Guatemala English language Magazine
text, recipes & photos by chef and author Amalia Moreno-Damgaard. (AmaliaLLC.com) Churrasco is a special Guatemalan experience that refers to cooking meats and other foods outdoors on a parrilla (grill) during gatherings where friends and family get together to celebrate special events or simply share good times. My dad’s very large family (12 brothers and sisters) had many such churrasco celebrations, and […]
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(Recipe for Pescado en Escabeche) by Chef Amalia Moreno-Damgaard AmaliaLLC.com Lent (Cuaresma), the time leading up to Holy Week and Easter, is celebrated by about 1.2 billion Christians worldwide. In Guatemala around 60 percent of the population, or 8.2 million Roman Catholics, observe it in a very solemn manner. This is especially so in La Antigua Guatemala, where you’ll find […]
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The Traditional Dish of November To appreciate fiambre imagine it is the middle of the eighth century. Until this time, All Saints Day was celebrated on May 13 and experts believed that rituals were deeply rooted in a similar pagan celebration, Feast of the Lemures, a day when evil spirits were mollified by Earth-dwellers. Pope Gregory III consecrated a new […]
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by Shannon McCullough Rafael del Cid is the owner of Organica, a unique market stocked with organic and natural food, supplements, lactose free products, gluten free products, beauty and personal care, ecological products and much more. When did you open Organica Guatemala? The first store opened in 2008 in zone 10, Guatemala City. The high demand for our products led […]
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I recently returned from a long-overdue, 20-day journey to the United States. I spent the first 10 days in my hometown of Los Angeles and the remainder of time at a family reunion at our family lakeside home in Priest Lake, Idaho. Los Angeles has changed immensely since I last lived there. I found it astonishing at the amount of […]
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Peach tastes and peach tones are challenging to find in Guatemala, but it’s worth taking the challenge and seeing what you can discover. Peach tones—those orangy, reddish, yellowish, pale shades that decorators like—aren’t around gardens or weavings as are so many brighter colors. Luscious peach fruit and juice are in our markets, but not all that common, which is a […]
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It is no secret Café Condesa is one of the most popular restaurants in La Antigua Guatemala, serving world-class coffees, quiches, cakes and other delectables. What you may not know about is Condesa’s outreach work, its involvement in the community and support for local projects.
Read moreby Monish Welcome Dine on fresh seafood as you look out over the clear blue Caribbean Sea; sip a cool, tropical drink as you watch the sunset burst into an explosion of pastel blues, pinks and yellows; or enjoy a delicious island-inspired meal under the stars. The culinary cuisine of Roatan is an amazing blend of tropical tastes and multicultural […]
Read moreby Shannon McCullough Isn’t it time we bring back the dinner party? There nothing more satisfying than serving delicious food in gracious surroundings where friends have gathered together to share a wonderful meal. Evenings when none of your guests want to say goodbye and want to linger late into the night. The sounds of laughter and joy are wonderful memories […]
Read moreby Monish Welcome From corn to the most delicious refried beans in Central America, Honduran food is typically described as a regional variation of what is known around the world as Mexican food. This is due to the common cultural heritage of Mesoamerica during pre-Columbian times. For flavorings, Honduran cooks rely heavily on spices such as cumin, curry, allspice, and […]
Read moreby Shannon McCullough “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Personally, I would prefer a fresh lemon tart or a jar of artisan lemon curd. I long for baskets of delicious lemons in markets that are so plentiful in other parts of the world. In the Highlands of San Martin large yellow lemons, with sweet citrus flavors, are grown on […]
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If you are unfamiliar with Korean food, a good dish to start with is denyanchigue, a mild soup of vegetables, tofu and rice, or if you are feeling bold, jump right into the kimchichigue stew.
