Give the Gift of Locally Made Treats

Someone I know posted recently on social media asking what would be the best gift to bring on a trip to the USA. Of course my answer was food. And December being the month of presents in a country that celebrates Christmas for weeks, there are plenty of opportunities to give. I’m not a big fan of gifts that take up space and require dusting, but who will say no to delicious food and drink?

Let’s start our holiday run down with two Belizean Christmas classics, black fruit cake (aka black cake) and rum popo (a heavily rum laced egg nog). Both of these treats are typically produced in home kitchens although you can find Traveller Distillery’s commercial version of rum popo in the liquor section of most grocery stores. Therefore in order to get a hold of the best black cake and rum popo, I recommend joining and posting on the Placencia Facebook pages, Placencia What’s Happening or Placencia Restaurants and Food.

In keeping with 21st century entrepreneurship, a lot of great seasonal homemade food is bought and sold via Facebook in Belize. You will see people advertising their rum popo and black cake, and you can ask who has it for sale. It’s recommended to put your order in right away before everything is sold out as every household will be consuming these holiday staples in the Christmas season. Black cake in particular can travel easily out of the country as a holiday treat to share with friends in other lands. I also recommend asking your hotel concierge or vacation home owner for recommendations; often, you may find that they have a relative or friend who makes fantastic black cake or super-rich rum popo. This advice applies to many of the best home made products.

In Belize we expect the consumer to take initiative, so don’t be afraid to ask where you can find something. Remember if you are flying with rum popo, it qualifies as a liquid so be sure to check your bag before your precious cargo is confiscated! If you are looking for stocking stuffers, another wonderful Placencia product is guava jelly or jam, made from yardgrown guavas, hand-picked and cooked to perfection on a home stove. Again, ask around to find the best in the village. Ms. Cunchie and Ms. Grace are two of Placencia’s great jelly makers, as well as Ms. Terese at Omar’s Creole Grub. There are many other jams, marmalades and syrups made from Belizean fruits available at Belizean Flavours shop on Placencia’s main street.

Cacao and chocolate. Chocolate is a classic holiday treat and Belize is known to have some of the highest quality cacao beans in the world. Fine dark chocolate is always a great choice, or consider cacao nibs and cacao powder for baking, drinking and throwing in smoothies, granola, oats and everything else. In Placencia you can find Goss Chocolate cacao powder and chocolate bars at most grocery stores and at Above Grounds Coffee and Ixcacao Chocolate bars and cacao powder, Village Farm organic cacao nibs and Cheil Chocolate hot chocolate mix and cacao tea at Belizean Flavours shop.

Among your edible locally made finds, you'll find plenty of organic and healthy options at Belizean Flavours in Placencia Village.

SARAH ALY

On the spicy side of life, you can’t leave Belize without a little habanero in your bag! Dawn’s Grill makes some great hot sauces which are available at her restaurant right here in Placencia. You can acquire the full range of famous Marie Sharps and Hot Mama’s sauces in most grocery stores. Or try something different and get smoked bird pepper in powder form. This classic Maya spice will take anything you prepare to another level, try a dash in your hot chocolate to really warm up after a snow day. Check for smoked pepper at Perez Fruit and Vegetable Stand across from MnM Hardware.

Continuing in the vein of spices, you may also wish to carry home black pepper, cinnamon, vanilla beans and turmeric from the jungles of southern Belize. Belize Spice farm carries all of these, if you aren’t making a trip there you can also find spices for sale at Belizean Flavours shop, and Perez Fruit and Vegetable stand usually has powdered turmeric and smoked pepper available. Also try out the fresh turmeric packaged by Truly Turmeric. This company takes Belizean fresh grated turmeric and combines it with Belizean black pepper, coconut oil and lime to create a condiment that tastes great and is loaded with powerful anti-inflammatory compounds.

Coconut oil. Without this you can’t get the proper Belizean flavour in your food. Glorious Belize cold pressed coconut oil is available at most grocery stores. Make sure to wrap this and your hot sauces carefully (maybe in zip lock bags) just in case they break or spill, you don’t want to accidentally season your suitcase!

Seaweed. Not the green slimy stuff, but gracilaria species, the smooth thickener used in Placencia’s famous seaweed shakes. Head to the Placencia Producers Cooperative behind Go Sea Tours on the sidewalk by Placencia’s main pier to purchase your own in dehydrated form. Soak overnight in cold water or simmer on the stove in water until the dried seaweed dissolves, then use the gel to add incredible amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium to your smoothies, oats, soups, pancakes and muffins, anywhere you want a superfood boost.

Along with the seaweed there are other Belizean foods that you can add to your morning smoothie, to soups, or use to make a healthy tea. Moringa is a superfood shrub from the Himalayas that grows splendidly in the sandy soils of Placencia. It is full of B vitamins and protein and is supposed to help with diabetes. Find this leafy green in powdered form at Belizean Flavours, Bliss Boutique and Above Grounds Coffee Shop. Chaya leaves are native to Belize and loaded with iron and protein (twice as much as spinach). Chaya has the highest level of calcium of any known vegetable. Find powdered chaya, the original Maya super food, at Belizean Flavours.

What to drink with all these healthy and tasty treats? Well, you can’t miss out on our national drinking bitters, the Jagermeister of Belize. Sample a shot at Barefoot Bar and buy a bottle of dry bitters roots and barks at Belizean Flavours shop, add your own alcohol to taste, so you don’t have to check your bag on the flight home. Or if you don’t mind checking that suitcase, try some local wines. We recommend Swirly Head Winery’s dry, semi-sweet and sparkling sorrel wines, available at Mings Grocery store. Stop by Perez fruit and vegetable stand for Dave’s Mango and Cashew wine, sweet dessert wines that are best sipped in small quantities or turned into a refreshing spritzer with the addition of soda water.

Now, you say, this is all nice but what about the fish? My friends are missing out on that amazing Belizean seafood. All I can say is take a selfie with that lobster tail and tell them to plan their trip soon! ▪

Lyra Spang is the owner and guide of Taste Belize Tours, a unique cultural & culinary tour company. She researches and writes about food whenever she can. Reach her at tastebelize@gmail.com.