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Belize Food and Drink

By , About.com Guide

Belize Food and Drink: a Belize breakfast

Belize Food and Drink: a Belize breakfast

Kirsten Hubbard

All about Belize food and drink, from breakfasts to beverages:

Take a culinary tour of Central America! Explore the food and drink of every Central America country.

Belize is the ultimate melting pot of cultures, including Creole, Mayan, Garifuna, Spanish, British, Chinese and American (whew!). This diversity is reflected in Belize food and drink, making Belize food some of Central America's most varied. Be sure to follow the links for Belize recipes and other information about Belize food and drink.

Breakfast in Belize:

Belize breakfasts typically include fresh fruit, eggs, cheese, tortillas and refried beans. Fry Jack, or deep-fried dough, is a popular Belizean breakfast item. Johnny Cakes, or fluffy Belizean biscuits, are also popular, served with butter and/or jam.

Belizean Meals:

Belize meals range with the cultures who make them. Barbecued chicken served with rice, beans and coleslaw is a standard Belize dish. Belizeans take advantage of their abundant seafood, like conch, lobster, snapper and shrimp, in a variety of Belize recipes. Due to a influx of Chinese immigrants, Chinese food restaurants can be found in almost every Belize town.

Other Belize meals

Stew chicken or fish: Chicken or fish rubbed in Red recado, or achiote paste, and slow-cooked in broth. Served over rice and beans.

Garnaches: Fried tortillas coated in refried beans, cheese, and cabbage and carrots doused in vinegar.

Boil ups (or "Bile ups"): A Creole dish containing boiled eggs, pig's tail (yes, really), fish and ground plantains, sweet potatoes and/or cassava (yuca).

Tamales: Boiled pockets of corn dough, stuffed with meat or sweet corn and served in banana leaves.

Hudut or Hodut: A Garifuna dish made from fish cooked in coconut broth, served with mashed plantains.

Snacks & Sides in Belize:

Ceviche: Chopped raw fish, shrimp, or conch mixed with onions, tomatoes and cilantro, and marinated in lime juice. Served with fresh tortilla chips.

Cassava bread: There are two kinds of Garifuna cassava bread. Ereba uses cassava juice in a pancake-like bread. Bammy is a fried bread made with grated cassava root and coconut milk.

Belizean rice and beans: Red pinto beans mixed with white rice and flavored with coconut milk.

Belize Desserts:

Coconut is the most common ingredient in Belize desserts. Try coconut cake, chewy coconut fudge, coconut ice or ice cream. Banana cake is also sold all over Belize.

Beverages in Belize:

The main Belize beer brand is Belikin, which comes in Belikin Beer, Belikin Premium, Belikin Stout and Lighthouse Lager. Belize wines are fermented from creative ingredients like blackberry, cashew fruit, sorrel and ginger. Rum punch is the standard Belize cocktail: a mix of rum and whatever juices happen to be laying about.

Belizeans juice every fruit available, from standard fruits like orange and pineapple, to more exotic ones like soursop. Seaweeds are a uniquely Belizean drink, made of milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and you guessed it – seaweed!

Where to Eat & What You'll Pay:

Outside of pricey luxury resort restaurants, Belize food is cheaper than U.S. food, but still some of Central America's most expensive. If you're on a budget, you can frequent food stalls at public gathering placed like parks and bus stations, or dine at basic local eateries (most which only serve one or two menu items a day, like stew chicken and barbecued fish). Expect to pay around $5 USD for a plate of chicken, rice and beans, and coleslaw from a roadside grill, on down to $1 USD for a single tamale.

Want to sample actual Belize food in Belize?:

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