Guatemala

A warm, thick Central American drink made by blending fresh tender corn kernels with water or milk, thickening with masa, and sweetening with sugar.

A Guatemalan everyday staple of dried black beans slow-simmered until completely tender, mashed to a smooth paste, then fried in fat until dense enough to pull cleanly from the pan and be flipped — yielding a thick, cohesive cake with a caramelized bottom.

A clear, slow-simmered bone-in beef broth loaded with large rustic-cut New World vegetables — corn, chayote, carrot, potato, and cabbage — served very hot with a garnish table of lime, raw onion, and cilantro so the diner finishes the bowl.

A Guatemalan butter-and-lard shortbread cookie, characterised by a dense, slightly crumbly crumb and a thick coating of toasted sesame seeds pressed into the top before baking.

Small Guatemalan corn-masa pockets filled with seasoned pork in a tomato-and-dried-chile recado, wrapped in dried corn husks and steamed.

A thin, unleavened flatbread made exclusively from nixtamalized corn masa, hand-patted or press-formed and cooked on a dry, ungreased comal until pliable and faintly charred, serving as the foundational daily bread of Mesoamerican cuisine.

A monumental Guatemalan cold composed salad of 50–100 ingredients — cured and cooked meats, pickled and cooked vegetables, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, olives, capers, and pacaya flower buds — dressed in a family-specific vinegar-mustard vinaigrette and served exclusively on November 1–2 for Día de Todos Santos.

A traditional Mesoamerican beverage made by dissolving a stone‑ground cacao tablet in hot milk or water, sweetened and spiced with cinnamon, and served hot with a frothy top.

A Guatemalan dish of shredded beef simmered in a roasted tomato-tomatillo recado with potato and chilli, the name ('rags') describing the frayed strands of meat.

A Guatemalan highland chicken stew whose identity is a vivid green sauce built from charred miltomates (wild tomatillos), toasted and ground pepitas, cilantro, and green onions — pepitas acting simultaneously as flavoring and primary thickener.

A ceremonial Q'eqchi' Maya turkey broth from the Alta Verapaz highlands of Guatemala, defined by its deep red color from comal-charred dried chilies and achiote paste, built on a long-simmered turkey stock and finished with toasted coriander and fresh herb.

A thick, deeply flavored Guatemalan stew in which toasted pumpkin seeds and dried chiles form a ground recado paste that both thickens the broth and defines the dish's earthy, smoky character, served over chicken or pork.

A Guatemalan recado in which dry-toasted pumpkin/squash seeds are ground into a thick paste that thickens and flavours stews and sauces.

A Guatemalan dish of ripe plantains fried until caramelised and bathed in a dark, chocolate-and-chile mole sauce, blurring the line between dessert and savory.

Guatemalan fried croquettes of mashed ripe plantain wrapped around a sweetened black bean filling.

A Guatemala City street hot dog in a toasted bun spread with guacamole and piled with grilled sausage, cabbage slaw and house sauces.

A Guatemalan Maya ceremonial dish of mixed meats simmered in a multi-chilli sauce and steamed wrapped in tied banana leaves.

A traditional Mesoamerican steamed dumpling made from nixtamalized corn masa, filled with seasoned pork or chicken and a red achiote‑based recado, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked by steaming.

A Central American snack of a crisp fried corn tortilla topped with mashed avocado (guacamol), beans, curtido, and cheese.