In Central American cuisine highlights the use of corn, potato, sweet potato, cassava, black and red beans, beans, peanuts, squash, yams, squash, peppers, avocados , guava, cocoa, pineapple, beans, cherimoya, soursop, mamey, among many others apart from sugar cane and wheat, as well as meat and seafood, a lot of meat pork and all its derivatives, such as black pudding and sausages, such a clear Spanish influence, as we see the opposite of the Caribbean islands who prefer chicken.
The Central American cuisine becomes a delicious combination that is designed to meet the different tastes of the countries that comprise mixing native and indigenous food with European, African and Eastern where corn is the star of the Caribbean cuisine to prepare many recipes such as tamales, surullos, tacos, tortillas, pupusas, stews, soups, porridges and beverages, also rice and beans are staples in almost all cuisines of these countries. A typical meal consists of homemade daily plate of rice and beans with some meat or fish stew, fried plantains and cabbage and tomato salad.
Below you can find recipes for foods from Central America that you can prepare the best and most delicious dishes from Central America.
Ground Spices
Zepis - Epices
by Mirta Yurnet-Thomas
Many Haitians in the United States blend these spices together and use the mixture to enhance the flavors in many of their cooked dishes.
Servings: Makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
1 garlic head, peeled
2 green bell peppers
2 onions
3 scallion sprigs
3 cilantro sprigs, leaves only
10 parsley sprigs, leaves only
½ cup oil (or water or 1 cup vinegar)
Method:
Grind all ingredients together in the blender and place in a 1-quart jar. Keep refrigerated.
Uses:
Eggplants with Small Crabs
Polenta, Beans and Coconut
Cappuccino Rum Shakes
by Lady Darling
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1 pint softened Coffee Ice Cream
3 oz. Chick Charney Rum, or your favourite light rum
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup whipped cream
unsweetened cocoa powder
cinnamon stick
Method:
In a blender, blend the ice cream, rum and ground cinnamon until smooth but still thick. Pour into 2 long stemmed glasses. Top drinks with whipped cream and garnish with cocoa powder and cinnamon stick.
Sanger Yena
by Wijkie Maduro
Yield: About 6 sausages
Ingredients:
Whole liver, heart and kidneys of sheep or goat (about 1 pound)
about ¼ animal fat
2 cups animal’s blood
1 small onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small stalk celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ Madame Jeanet chile pepper
1 tablespoon salt
¼ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ tablespoon ground cloves
10 leaves basil chopped
Method:
Grind liver, heart and kidneys and animal fat into large bowl. Mix in animal’s blood, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, chile pepper, salt and freshly ground pepper, ground cloves.
Stuff into sausage casing and tie off at 3-4″ lengths. Prick sausages lightly with fork to prevent bursting when being cooked.
Boil in salted water with basil leaves for 10-15 minutes.
About Wijkie Maduro:
Wijkie Maduro, and Aruba-born resident, has made a life-long commitment to preservation and preparation of Aruban cooking. Wijkie retired from a career in politics and labor union work to open a restaurant, now sadly closed, that offered “what our great-grandmothers cooked; the lavish and sometimes complex Aruban cooking”. His recipes have been refined over the years from their earliest beginnings as sustenance for the first Indian settlers to the multi-everything-and-everyone’s influences that followed.
