from fresh tropical fruits and milk will set you back Q26/$3.25 at Pupusas Cheros, located half a block from Central Park on 5a calle poniente. RWOrange are you reading this?

It does not matter where you go in Guatemala, you are certain to find elotes asados (charbroiled corn on the cob).

This is what Laura McNamara shared with us on her post Craving Corn: Elote

It’s also fun to think about the tradition behind the Maya and their connection to corn as you get elote caught in your teeth. According to Popol Vuh —a sacred book that is casually referred to as the Mayan Bible— the first man and woman were made from corn. Thus, corn is a huge part of the Maya culture and diet.