Chelada or Michelada, or which ever way you have them, Guatemalan beers are so refreshing! 😉 How many Guatemalan beers can you name? How many different Guatemalan beers have you tried? What’s your favorite Guatemalan beer? Ephemerides Aside: 34 years ago today Guatemala had the most devastating earthquake of its recent history. On February 4th, … Read more
In La Antigua Guatemala we are so lucky to be able to get excellent coffee just about everywhere. Cafetenango in Finca Filadelfia is such a place where one can drink an amazing coffee grown, harvested, dried and roasted in the premises. At Cafetenango there are baristas on site who like to draw all kinds of … Read more
We continue with tortillas con carne adobada and longanizas. I can easily explain longanizas as Guatemalan white sausage which has chopped onions and yerba buena, mint, along the ground meat. However, carne adobada is a little more difficult since I don’t know what’s in the adobo mixture, except for achiote (annatto). Can anybody help explaining … Read more
Tortillas con carne could be the Guatemalan equivalent of the Mexican taco. Tortilla con carne is basically a piece of charbroiled steak of beef, adobo marinated pork steak, chicken, chorizo (Guatemalan red sausage) or longaniza (Guatemalan white sausage), served over two or three grill-heated corn tortillas and top with chirmol (Guatemalan tomato-based salsa), guacamol (Guatemalan … Read more
Gringas are tacos made with flour tortillas and cheese. For some unknown reason, gringas are very popular in Guatemala. Believe it or not, Mexican cuisine has not succeeded into making its way into Guatemala the same way as in the U.S.A. and the world. I find this very strange since there’s a huge overlap of … Read more
Please, could anyone provide the recipe for Guatemalan quesadillas. Thanks! Minimum Wage Salary Aside: Today Guatemala’s President Alvaro Colom announced a minimum salary increase for 2010 from Q52/$6.23 per day to Q56/$6-71 per day which translates into a monthly salary of Q1953,33/$234.21, up 7.69% for agriculture and city workers and 8.37% for maquila workers (Q1824.06/$218.71). … Read more
I will let you guys do the caption for this photo by digging through the archives of AntiguaDailyPhoto. Here are the hints: Churrasco and Convivio. Guatemalan Film Trailers Aside: Once again, we continue showing trailers of Guatemalan films and short films. This is the trailer for Puro mula, the first film by Best Picture System. … Read more
When you go to Héctor’s restaurant you are surely getting the freshest al dente fettucini pasta in La Antigua Guatemala. I chose fettucini alfredo; it was delicious! 😉 With kind of sauce do you prefer for pasta dishes? [gmap]
One of the things I look forward to most when venturing out on a little jaunt outside of La Antigua is elote. There is a strip along the road that heads to Chimaltenango that is lined with Maya women fanning their grilled corn, waving drivers to stop for a quick roadside treat. You can find … Read more
Guatemala is such a colorful country; everything from flora to textiles, from architecture to food is saturated with the richest rainbow. If the entries from the last seven days weren’t proof enough, take a look at today’s colorful fiambre chapín.
Have you ever seen more colorful salad?
Here I present to you the fiambre creator from La Antigua Guatemala. Every first and second of November he withdraws the fiambre recipe that has delighted the taste buds of the most demanding fiambre connoisseur for over 27 years. From his unassuming Lo-Mix comedor set on 7a calle poniente No. 25B, he begins, like an artist, to paint the canvas with different shades of green lettuce, adding more colors, textures and flavors with each layer from a tasteful palette of over 40 ingredients.
Below you can find a slideshow with each step of the process of creating the colorful fiambre chapín.
