Honduran cuisine
Honduran Cuisine combines the food of the indigenous Maya-Lenca[citation needed] population with Spanish food, Mexican food etc. Its most notable feature is that is uses more coconut than any other Central American cuisine in both sweet and savory dishes. Regional specialties include fried fish, tamales, carne asada, and baleadas.
In addition to the baleadas, also a popular are meat roasted with chismol carne asada, chicken with rice and corn, and fried fish with pickled onions and jalapeños. In the coastal areas and in the Bay Islands, seafood and some meats are prepared in many ways, some of which include coconut milk.
Among the soups the Hondurans enjoy are bean soup, mondongo soup (soup of intestines), seafood soups, and beef soups, all of which are mixed with plaintains, yucca, and cabbage (among other things), and complemented with corn tortillas.
Other typical dishes are the montucas or corn tamale, stuffed tortillas, tamales wrapped in banana leaves, among other types of food. Also part of Honduran typical dishes is an abundant selection of tropical fruits such as papaya, pineapple, plums, zapotes, passion fruit, and bananas which are prepared in many ways while they are still green.
Soft drinks are often drunk with dinner or lunch.
Honduran Breakfast
Hondurans usually start their days with what Europeans might consider a "too heavy" breakfast. A Desayuno Típico or common breakfast consists of fried eggs, fried plaintain,Avocado, smashed refried beans and sour cream and slices of hard salty cheese. Some include Chorizos(sausages) or even Carne asada(Roasted meat). The breakfast is accompanied with Tortillas and hot Honduran Coffee. This breakfast is so popular in Honduras, that international Fast Food chains like Burger King serve it calling it BKatracho(For Catracho or Honduran).
Sopa de Caracol
Conch soup is one of the most representative dishes of the Honduran cuisine. This soup was made famous throughout Latin America because of a catchy song from Banda Blanca called "Sopa de Caracol." Conch soup is unique to Honduras, especially in the Caribbean region. The conch is cooked in coconut milk and the conch's broth, with spices, yucca, cilantro, and green plaintains known as guineo verde. Varieties include crab, fish or shrimp, known as Sopa Marinera.
Carne Asada or Carneada
In Honduras a Carneada or Carne Asada would be as in its Mexican counterpart a social event with drinks and music all centered around the preparation of the meat. The cuts of beef are usually marinated in sour orange juice, salt, pepper and spices, and then grilled. Usually accompanied with chismol sauce (chopped tomatoes, onion and cilantro with lemon and spices), roasted Plátanos (sweet bananas), spicy chorizos (Honduran sausages), olanchano cheese, tortillas, guacamole and refried mashed beans.
Carneada is considered one of ' national dishes, known there as Plato Típico when served in Honduran restaurants.
Rice & Beans
Rice & Beans is a popular side dish in the Honduran caribbean coast which consists in rice and beans cooked in coconut milk with cilantro and spices. The name comes from the Bay Islands where the majority of the population speak caribbean English.
Fried Yojoa Fish
A famous dish throughout the country, which is found in the Yojoa Lake. The fish is spiced and salted to later be deep fried. It is served with pickled onions and jalapeños, pickled red cabbage, and deep fried Plátanos (plaintains) (Tajaditas).
Baleada
The baleada is one of the most common street foods in Honduras. It is basically made up of a flour tortilla which is folded and filled with refried mashed beans, quesillo or Parmesan cheese and sour cream. Many people however add to the baleadas roast meat or scrambled eggs to the taste.
Yuca con Chicharrón
The yucca is served with raw cabbage with lemon. On top of the cabbage, chicharrones which are deep fried seasoned pork fat and skin, tomato hot sauce and Mojo (not to be confused with the Mojito cocktail), made with oil, garlic, onion, spices such as oregano and bitter orange or lime juice.
Maiz and Tortillas
Tortillas are to Hondurans what bread is to Europeans. Corn or Maíz is basic for Honduran cuisine since it is used in most dishes or served as tortillas at the side of the meal. Eating corn comes to Hondurans as an inheritance of their Maya-Lenca ancestors; the Maya believed corn to be sacred, and that the father gods created men from it. Some tortilla based dishes include:
Tacos Fritos: Tortillas are filled in with ground meat or chicken and rolled into a flute. The Rolled tacos are then deep fried and served with raw cabbage, hot tomato sauce, cheese and sour cream as toppings.
Catrachitas: A common simple snack, made of deep fried tortilla chips covered with mashed refried beans, cheese and hot sauce. A variant of this snack are de Chilindrinas, deep fried tortilla strips with hot tomato sauce and cheese. It is common in Honduran restaurants that an Anafre is served, a clay pot with melting cheese or sour cream, mashed beans and sometimes chopped chorizo (Honduran sausage) heated on top of a clay container with burning charcoal, and tortilla fried chips to dip in. Similar to Swiss fondue.
Enchiladas: The whole Tortilla is deep fried and served with a variety of toppings. First ground pork meat is placed, next raw chopped cabbage or lettuce, then hot tomato sauce, guacamole or sometimes mole (Mexican chocolate sauce) and a slice of boiled egg.
Chilaquiles: Tortillas are covered in egg and deep fried. Afterwards placed in a wide container to form a layer of tortilla as a base. Cheese, cooked chicken and hot tomato sauce with spices is then added. Again place another layer of tortillas and continue to do so to make something like a Tortilla Lasagna. Place in the oven and let cook until cheese melts and the tortillas are soft. Serve with thick sour cream.
Tortilla con Quesillo: Tortillas are filled with quesillo, a kind of melting salty cheese, and its deep fried. Served with tomato sauce.
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Dependencies not included. Semi-autonomous territories are in italics. | ||