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Food, eating habits and cusine of Belize

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Belize, being a multi-cultural country, would most probably have a wide array of dishes that may cater to all or a segment of Belizean society.

For sure, the Mestizos, who are mostly Hispanic of heritage, would have typical Hispanic foods like tortilla, maize, tamales, rice and beans. Like their Latin American neighbors, the Spanish mestizos would have a preference to anything chili.

The Mayan ethnic group has more or less have the same preference as the Mestizos except they like their tortillas cooked in a comal and tend to eat more corn that’s made into a gruel then mixed with chicken meat and some chili.

For the Kriols, their favorite is what they call the Bile Up. Usually, a Bile Up is composed of boiled eggs and a choice of fish or pig tail. It is also common for Kriols to eat cassava, yams and plantains. They also like to incorporate on most of their foods tomato sauce if they can. The most famous Kriol food is the bammy. Bammies are grated cassava roots then fried after it dries up. The resulting product becomes a starchy cake which would then be dipped in coconut milk before frying it again. Bammies can be served as a side dish or stand alone. As for the general public, most Belizeans like barbeque. They just grill any kind of meat from chicken to pork and even sea foods but the obvious favorite among Belizeans is the chicken barbeque. Belizeans are also fond of a type of shelled sea food called conch. It taste like squid but is flat and has a more tender texture.

As to what Belizeans drink, they usually prefer rum which they usually mix with fruits or juices to produce a variety of flavors. Cashew wines are also popular among the people of Belize which are usually mixed with soda. Another drink that is also a big thing in Belize is their ginger brew. Ginger brew is usually homemade and quite tangy to the taste but when mixed with orange or lemon juice becomes pleasant.