Fiambre: A classic dish of Guatemala

What if we tell you these days about a salad from Latin America? This is a traditional dish of Guatemala, Fiambre, which is associated with the dead individuals.  Surprised? Oh, yes ! Fiambre is eaten in the memory of the beloved ones, who have passed away. Not each day. But on 1^st and 2^nd November specially, on the eve of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Difuntos) and the All Saints Day (Día de los Santos).

Fiambre: A conventional salad of Guatemala ( Image : Keneth Cruz – flickr )

The recipe of Fiambre is not exact same as it varies from people to people. Some folks prepare Fiambre with fish, other people use blood sausage in it. But all of them have some fundamentals in typical. It is essentially a pickled dish of a lot of meats, cheeses, vegetables and canned goods, produced into an sophisticated salad. The components of Fiambre may be in quantity, 40 up to 50. Fiambre is an pricey dish, serving and sharing of which is a customary tradition of the men and women of Guatemala. The households are gathered in the cemeteries and clean the graves of their loved ones. They perform prayers and also put fresh flowers on the graves. They leave a dish of Fiambre along with a bottle of rum or cusha (nearby illegal liquor) for their deceased to feast on later. There are different sorts of Fiambre, a standard dish of Guatemala, such as el tradicional (traditional), el dulce (sweet), el “divorciado“ (divorced), el blanco (white) and el rojo (red).

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Mongolian Beef: A Chinese American Dish

A lot of folks in the United States love the Chinese food known as “Mongolian Beef” which is generally served as a buffet dish. Mongolian Beef is only the name of this Chinese American dish otherwise this never came from Mongolia. The pieces of the beef are sliced and then their strips are fried as steaks coated with spicy sauce. But just before this the thin slices of the beef are mixed with cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and pepper into a bowl. Soon after keeping the beef marinated for virtually half an hour, they are fried and stirred with oil and fried onions in wok. The ideal way to take pleasure in the Mongolian Beef is to eat it with stir-fried vegetables which not only add colors to this magnificent dish but it doubles its awesome taste. Some Americans also enjoy the Mongolian Beef to be served more than crispy fried cellophane noodles or with steamed rice. Mongolian Beef, the Chinese American Dish is prepared with several recipes and it is a component of the standard American Cuisine.

An image of the Mongolian beef ( Courtesy: dwinning's photostream on flickr )

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Curanto: Conventional Seafood Dish from Chile

Chile becoming geographically so extended country of South America comprises of variety of landscapes and thus it makes Chile a land of vast variety of foods and drinks. In the Chilean cuisine the seafood has a special significance simply because of its diversified coastline of two,647 miles. The special species of fish and shellfish such as the Chilean sea bass, loco and picoroco discovered in the waters of Chilean seaside are unique ingredient to Chilean cuisine.

Curatno, Image © danaj_m (flickr)

A single of the most common and standard food of Southern Chile is Curanto. Curanto is a word in the araucano language and it means hot rock. It is a classic type of a pit oven in which shellfish and other foods are cooked. This is the most characteristic and the most ancient dish of Chile. In reality, if we call it as a single of the oldest food dishes of the globe, it may possibly not be incorrect.  The archeologists found the remains of a 6,000 year old curanto from the archaeological website of Puente Quilo on the north coast, west of the city of Ancud. A lot of other meal remains like bones of nutria, sea lions, sea birds, fish and whale, as properly as hooves of the southern pudú and shells of scallops, snails, Chilean abalone, surf clams, mussels, difficult shell clams, and razor clams have been also discovered.

The Chileans are nonetheless carrying on their traditional way of cooking Curanto. The oven is about a meter deep hole, which is dug in the ground. The bottom is covered with stones, heated in a bonfire till red. The components of Curanto contain shellfish, any kind of meat, potatoes, milcaos (a specific potato bread), chapaleles, and vegetables and also some other fish. With no any distinct quantity every 1 of this ingredient is covered with nalca leaves and other seasonal herbs. Cloths and dirt is place on best and only a sort of side chimney is left open to make combustion less difficult. The food requires approximately a single hour to get prepared.

In the central parts of Chile, Curanto is also cooked in Pulmay which is a large stew pot which is heated over a bonfire or grill or in a stress cooker.

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