The food of Guatemala

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These notes were made during a short trip to Guatemala. These are just our food experiences and you may have a totally different experience depending on your budget, where you travel and where you eat.

Notes from March 2005

Typical meals - the food of Guatemala tends to be much saltier than anywhere else in Central America, and the food is already quite salty. Often restaurants have a `plato del dia´ or plate of the day, which can be quite a variety of things such as: rice, salad (not just cabbage) meat, eggs, refried beans, cheese and best of all the sweetest fried bananas.

Eggs ranchero style - this means eggs fried with home-style barbecue sauce on top.

Burritos - In Guatemala, their burritos have a larger flour tortilla, served rolled with a hot vegetable, refried bean or chicken filling, and finished with a salsa or cream on top. This cream tastes like a mix between sour cream and sweet cream.

Lemonadia con soda - this is a real lemon soft drink, made from lemon and sugar mixed with soda water. It also comes in an orange flavour variety.

Fruit - as with most places in Central America, there is a plentiful supply of fresh fruit. A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is a great start to the day. As always, be careful that they don't add water or ice to the mix.

More Information

• read the food diary from other Central American countries: Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico , Nicaragua
• about foods from around the world
• photos from Guatemala
• Travel Guide to Guatemala
• the Food of Central America

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