Central American gastronomy
I have recently returned from a trip to Central America where I visited the countries of: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize.
While on this trip we visited mayan ruins and saw the way today's Maya people live within their villages, using their long-used cultures, language, and lifestyle, the lifestyle of survival.
On this trip we were given the opportunity to eat local fare, and mind you back in the states while I like Mexican food, I am by no means a big fan, and so I wasn't looking forward to trying the food. Lo and behold, the food often far exceeded my expectations, as it was always fresh, very healthy, very tasty, and very simple.
In El Salvador, we tried to food of El Salvador in a pupuseria, from the galery of Fernando Llorte. The food was delicious, the tamales, pupusas, even the cabbage dressing was delicious, healthy, and very simply prepared. Pupusas are a lot like tortillas stuffed with either a zucchini flower, or cheese, or some sort of meat.
In Honduras and Guatemala, the common foods were tortillas, black refried beans, and plantanos. Again, all simply and healthfully prepared. The thing that probably shocked me the most was how full I got on small portions, portions that are much smaller than anything you'd find in the U.S., but by the end of the trip I was very full from these foods.
Most meals started with a soup, either a brothy soup, or an asparagus soup, or even a spinach soup, probably the most interesting. Then we had a choice of: Beef, chicken, fish, and sometimes pork. I usually chose the fish, and it was usually tilapia.
Usually it came with a small portion of rice and a small portion of vegetables, also very flavorful.
Then, we usually got a dessert, and it was usually either a very small scoop of ice cream, or a small slice of cake, or pie, or something sweet to satisfy our taste buds.
None of the food was fried, it was all healthy, and I really enjoyed the foods of this trip.
It was so interesting to learn about the mayan cultures and see all these ruins, my favorite being Tikal, one of the largest "mayan kingdoms."
If you you get the chance to go, I highly suggest it, it's educational, it's conscience inducing, and it is truly a not-to-be-missed experience.
While on this trip we visited mayan ruins and saw the way today's Maya people live within their villages, using their long-used cultures, language, and lifestyle, the lifestyle of survival.
On this trip we were given the opportunity to eat local fare, and mind you back in the states while I like Mexican food, I am by no means a big fan, and so I wasn't looking forward to trying the food. Lo and behold, the food often far exceeded my expectations, as it was always fresh, very healthy, very tasty, and very simple.
In El Salvador, we tried to food of El Salvador in a pupuseria, from the galery of Fernando Llorte. The food was delicious, the tamales, pupusas, even the cabbage dressing was delicious, healthy, and very simply prepared. Pupusas are a lot like tortillas stuffed with either a zucchini flower, or cheese, or some sort of meat.
In Honduras and Guatemala, the common foods were tortillas, black refried beans, and plantanos. Again, all simply and healthfully prepared. The thing that probably shocked me the most was how full I got on small portions, portions that are much smaller than anything you'd find in the U.S., but by the end of the trip I was very full from these foods.
Most meals started with a soup, either a brothy soup, or an asparagus soup, or even a spinach soup, probably the most interesting. Then we had a choice of: Beef, chicken, fish, and sometimes pork. I usually chose the fish, and it was usually tilapia.
Usually it came with a small portion of rice and a small portion of vegetables, also very flavorful.
Then, we usually got a dessert, and it was usually either a very small scoop of ice cream, or a small slice of cake, or pie, or something sweet to satisfy our taste buds.
None of the food was fried, it was all healthy, and I really enjoyed the foods of this trip.
It was so interesting to learn about the mayan cultures and see all these ruins, my favorite being Tikal, one of the largest "mayan kingdoms."
If you you get the chance to go, I highly suggest it, it's educational, it's conscience inducing, and it is truly a not-to-be-missed experience.
posted by Dana M. Ellis, MPH, R.D. @ 8:07 PM
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