Belizean food – boil-up, cow foot soup and more

Finally I could see it - the mythical Boil-up!

Food in Belize is maybe not the most sophisticated of experiences, but it is still very good sometimes. In one way it reminds me of Sweden in that most food served in restaurants aren’t local dishes. Instead there’s a lot of standard international food, like pasta, pizza, hamburgers, and of course Mexican!

There are some regional specialties, but those are better enjoyed in the restaurant shacks catering for the locals rather than the backpackers. The ubiquitous standard is “rice & beans” with something. It is exactly what it sounds like; rice, most of the time boiled in veggie bouillon, mixed with some black beans. It is then served with some sort of meat in a seasoned sauce, and a salad or other veggies.

In other words “rice & beans” says pretty much nothing and can be anything... In some roadside stalls, they serve it with grilled chicken or pork which can be good if you find the right place. In the restaurant shacks it often comes with a chicken stew.

Just to make it completely confusing, I’ve actually had “rice & beans” with chicken, but with potatoes instead of the rice and the beans! But it was still called “rice & beans”...

Another local specialty is the cowfoot soup. Yes, it actually is a soup, based on veggies, potatoes and such, and with the foot of a cow in there. The cow foot has been boiling for hours so as to make everything soft and juicy. I did not know exactly what I was eating from the side of the cows foot; whether it was skin or something else – but I did not care – it was excellent!

The big specialty down here is however boil-up; I don’t think they have an official national dish, but if they had one – this would be it. I’ve heard it explained as a stew, but it reminded me more of a soup. BIG pieces of veggies, potatoes and stuff, and then topped with a pig’s tail! Not too much meat on the little piggies’ tail, but it was salt and tasty. Served with a large piece of very tasty boiled dough (called a dumpling here, but the Chinese would declare war if they knew! :-)).

All in all, I haven’t thought about McDonalds in weeks, which if you know me must be a good thing!

As for drinking, the local beer, Belikin, is really quite good, not only as a thirst-quencher. They also make what they call a stout (distinguishable from the beer ONLY by the color of the cap, so watch out in the supermarket!) that is really good. I wouldn’t call it a stout, but it IS a rather good ale.

I take it VERY careful with the umbrella drinks, because they are so darned expensive, but I’m sure they would be good... I have a new favourite grogg however: papaya milkshake with dark rum – bring a flask to McDonalds and try to mix some in a banana shake or something. Mmmm...

Oh, and there’s a Ginger Fanta which is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s – certainly my new favorite soft drink!