Food & Sun: Scuba, Snorkel, Savour

From conch fresh out of the sea to classic lemon pie made from local limes, Belize reveals its fresh, eclectic cuisine in surprising ways

By Liz Humphreys

My husband, five-year-old son and I snorkel off the side of the boat, investigating the plethora of sea creatures – red and green parrotfish, silver yellowtail snappers, white butterfly fish, green moray eels, brown hawksbill turtles – underneath the placid, clear waters of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, off the coast of Ambergris Caye in Belize. Our boat driver, José, pulls on a snorkel mask and slips gracefully into the turquoise water. He surfaces less than a minute later with a glistening, pink-shelled queen conch in each hand, which he carefully places into a pail. It’s queen conch season and these large sea snails are a treasured Belizean delicacy.

SNORKELLING NEAR AMBERGRIS CAYE

© BELIZE TOURISM BOARD

José uses a hammer to crack open the conchs. He expertly cuts out the meat, trims it into small cubes and mixes it into a concoction of purple onion, bright red tomatoes and fragrant cilantro. A few squeezes of lime finish it off. And voilà, ceviche! We hungrily devour the tangy, chewy mixture, using crisp yellow corn chips to scoop out every last morsel. It may be the most delicious – and certainly the freshest – ceviche we’ve ever tasted.

FRESHLY MADE CONCH CEVICHE

We wash down the ceviche with Belize’s national libation – rum punch, a delightfully easy-to-drink combo of Belizean coconut rum and white rum with pineapple, orange and lime juice. While we’re still munching, José takes us on a short ride over to ‘Shark Alley,’ where we feed the hungry – yet gentle, we’re told – nurse sharks circling our boat with what must be their own version of a tasty tropical cocktail – chunks of pineapple and bananas.

We’ve embarked on this water excursion just southeast of Belize’s Ambergris Caye, about 15 minutes of smooth sailing from our hotel, Alaia Belize. Our goal is to experience what this friendly Caribbean country between Mexico and Guatemala is best known for – highly accessible snorkelling and scuba diving. Belize is home to the second largest coral reef in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But what we don’t realize, until we see it for ourselves, is that Belize also has a rich multicultural history reflected in its cuisine. Though it has just over 400,000 residents, it is home to many ethnic groups, including the Maya, Creoles, Garifuna (a mix of West/ Central African, Arawak and Island Carib), Mestizos (Spanish/Mayan) and Mennonites, as well as Indians, Asians and immigrants from nearby countries. Along with the expected seafood, there are spicy curries, sweet coconut rices and loads of organic foodstuffs grown by skilled local farmers.

HUDUT, A TRADITIONAL GARIFUNA DISH

© BELIZE TOURISM BOARD

The wealth of Belize’s produce is on full display at the Garden Spot, inside of the lush Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve just southeast of San Ignacio, close to the Guatemalan border. Instead of heading straight in for a meal, per usual, we take a half-hour guided walk through the expansive organic gardens. Along the way, our guide points out vegetables of all kinds (from lettuces and cabbage to peppers, squash and potatoes) along with bountiful herbs (cilantro, thyme and basil, to name a few). We all carry baskets and gather up veggies for that night’s meal.

AT THE GARDEN SPOT, THE CHEF COOKS WITH ORGANIC INGREDIENTS FROM THE FARM

© AARON COLUSSI

While the chef prepares dinner inside the thatched roof kitchen, we relax on benches around the fire and enjoy a medley of Belizean treats – plantain chips with spinach dip, zucchini fritters and cucumber rounds stuffed with smoked fish mousse, served up with spicy rum punch. After nibbling on starters, dinner is served at charming outdoor tables lit by candles. Every dish includes ingredients we picked from the gardens just moments before. Tonight’s menu has soup with veggies, fresh tomato salad with rice, pepper stew with squash, onions and bok choy. It’s tasty and satisfying, and perhaps the truest example of farm-to-table dining we’ve enjoyed.

ENJOY TASTY TROPICAL COCKTAILS

© AARON COLUSSI

We get a glimpse of Belize’s multicultural influences again the next day at Ko-Ox Han Nah, also simply known as Hannah’s, a 40-minute drive north in the town of San Ignacio, in western Belize. The restaurant’s name means “let’s go eat” in the Mayan language, and that we do, sampling a variety of its Belizean meets Indian meets Chinese meets Mexican dishes, served in a rustic, colourful space. Much of the meat served here comes from the owner’s farm, just outside town.

LAMB CURRY WITH CHAYA RICE AT KO-OX HAN NAH RESTAURANT

© KO-OX HAN NAH

We bypass the burritos and quesadillas in favour of sweetand-savoury coconut rice with stewed beans and chicken, and tangy lamb curry with Indian spices and coconut milk. A juice made from fresh limes, lightly sweetened, tempers the fire from the curry. My son can’t get enough of the delightfully sweet fried plantains and asks for a second plate.

Though the meal is quite hearty, we don’t say no to homemade lemon pie – a classic Belizean dessert that, surprisingly, is always made with local limes and crowned with a layer of fluffy meringue. Like the best things we’ve tasted during our time in Belize, it’s an unexpected treat, tangy yet sweet, a mix of flavours and influences that fit together so perfectly and leave you wanting more.