|
|
Belizean food
is a distinctive mix of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Creole
"rice and beans" dominating the scene, but with plenty of other
important influences. Mexican empanadas are as common as
pizza, chow mein and hamburgers. In a few places Belizean food is a
real treat, with particularly good seafood, but in all too many
others it's a neglected art.
Where to eat
The quality of the food in Belize rarely bears much relation to the
appearance of the restaurant it's served in, whether you're eating
in a bar, a café or a smart-looking restaurant. Out on the islands
and in small seashore villages some restaurants are little more than
thatched shelters, with open sides and sand floors, while in other
places you'll find up market hotels with polished floors,
tablecloths and napkins. Most places, however, are somewhere between
the two, serving up good food without too much concern for
presentation. You'll soon become accustomed to the fact that
lunch hour (noon-1pm) is observed with almost religious
devotion. Abandon any hope of getting anything else done and tuck in
with the locals. Only in Belize City, San Pedro and Placencia is
there much choice, with fast-food and snack bars sprouting on street
corners along with a few surprisingly elegant restaurants.
Traveling
, you'll find that food sometimes comes to you, as street traders
offer up tamales, empanadas , hamburgers (literally a slice
of canned ham served in a bun) and fruit to waiting bus passengers,
although the practice isn't nearly as common as elsewhere in Central
America.
The basis of any Creole meal is rice and beans, and these
features heavily in smaller restaurants. In many cases it means just
that, with the rice and beans cooked together in coconut oil and
flavored with recado (a mild ground pepper) and often with a
chunk of salted pork thrown in for extra taste, but usually it's
served with chicken, fish or beef, and backed up by some kind of
sauce. Vegetables are scarce in Creole food but there's often a side
dish of potato salad and fried plantains, and sometimes flour
tortillas (the maize tortillas so common in Guatemala and some other
Central American countries are rarely served here). At its best
Creole food is delicious, taking the best from the sea and blending
it with coconut and spices. But all too often what you get is a
stodgy mass, with little in the way of flavor.
Vegetarians
will find the pickings slim. There are no specifically vegetarian
restaurants, but in the main tourist resorts there's often a
meat-free choice on the menu. Otherwise, you're likely to be offered
chicken or ham if you say you don't eat meat. The fruit is good and
there are some locally produced vegetables, but they're rarely
served in restaurants. Your best bet outside the main tourist areas
will be a Chinese restaurant.
|
 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
guide
Seafood
is almost always excellent. Red snapper or grouper is
invariably fantastic, and you might also try a barracuda
steak, conch fritters or a plate of fresh (though usually
farmed) shrimp. In San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia the
food can be exceptional, and the only concern is that you might get
bored with lobster, which is served in an amazing range of
dishes: pasta with lobster sauce, lobster and scrambled eggs,
lobster chow mein or even lobster curry. The closed season for
lobster is from February to June. Turtle is still on the menu
in a few places, in theory only during the short open season, but
note that this is a threatened species, and by even tasting it - or
any other wild animal - you'll be contributing to its extinction.
Chinese food
will probably turn out to be an important part of your trip, and
when there's little else on offer Belize's many Chinese restaurants
are usually a safe bet. Other Belizean ethnic minorities are now
starting to break into the restaurant trade: there's a good
Lebanese restaurant in Belize City and excellent Sri Lankan
and Indian restaurants in San Ignacio.
Drinks
The most basic drinks to accompany food are water, beer and
the usual soft drinks. Belikin, Belize's main beer, comes in
five varieties: lager-type bottled and draught beer; bottled
stout (a rich, dark beer); and Lighthouse, Premium and Supreme,
more expensive bottled beers and often all you'll be able to get in
up market hotels and restaurants. The Belikin brewery also produces
bottled Guinness. Cashew-nut and berry wines, rich and
full-bodied, are bottled and sold in some villages, and you can also
get hold of imported wine, though it's far from cheap. Local rum,
in both dark and clear varieties, is the best deal in Belizean
alcohol. The locally produced gin, brandy and vodka are poor
imitations - cheap and fairly nasty.
Non-alcoholic alternatives include the predictable array of soft
drinks. Despite the number of citrus plantations, fruit juices
are rarely available, though you can sometimes get orange juice.
Tap water, in the towns at least, is safe but highly
chlorinated, and many villages (though not Caye Caulker) now have a
potable water system. Pure rainwater is usually available in
the countryside and on the cayes. Filtered bottled water and
mineral water are sold everywhere.
|
Coffee,
except in the best establishments, will almost certainly be instant.
Tea, due to the British influence, is a popular hot drink, as
are Milo and Ovaltine (malted milky drinks). One last drink that
deserves a mention is seaweed, a strange blend of seaweed,
milk, cinnamon, sugar and cream. If you see someone selling this on
a street corner, give it a try.
Belize
Belize City
Where to go
When to go
Getting around
Costs, money, banks
Currency, exchange
 Eating
and drinking
Mail &
communications
Safety and the police
Work and study
Information
The media
Holidays
and festivals
Shopping,
souvenirs
Belize city
Arrival and information
Restaurants
Nightlife,
entertainment
Tours,
buses
Listings
Travel details
Explore Belize City
North side
South side
Cayo and the west
-
Belize city
to San
Ignacio
-
Belize zoo
-
Belmopan
Practicalities
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Guanacaste
Park
Benque Viejo del Carmen
Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
-
San Antonio
-
San Ignacio
-
Arrival
Restaurants
Kayaking,canoeing
Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
-
Travel details |
|
