Guatemalan Cuisine: Salpicón

I want to end the food series with something light. Salpicón is a type meat salad; that is right I said meat salad. It is made of minced beef, onion, tomato, mint, chile, salt and lemon or sour orange. Also, I want to apologize for using the word cuisine lightly. Most of the meals you have seen this week are “fast food” by Guatemalan standards. Salpicón and ceviche are on the light side, but most of the other meals are pretty heavy.

What would you consider Guatemalan cuisine then? I am glad you asked. Guatemala is a tiny country, yet it is at the crossroads of North America (including Mexico), Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands, so it receives a lot of influences. Furthermore, Guatemala is the heart and cradle of the Maya Civilization. The country has so many different micro-weather zones that ranges from the hot and humid tropical coasts to the very cold and cloud forest peaks. Therefore, the Guatemalan diet can be extremely varied.

Here, I am going to list several dishes, which will be my homework for future food series, that are considered “real food” or cuisine. Pepián, pollo en jocón, hilachas, mole, piloyada antigüeña, shepes, tamalitos de loroco y cambray, yuca y chicharrón, quesadillas, gallina en crema, frijoles blancos con espinazo, frijoles colorados con costilla, subanik de olla, pulique de costilla, jocón, tapado, tayuyos, siquinché, kasabe, rice and beans, ceviche, carne en amarillo, mariscada, revolcado, tiras de panza and kaq’ ik’, just to mention some of them. It is obvious that I will have to do several series of Guatemala cuisine. Until them, please do your excercise and try to stay lean.

Bon appetite!