World Flavors Cookbook

Belize Recipes

Belizean cuisine is a vibrant and flavorful fusion of Maya, Mestizo, Kriol, Garifuna, and East Indian influences. It is famous for its "Rice and Beans" cooked in coconut milk, fresh Caribbean seafood, and unique cultural dishes like "Hudut" and "Relleno Negro." The use of recado seasoning and habanero peppers gives it a distinctive bold character.

Recipes from Belize

• Rice and Beans with Stew Chicken

  The national dish of Belize: coconut-infused rice and beans served with tender, spiced stew chicken.

• Fry Jacks (Fried Bread)

  Light and airy deep-fried dough pieces, a quintessential Belizean breakfast staple.

• Garnaches

  Crispy fried corn tortillas topped with beans, cabbage slaw, and cheese.

• Hudut (Coconut Fish Soup)

  A traditional Garifuna coconut milk soup with fresh fish and mashed plantains.

• Relleno Negro (Black Stuffing)

  A dramatic and spicy black soup made with charred chilies and a stuffed chicken.

• Panades

  Crispy fried corn masa pockets filled with seasoned fish or beans.

• Escabeche (Onion Soup)

  A tart and savory onion soup with roasted chicken, flavored with vinegar.

• Johnny Cakes

  Fluffy, baked coconut milk biscuits, a staple of the Belizean Kriol breakfast.

• Belizean Tamales

  Corn masa tamales wrapped in plantain leaves, filled with recado-spiced meat.

• Conch Fritters

  Savory, deep-fried batter nuggets filled with fresh Caribbean conch.

• Salbutes

  Soft, fried corn tortillas topped with pulled chicken, avocado, and pickled onions.

• Ducunu (Corn Duckanoo)

  Roasted or boiled sweet corn tamales, often served as a side or dessert.

• Chimole (Black Dinner)

  A cousin to Relleno Negro, this rich black soup features hard-boiled eggs and pork.

• Cochinita Pibil (Slow-Roasted Pork)

  Succulent pork marinated in citrus and achiote, slow-cooked in a pit or oven.

• Serre (Fish in Coconut)

  A lighter Garifuna fish stew with coconut milk and various ground foods.

• Arroz con Coco (Coconut Rice)

  Fragrant white rice cooked entirely in fresh coconut milk.

• Wangla (Sesame Seed Fudge)

  A sweet, crunchy treat made from toasted sesame seeds and caramelized sugar.

• Cassava Pudding

  A dense, rubbery, and delicious cake made from grated cassava and spices.

• Belizean Potato Salad

  Creamy potato salad with mixed vegetables, the mandatory side for rice and beans.

• Cow Foot Soup

  A gelatinous and rich soup made from cow hooves and root vegetables.

• Boil Up

  A monumental dish of boiled fish, eggs, and various root vegetables, topped with a tomato sauce.

• Conch Soup

  Fresh conch simmered in a coconut milk broth with okra and root veggies.

• Seaweed Shake

  A creamy and nutritious beverage made from native sea moss.

• Tamalitos (Baby Tamales)

  Fresh sweet corn tamales, smaller and simpler than the meat version.

• Belizean Rum Cake

  A rich, dark sponge cake heavily infused with aged Belizean rum.

• Powder Buns

  Simple, rustic coconut milk biscuits with a hint of spice.

• Handheld Serre Pockets

  A modern street food adaptation of fish serre in a portable pastry.

• Cashew Wine Glazed Pork

  Grilled pork chops with a sweet glaze made from local Belizean cashew wine.

• Spicy Onion Pickle (Achar)

  The essential spicy condiment for all Belizean rice dishes.

• Marie Sharp Style Hot Sauce

  A fiery carrot-based habanero hot sauce, iconic to Belize.

• Fried Sweet Plantains

  Caramelized slices of very ripe plantains.

• Stewed Red Beans

  Creamy slow-cooked red kidney beans with coconut and spices.

• Belizean Curried Chicken

  Chicken pieces stewed in a unique Belizean yellow curry sauce.

• Belizean Milk Fudge

  Sweet, crumbly milk fudge flavored with vanilla and nutmeg.

• Fresco de Tamarindo

  A tart and refreshing drink made from fresh tamarind pulp.

• Belizean Stew Chicken

  Belize's most beloved everyday dish — chicken marinated and braised in recado rojo (achiote) sauce with onion and green pepper until tender.

• Belizean Shrimp Ceviche

  Fresh Gulf shrimp cured in citrus juice with habanero, tomato, and cilantro — Belize's Caribbean ceviche served with corn chips or tostadas.

• Belize Tamales

  Belizean Christmas tamales wrapped in banana leaves — corn masa filled with chicken or pork in recado negro, a Belizean Creole tradition.

• Black Fruit Cake

  Belize's Caribbean Christmas cake — dried fruits soaked for months in rum and brandy, baked into a dense, dark, boozy holiday cake.

• Conch Ceviche

  Belizean queen conch tenderized and cured in citrus juice with habanero and vegetables — the jewel of the Barrier Reef's seafood.

• Belize Sopa de Lima

  Belizean sour lime soup — chicken broth sharpened with lima citrus, served with shredded chicken and crispy tortilla strips.

• Ereba (Garifuna Cassava Bread)

  The sacred flatbread of the Garifuna people — grated cassava pressed of its poisonous juice, dried, and cooked on a flat griddle into a large circular bread.

• Garnaches

  Belizean fried tortillas topped with refried beans, cabbage, and hot sauce — the quintessential Belizean street food snack.

• Coconut Rice

  Fluffy rice cooked in fresh coconut milk with whole spices — the Belizean Creole and Garifuna side dish eaten alongside stew chicken.

• Fried Fish with Festival

  Crispy whole fried snapper or grouper with sweet cornmeal festival dumplings — the classic Belizean and Caribbean coast fish plate.

• Bollas (Maya Corn Dumplings)

  Maya corn dumplings wrapped in corn husks and boiled — a simple, ancient food of the Maya of southern Belize.

• Chicken Foot Soup

  Belizean weekend soup of chicken feet and vegetables in a golden broth — thick, gelatinous, and deeply comforting.

• Creole Bread

  Belizean Creole sandwich bread — a soft, slightly sweet white loaf essential for the national bean and cheese breakfast sandwich.

• Salbutes

  Puffed fried masa rounds topped with shredded turkey or chicken, pickled onion, and avocado — the street food of northern Belize.

• Belizean Pumpkin Soup

  Silky pumpkin and coconut milk soup with Scotch bonnet pepper — a Belizean Creole and Garifuna staple of the rainy season.