Read moreSending holiday cheer and warm wishes this Navidad season with culinary delights The holidays are a time for family and loved ones; it’s a time to take a few moments, sit around a table, preferably sans iPhones, with a glass of wine or hot spirits, chatting about the events of the year past and exciting times for the coming year. […]
Read moreA History of Guatemalan Family and Tradition To appreciate fiambre, you need a brief history lesson. It is the middle of the eighth century. Until this time, All Saints Day was celebrated on May 13 and experts believed that rituals were deeply rooted in a similar pagan celebration, Feast of the Lemures, a day when evil spirits were mollified by […]
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Christian Rossell voted Chef of the Year, 2012 The name Christian Rossell has long been synonymous with fine Italian dining: in 2005, the chef opened the doors of his first restaurant, Pecorino, before unveiling a chain of deli’s, and then launching the exquisite pizzeria Romano’s, which introduced Guatemala to thin-crust pizzas. But this year, the name is also synonymous with […]
Read moreCoconut milk and boat-fresh seafood creates a Río Dulce specialty and the garífuna’s most beloved dish With an abundance of impossibly fresh seafood and locally grown, tropical produce—from bright green plantains to coffee-brown coconuts—it is no wonder food on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast is distinctive from platos típicos found on the interior. Aside from ingredients, the major culinary influence at the […]
Read moreThe Traditional Mayan Feast Central to the life of each and every Mayan community in Guatemala are the activities of the cofradía, the traditional religious-political brotherhood, which is in reality a parallel government with its own elected officials and mayors. In many respects the cofradía has more authority than the “official” federal government. It is the cofradía that organizes and […]
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Pitayas are one of the climbing cactaceas, named after its habit to use trees as a physical support. Pitaya (pitahaya) is a night-blooming epiphytic cactus, which is common throughout Guatemala and surrounding countries. Many hotels in La Antigua Guatemala and around Lake Atitlán, El Remate and Tikal have pitaya and/or their relatives blooming over the summer. For example, hundreds of […]
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Edible Fruits of the Mayan Diet As people around the world expand their health consciousness, they are eager to learn more about the vast array of fruits and vegetables available to them. And, especially for local people, living in rural areas with limited incomes, it is possible to eat healthy foods, in particular fruits and vegetables. One aspect of FLAAR’s […]
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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 the 1st and 2nd of November for Day of the Dead and All Saints Day. Fiambre is a cold meal of Spanish origin, possibly from the Extremadura provinces […]
Read moreby Kevin García There are many varieties of bananas in Guatemala. Bananas are very tasty, complete fruits; they are easy to digest and have many nutrients, such as vitamins A, B, C, E, calcium, magnesium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, iron and sodium. They are particularly rich in vitamin B6, folic acid and potassium. The bananas most commonly found in Guatemala are Cavendish […]
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Pitaya season is here They are sweet, spiny and flaming red, rushing into your local markets by the dozens. Red dragons—in fruit form—are in season. Pitaya (dragon fruit) is common throughout Mexico and Central and South America, but is more popular in consumption in Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and China). The fruit looks like a prehistoric orb, a painted artichoke, […]
Read moreStrange and Delicious Fruits of June Regardless of location, farmers’ markets throughout Guatemala provide a grand opportunity to experience new flavors, textures and colors in fruits foreign to the extranjero tongue. If you’re worried about consuming raw fruits here in Guatemala, remember that a couple minutes soaked in low strength bleach water will kill anything looming on the skin of […]
Read moreMango Festival Monoloco Restaurant, an international haven for food, drink and sports in La Antigua, recently expanded its varied menu with several tasty new additions and a few specialties just for mango season. The new pulled pork sandwich, served with a side of french fries or salad, features a tasty mango-barbeque sauce that any BBQ-lover would enjoy. Patrons can also […]
Read moreThe late-night place for music and dancing in Antigua, La Casbah also offers excellent dining options, which have just gotten tastier with the addition of five new appetizers: • Vietnam rolls, filled with fresh soybean sprouts, lettuce, fresh mint, chicken, shrimp and rice noodles—all wrapped in delicate rice-paper rolls. The dish comes served with hoisin sauce sprinkled with chopped peanuts. […]
Read moreAnd the winners—in the order of the panel’s preference—are: 1. New York Style Cheesecake: the real thing, with the taste of the Big Apple, made with 100% cream cheese and sour cream. No flour fillers here, and you can taste the difference. 2. Blackberry Cobbler: warm, with fresh blackberries, and—at least for me—vanilla ice cream. Yummm. 3. Crème Brûlée: with […]
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