Quiebradientes, teethbrakers, are typical and traditional hard candy from Guatemala. As the name implies, it is hard and it can break your teeth you have weak pearly whites. These candies may be appropriate to entertain the trick-or-treaters for a long while on the eve of Día de los difuntos, Day of the Dead, also known … Read more
Here are many traditional Guatemalan desserts and sweets to take to the cemetery on Day of the Dead and All Saints’ Day. Wow, I can’t remember when was the last time I have any of these desserts; maybe the espumillas back in May. How about you? When was the last time you had any of … Read more
For three years I have focused on world-famous and omnipresent dish of Fiambre as the main food served for Day of the Dead and All Saints’ Day in Guatemala. I believe that has been too much emphasis on a salad, which mostly has meats, all kinds: sausages, hams, chicken, sea food, meats pork and beef; don’t you think?
Once again, I have to thank Erin who mentioned last week it was about time to begin preparing “fiambre” and the dulce de ayote. It is amusing that one needs other people to point the obvious. I say this because every year my girlfriend and I set up a Day of the Dead Altar which amalgamates the Mexican and the Guatemalan tradition with foods from both cultures and of course with plenty of desserts.
Chilacayote is basically a Guatemalan-type of squash sweet or candy. I don’t have the recipe, but I am sure Erin or other kind Guatemalan will come forward with the recipe for chilacayote, camotes and dulce de ayote… anyone, anyone?
Here’s one more dose of Sobrevivencia… A Guatemalan Mayan rock band. This time Sobrevivencia performs a rock version of “Guate caricia.” Enjoy!
These caramelized apples are a good example of the syncretism found in the Guatemalan gastronomy.
As Pascu mentioned yesterday, “I find Guatemalan cuisine unique: the blend of three cultures, each completely different. Mayan heritage brings the slow cooking stew style with thick sauces. African, the taste for deep fry food. Finally Spanish culture brought the oven, baked delicacies: bread, dough, roast, “dulces”… local fruits and vegetables mixed with 3 european basic ingredients: milk, sugar and eggs.”
Erin also added a few ingredients to stew, “It is important to keep in mind that the lists of local ingredients and dishes were enlarged and improved in many ways, during the colonial times. I am not taking out any credit to the local indigenous ingredients and methods; I am only saying that what we now know as ethnic food is a glorious combination of our past in its purest form, the colonial times, and some contemporary additions. Anyway, whatever the background in our extensive list of dishes, all of them are a feast to the senses. What a joy!”
How funny that Erin should mention Feast of the Senses since that was precisely the name of the exhibit of Central American gastronomy in which I participated two years ago. As always, follow the white rabbit to see some of the photographs that were on display at Fiesta de los Sentidos.
On a totally unrelated subject, it just occurred to me that the United States is one of the largest Spanish-speaking countries since it has one of the largest populations of Spanish speakers. Spanish has been spoken in the U.S. from a time before its independence; heck from before English was spoken there. And at the rate at which the Spanish-speaking population grows, faster than any other, you may have to hablar español sooner or después or move to Canada. 😉 Remember that you can always come to La Antigua Guatemala to take Spanish classes in the more than 65 Spanish Schools available in this tiny colonial town.
Por favor dejar sus comentarios y preguntas abajo; hay mucho espacio abajo y esta bitácora digital es ecológicamente verde, panza verde verde verde pues.
Guatemala’s rich gastronomic heritage is “disappearing” right before our own very eyes. I try to capture and document some of it, but I am afraid I am doing it too slow.
Let me explain.
The other day I went to the tienda to buy some papalinas and I asked the girl at the counter for bag of papalinas. She looked dazed and confused and her hand kept on moving between the papalinas, plataninas and yuquitas. Finally, she admitted she did not know which was which. She solicited help to show her which was papalinas. She was about 18 years old so I inquired about her provenance; not willing to admit to myself that it was feasible for a Guatemalan teenager to not know what papalinas were.
In Guatemala, however, everyday the limits of what’s possible are pushed further out.
The tienda attendant was from a village not to far from La Antigua Guatemala.
Guatemala is certainly the land of “los desaparecidos (as).” 🙁
To counteract el olvido, here’s a dose of Sobrevivencia… A Guatemalan Mayan rock band. Enjoy and let me know if you need more doses of Sobrevivencia!
