Split Peas, Pig Tail and Rice and Beans

Split peas, Pig Tail, RIce and Beans..........

Shopping for food in Belize is an experience in itself. My first reaction was that of panic when I discovered the limitations I was feeling in noticing the absence of some of my favourite foods. No one could argue about the traditional food of Belize being Rice and Beans, which is not to be confused with Beans and Rice. A sister dish, but definitely different, is beans-and-rice, which is the stewed beans served with white rice (not cooked together). I have come to the conclusion that this has to be a favourite dish as when I asked two separate classes what their favourite food would be, the unanimous response was "Rice and Beans!" Belizeans are proud of their National Dish. Another staple Belizean dish is Ceviche with Conch and Shrimp. My first attempt started one morning while on an early walk. A young boy asked us if we wanted to buy lobster. In my ignorance, I truly thought we were buying lobster until he placed the conch in my hand. On the internet I discovered that lobster is another name for conch. I was curious how the boy could sell seafood and get to school on time and when I asked him what school he attended, his response was that he did not attend school. When we got home, I cut the conch into tiny pieces and boiled it for a very short time. Conch is very notorious for being tough. I added the juice of several limes, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and cucumbers.

The breakfast favourites seem to be either Fry Jacks which are fluffy fried dough crescents or Johnny Cakes which are flattened baking powder biscuits. The latter I successfully made without measuring utensils or cups! Most of the coffee served in this country is instant despite the local coffee industry. Mexican fast food stands can be found everywhere in Belize with options of Tamales and garnaches which are crispy tortillas under a small mound of tomatoes, cabbage, cheese and the ubiquitous Marie Sharpe hot sauce. Numerous Chinese restaurants can be found everywhere. James and TJ have had fun with take outs more than once. Tonight it was chop suey, sweet and sour chicken and chow mein. I was shocked to see the amount of earth "unfriendly" styrofoam used in Belize for anything disposable.......despite having said that....I have yet to see anything in aluminum cans. The soda is like a blast from the past with the long glass coke and fanta bottles and all beer comes in bottles as well.

The Mennonites supply the domestic market with eggs, dairy, fresh milk, cheese and vegetables. They also are involved with cattle and feed farming. Practicing organic farming, they grow peanut, potato, corn, beans, tomato, watermelon, carrot, papaya, sweet pepper (green peppers are called sweet peppers here because they are not hot peppers), cabbage and cilantro. Everyday there is fresh cilantro at the market. They are easily identified by their old fashioned apparel. The women wear long, dark dresses with aprons and hats while the men wear coveralls, checkered shirts and cowboy hats. I have not seen them as vendors in the market but have seen them supplying their products to the vendors.

Food can even be purchased on your doorstep if you happen to hear the daily morning call of "Baked Goods" along with a distinctive squeaky bike horn. Panades are little meat pies and sold all over town on numerous bikes.

The things people may notice being different from kitchens in Canada would perhaps be the painted, brown concrete floor, cold water only in taps, open face shelving that exposes the plumbing and three very large empty vegetable oil containers holding our supply of water. The rat traps under the counter are luckily for us intact and empty. We have resident geckos also in the kitchen who have a nightly ritual of leaving us little droppings on the counter for us to wake up to. Our decor on our counter would be that of local jumbo pineapples (note the plural). I have given up trying to keep the kitchen free of the ever present film of dust and layer of dirt on everything. In the end, coffee still is as satisfying especially after locating a local Belizean source of organic java. Ahhh! Don't you just love it when some things are the same?






Here is a recipe for Rice and Beans for fun!

1 lb. Red Kidney Beans
2 cloves Garlic (crushed)
1 tsp. Salt 1 cup coconut Milk (either squeezed from grated coconut or bought prepared, canned, or made from powered variety) I use the powder.
½ tsp. Black pepper
½ tsp. Thyme
2 lbs. cleaned Rice
1 medium Onion (sliced)
6-8 cups of water
1 small pigtail or salt beef or pieces of bacon

Method

1. Wash the beans, then soak beans for 4 hours, using the 6-8 cups of water. If you are using distilled water, then soaked beans only needs 2 hours to soften.

2. Boil beans until tender, with the garlic, onion and pig’s tail/or salted beef or bacon pieces. Note: pre-wash the pigtail or salt beef and cut off excess fat. You can use a pressure cooker to cut down on the time.

3. Season beans with black pepper, thyme and salt. Note: You may opt not to add the salt if you used salt beef or pigtail above.

4. Add coconut milk. Stir and then let boil.

5. Add rice to seasoned beans. Stir, then cover. Cook on low heat until the water is absorbed and rice is tender. If necessary, add more water gradually until rice is tender. Note: Usually, one cup of rice absorbs two cups of water, although rice grains can vary in the amount of water they absorb.