If you are coming to Belize, or thinking of relocating here, I hope you really like white rice and red kidney beans as these are two of the staples in the Belizean diet.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a variety. I mean, you can order “rice and beans” and you will be served a dish of rice and beans that have been cooked together in coconut milk. Or, you can order “beans and rice” and you will be served a dish of rice and a dish of beans that have been cooked separately, for you to mix to your liking. The contrast is startling.

Normally whether you eat rice and beans or beans and rice it will be accompanied by a stewed meat dish, either chicken, beef or fish. Sometimes the meat portion is fried, but stewed is more traditional Belize.

When Belizeans stew their chicken they first brown it in a paste called “recado” and sprinkle it with salt, pepper and garlic. After the meat is browned they add water, a splash of vinegar, chopped onions and sometimes sweet peppers. YUM! This is one dinner/lunch you shouldn’t pass up in Belize, although I have to imagine it would be difficult to do.

Lunch is usually served with a side of salad, regular lettuce salad or potato salad, and some variety of green or yellow plantains. (Fried is most common here… green plantains fried taste more like chips and yellow ones taste sweet).

Click this link for a Taste of Belize.