There are also foods that are commonly eaten on certain days of the week. For example, it is a popular custom to eatpaches (a kind oftamale made from potatoes) on Thursday. Certain dishes are also associated with special occasions, such asfiambre forAll Saints Day on November 1 and tamales, which are common aroundChristmas.
Volcanic stone metate traditionally used to grind maize
In the earlypre-classic period (2000 BC - 250 AD), agricultural techniques such as theslash-and-burn method began to develop as Maya settled into permanent villages.[2] During this time, Maya cultivatedmaize, beans, squash and chilli peppers. Local game included deer, rabbit, quail, duck, peccary, turkey and reptiles.[3][4] During theclassic period (250 AD - 900AD), maize became a staple in the Maya diet. Before maize was consumed, it was processed in a technique callednixtamalization, involving cooking the corn with minerals, usuallyslaked lime (calcium hydroxide), giving the maize a higher nutritional value. After this process, the cooked maize would be ground intomasa using ametate.[5]
Tamales are atraditional food eaten in Guatemala on special occasions, especially during Christmastime and around other holidays. They are pouches of masa usually filled with meat, such as pork and chicken, but sometimes filled with vegetables such as maize and potatoes, and are usually wrapped in banana leaves.
Many Guatemalan dishes are cooked without the use ofcooking oil, with ingredients placed directly on thecomal or wrapped in leaves. Many Guatemalan dishes have the suffix '-ik' as part of their name; -ik means chili in severalMayan languages spoken in the country.[10]
There are reportedly hundreds of varieties of tamales throughout Guatemala. The key variations include the ingredients in themasa or dough (corn, potatoes, rice), in the filling (meat, fruits, nuts), and the wrapping with (leaves, husks). Tamales in Guatemala tend to be wrapped in greenmaxan leaves (Calathea lutea), whilechuchitos, which resemble Mexican tamales, are wrapped incorn husks.
Themasa is made out of corn that is not sweet, comparable to what is known as feed corn in the United States. In Guatemala, this non-sweet corn is called maize and the corn that Americans are used to eating on the cob (sweet corn), Guatemalans callelote. Tamales in Guatemala are more typically wrapped in plantain or banana leaves andmaxan leaves than corn husks. Additionally, Guatemalan tamales use cookedmasa, which is prepared in a time-consuming process.
Tamales colorados ("red tamales") owe their name to the tomato andachiote (annatto seed) that give them their color. They are wrapped with corn masa and are stuffed with tomatorecado (a flavorful thick sauce), roasted red bell pepper strips, capers, green olives, and chicken, beef or pork.
Tamales negros ("black tamales") are darker and sweeter than their red counterparts due to the chocolate, raisins, prunes and almonds which are added to them. Other black tamales are not sweet but are simply made out of blue or black corn.
Tamales de elote ("sweet corn tamales") do not use the typicalmasa but instead are made of sweet corn. These may contain whole kernels of corn in the masa and do not generally contain meat.
Chuchitos ("small dogs") are a typical kind of Guatemalan tamale made using the samemasa as a regular tamale, but they are smaller, have a much firmer consistency, and are wrapped in atuzas (dried corn husks) instead of plantain leaves.Chuchitos are often accompanied by a simple tomatosalsa and sprinkled with a hard, salty white cheese traditional from theZacapa region. Chuchitos are a commonly served at luncheons, dinners and celebrations. The masa can be mixed with tomato recado or with a meat broth.
Tamalitos de masa ("small dough tamales") are smaller than the typical tamales because they are usually plain in taste, with no filling and are used to dip in other foods such as soup,salsa or beans, rather than eaten alone. These tamales are a staple of western Guatemalan cuisine which are favored over the typical tortilla.
Tamalitos dechipilín andtamales deloroco are other variants oftamales de masa with different ingredients added to the mix.
Paches are a kind of tamal made from potatoes instead of corn.
Bollito are similar to tamales, but filled with beans instead of meat.
Shucos ("dirties"), the Guatemalan version of ahot dog, which often includesguacamole, cabbage, and mayonnaise. This type of hot dog is a native snack only from Guatemala City where it was created.
Chicharrones y carnitas, fried pork skins and fried pork meat chunks, respectively
Tostadas de guacamol, frijol, o salsa, friedcorn tortilla with guacamole, fried black beans or tomato sauce
Tacos de carne o pollo, fried rolled-up corn tortillas filled with meat or chicken
Yuca con chicharrón, boiled cassava served with fried pork chunks
Traditional food forDía de todos los Santos (November 1)
Cuj, Miguel; Sattler, Mareike; de Beausset, Sasha (June 2020). "Maya K'iche' Food Groups and Implications for Guatemalan Food Guidelines".Food and Nutrition Bulletin.41 (2):261–274.doi:10.1177/0379572120912161.PMID32208857.
Gómez Menjívar, Jennifer Carolina (December 2012). "Feast your eyes on this: A gourmand explores the provocative culinary delights of seventeenth century Guatemala".Cincinnati Romance Review.33 (1):145–163.
De Jongh Osborne, Lilly (1935). "Eating One's Way through the Year in Guatemala".Bulletin of the Pan American Union.69: 313.
Media related toCuisine of Guatemala at Wikimedia Commons
