Guatemala Food and Drink

Food

The cuisine of Guatemala has been greatly influenced by both the country’s native Maya populations as well as by Spanish colonists who arrived in the 16th century. The diet of Guatemala is fairly meat-heavy and meat stews (caldos) and soups (sopa) are popular (chicken in particular is common and in some rural regions, it is served with the feet still attached). Other staples of many Guatemalan dishes include tortillas, corn, beans, rice and cheese. Seafood is abundant and lobster, shrimp and fish are often grilled or fried. In larger cities, there are cafes and restaurants that offer a wide variety of international choices like Japanese, Italian, American and French. Despite these options, the best places to try authentic food are from street vendors and local eateries.

Popular dishes include:

 Kak’ik: This dish is a traditional Mayan recipe. It consists of a turkey soup that is flavoured with spices like coriander, achiote and chili pepper.

Chile rellenos: This is a common dish made from chili peppers that are stuffed with meat, vegetables, rice and cheese.

Chicken Pepian: For this dish, chicken is cooked and flavoured with a spicy pumpkin and sesame sauce.

Tapado: A spicy seafood soup that contains fish, green plantain slices, coconuts, tomatoes and cilantro.

Elote: Often served by street vendors, elote are grilled fresh ears of corn that are topped with cheese, lime juice, chili and mayonnaise or butter.

Drink

Due to Guatemala’s temperate climate, the country has fertile land that produces good coffee which is not only important to the economy but is also popular within Guatemala. The national beer of Guatemala is Gallo, however, other common beer brands include Dorada, Sol and Victoria. Guaro liquor is another popular alcoholic beverage. Limonada con soda is a refreshing drink made from freshly squeezed lemonade and soda water. Finally, licuados are a great way to sample the abundant tropical fruit available in Guatemala. This drink is essentially a fruit shake that can be made with either water or milk. It is best to order such drinks with milk as tap water should be avoided in Guatemala. It is recommended that visitors make sure hotels and restaurants have either purified water or bottled water and should always check before asking for ice in drinks.

Things to know:

Adding a 10% tip to a bill is acceptable in Guatemala.

Drinking age:

18

Guatemala Travel Information

At Goway we believe that a well-informed traveller is a safer traveller. With this in mind, we have compiled an easy-to-navigate travel information section dedicated to Guatemala.

Learn about the history and culture of Guatemala, the must-try food and drink, and what to pack in your suitcase. Read about Guatemala's nature and wildlife, weather and geography, along with 'Country Quickfacts' compiled by our travel experts. Our globetrotting tips, as well as our visa and health information, will help ensure you're properly prepared for a safe and enjoyable trip. The only way you could possibly learn more is by embarking on your journey and discovering Guatemala for yourself. Start exploring… book one of our Guatemala tours today!

Extend Your Trip

After your Guatemala Tour, why not consider another of Goway's Latin America tours. These include a large selection of other exciting countries in Central and South America. We offer Chile vacation packages and Easter Island tours, Ecuador vacation packages which include Galapagos cruises, Peru vacation packages which include Machu Picchu tours and Brazil tours including Iguassu Falls tours among many others.

Book your Guatemala tour with Goway! 

LATIN AMERICA by Goway is an exclusive division that specializes in planning and organizing Guatemala tours and experiences. Choose from one of our independent stopover modules and more, We want to be your first choice when next you go globetrotting to Guatemala.