ExploFood · North America
What to eat in Belize
Five dishes to try in Belize, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Belize
Rice and beans
Red kidney beans and rice cooked in coconut milk, served with stewed chicken.
How to have it: The national lunch; order it with stew chicken, potato salad and fried plantain.
Fry jacks
Puffy pieces of fried dough.
How to have it: Eaten at breakfast with refried beans, eggs and cheese, or drizzled with honey.
Garnaches
Crisp fried tortillas topped with refried beans, cheese and cabbage.
How to have it: Cheap street food in the morning; add the pickled onion and habanero salsa.
Salbutes
Puffy fried tortillas topped with shredded chicken, cabbage and tomato.
How to have it: Sold by the half-dozen at street stands, especially in Orange Walk and Corozal.
Chirmole
Black soup of chicken and boiled egg in a charred-chilli recado.
How to have it: A Mestizo and Maya dish known as black dinner; eaten with corn tortillas.
What to eat next door
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Questions
What food is Belize famous for?
Rice and beans (red kidney beans and rice cooked in coconut milk, served with stewed chicken) comes first on our list, followed by Fry jacks, Garnaches, Salbutes and Chirmole.
What is the national dish of Belize?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Belize is Rice and beans: red kidney beans and rice cooked in coconut milk, served with stewed chicken. The national lunch; order it with stew chicken, potato salad and fried plantain.
Which dishes in Belize are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Fry jacks and Garnaches. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What street food should I try in Belize?
Garnaches (crisp fried tortillas topped with refried beans, cheese and cabbage) and Salbutes (puffy fried tortillas topped with shredded chicken, cabbage and tomato).
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Tick off every dish you try in Belize
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.