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Published: 05-10-2022
Belizean food is a delicious mix of Latin American and the Caribbean, with Creole flavors dominating the scene in local Belize restaurants, but with several international options, such as Indian and Chinese food. The basis of any Creole main meal is rice and beans, and this features heavily in the smaller restaurants. The white rice and red beans are cooked together in coconut oil and are usually served with stewed chicken or beef, or fried fish; there’s always a bottle of hot sauce on the table for extra spice. Seafood is almost always excellent. Red snapper or grouper is mouth-watering, and you might also try a barracuda steak, conch fritters, or a plate of fresh shrimp. In San Pedro, Caye Caulker, San Ignacio, and Placencia the food can be exceptional, and the only concern is that you might get bored with lobster, which is served in a vast array of dishes. The closed season for lobster) is from mid-February to mid-June.
Pibil
Breakfast in Belize is usually served from 7 am to 10 am and generally includes eggs and flour tortillas. Lunch hour is observed almost religiously, so do not expect to get anything done at this time. Dinner is usually eaten quite early, between 6 and 8 pm, and a few restaurants stay open much later.
Sere
Traditional dishes to try
Tamales
Belizean tamales probably don’t taste like those you’ve eaten in other countries. There are no corn husks wrapped around savory ingredients. Instead, plantain leaves are used. You may already know that Belize tamale recipes often meet regional tastes, so menus may refer to these varieties: Collado, Torteado, or Bollos.
Sere
This fish soup owes its flavor to a blend of fried fish, coconut milk, plantain, and cassava. Sere resembles "hudut", a South Belize dish that’s representative of Garifuna cooking.
Pibil
Look for dishes like Cochinita Pibil on restaurant menus and you’ll be treated to pork that’s been marinated, wrapped in leaves, and slow cooked, just as Mayans prepared this succulent dish thousands of years ago. Served with tortillas, use them to hold the meat filling for the quick delivery to your mouth.
Boil Up
What’s tossed into a Belizean boil-up? Unexpected ingredients are tossed into boiling stock that can include veggies, eggs, bread dumplings, and fish. This national dish is served with pride, no visit to Belize is complete until you’ve tried it.
Boil-Up
Panades
These Belizean delicacies, filled with fish, red or black beans, or whatever the cook adds, are known outside of Belize as empanadas, so if they look familiar, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Accompaniments might not look as familiar. Panades are usually served with onion, cabbage, and pepper salsa for a spicy finish.
Salbutes
Order it for lunch. Order it for dinner. These little fried tortillas topped with shredded onion, cabbage, chicken, tomato, cheese, avocado, and pepper are on menus everywhere in Belize, so sample these tasty bites at least once.
Cow Foot Soup
No mystery to the main ingredient in this hearty stew-like soup that’s cooked slowly so ingredients like potatoes, onions, okra, and carrots absorb cilantro and black pepper flavors as they marry. Usually served with corn tortillas, white rice, and habanero pepper sauce for more heat, this is a signature Belize dish.
Cow Foot Soup
Chimole
Don’t see it on the menu? Search for Relleno Negro or “Black Dinner.” This main course soup is made with chicken, veggies, and spices.
Rice and Beans
No Belize visit is complete without sampling Belize’s culinary staple, but don’t be surprised if it barely resembles the rice and beans, you have tried elsewhere, because in Belize, it’s cooked creole style, and you'll always find it in restaurants around the country.
Vegetarian
Vegetables are somewhat of a rarity in Creole food, but there’s often a side dish of potato or coleslaw. There are few specifically vegetarian restaurants, and in touristy areas, many places offer a couple of vegetarian dishes. Otherwise, you’re likely to be offered chicken or ham even if you say you don’t eat meat. Your best bet for a vegetarian meal outside the main tourist areas may well be one of Belize’s many Chinese restaurants.
Fruit Salad
Drinks
The most basic beverages are readily available in Belize, such as water, beer, and the usual soft drinks. Tap water is generally not recommended as you cannot guarantee the source of the water. Many travelers nonetheless choose to purchase filtered bottled water, which is sold everywhere for around Bz$2 per bottle. Belikin is Belize’s main beer, and comes in several varieties: regular, a lager-type bottled and draught beer; bottled stout; and Lighthouse and Premium, more expensive bottled brews. Cashew-nut and berry wines are bottled and sold in some villages, and you can also get hold of imported wine, though it’s not cheap. Local rum, in both dark and clear varieties, is the best deal in Belizean alcohol. The legal drinking age for alcohol in Belize is 18. Fruit juices are widely available, with fresh orange, lime, and pineapple being the most popular options. Coffee, except in the best establishments, will almost certainly be instant, though decent tea is quite prevalent. One last drink that deserves a mention is seaweed, a strange blend of seaweed, milk, cinnamon, sugar, and cream.
