Local stories from Central America...
Belize Toledo Cacao Festival Cacao Fest Theobroma Cacao – or cocoa as many of us know it – has played an important role from ancient Maya times when cacao beans were used as currency, as funerary offerings, and as the main ingredient in the Maya ‘Kuku U’kul” drink.
The Toledo District of southern Belize is today home to organic cacao orchards where the pods are grown, harvested, fermented and transformed into the world-renowned Maya Gold chocolate, as well as chocolate products offered by local artisans.
The Toledo Cacao Festival - held annually in May - celebrates Toledo’s links with chocolate. Toledo is home to probably the most diverse range of cultures found anywhere in Belize - from the Garifuna who originally founded the settlement of Peini (or Punta Gorda as the District’s capital it is now officially known) to the East Indians whose ancestors came to work for the US Confederate settlers, the Kek'chi and Mopan Maya who dominate the interior, Creoles, Chinese and, more recently, Mennonites.
These rich flavours are celebrated through crafts, food and drink, dances, and music throughout the Commonwealth Day holiday weekend. Artisans display their arts and crafts, demonstrating their weaving, embroidery and painting techniques, and musicians and dancers showcase their cultural heritage: the Garifuna drumming, punta dance and music, and paranda music; the Creole ‘Brukdown’ which originated in the logging camps of yesteryear; and the traditional Maya dances, harp and marimba music.
One of the highlights of the 2008 Festival was a special performance of the Deer Dance at the Maya site of Lubaantun - an elaborate affair with colourful costumes, and a dance that had not been performed in the village of San Pedro Columbia for 17 years, and never before at a Maya site. The dance is usually performed over a number of days, with the many chapters telling of the relationship between nature and humanity, but the Festival’s adaptation featured excerpts from the dance, as well as cultural story-telling and marimba music throughout the day.
The Festival draws together a wide range of stakeholders from the community – the cacao farmers, environmental groups, artisans, performers, restaurants, tourism and transportation providers among others. As well as a cultural celebration to help foster a resurgence of ethnic pride, the Festival raises funds for community projects. For more information, visit www.ToledoChocolate.com
(From Kate Morton,
Hickatee Cottages)
Belize Maya kuku u'kul drink This traditional Maya drink recipe is for 1/2 lb fermented cacao beans, for 20 servings:
Roast evenly over a light heat for 30 – 40 minutes, leave to cool, and then remove the hard shell.
Grind cacao nibs with 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper until the cacao turns into a ‘butter’.
Add 1/4 - 1 teaspoon vanilla (if available) to enhance the flavour
Leave the butter for 10—15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop
The cacao mixture is now ready to make into the drink. Alternatively, refrigerate the butter for up to 7 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
To make the Kuku U’kul drink
Take 2 oz cacao batter and mix into hot water, mix well, and add sugar and milk to taste. Drink hot, or chill for ‘Iced Kuku’.
Beans are best used within 3 months of purchase. Once roasted, process within 1 day for best flavour.
(From Kate Morton,
Hickatee Cottages)
Belize The Lubaantun Crystal Skull Crystal skulls discovered in the Maya and Aztec worlds are reputed to have magical and healing properties. Probably the most widely celebrated crystal skull is that supposedly found at Lubaantun in southern Belize in the 1920s – an almost anatomically correct replica of a human skull, as opposed to the usual ‘stylised’ design. Legend has it that the explorer’s daughter, Anna Mitchell Hedges, discovered the skull on her birthday, although no photographs of the expedition recorded it, and no announcement of its discovery was made until 1943 when Anna’s adoptive father happened to purchase a crystal skull from Sotherby’s!
Putting the doubts of its home to one side, the skull’s construction still baffles science. Tested at HP Laboratories in the 70’s, scientists discovered that it had been carved against the natural axis of the crystal which should have resulted in it shattering. They also found no evidence of microscopic scratches to indicate that it had been carved with metal instruments, and their best hypothesis for its construction was that it was roughly hewn out with diamonds and detail work then meticulously done with a gentle solution of silicon sand and water, which would have required man-hours totaling 300 years to complete!
(From Kate Morton,
Hickatee Cottages)
Costa Rica Gallo Pinto recipe
The name gallo pinto means "spotted rooster". When the beans and rice are combined, the rice gets coloured by the beans, and the mix results in a specked appearance. Nicaraguans traditionally prepare it with small red beans, while Costa Ricans usually use black beans. Beans are slowly cooked until the juice is almost consumed. At La Cusinga Eco Lodge it has been a long family tradition to serve that dish at our family table, and it is one of those dishes that our guest love to learn how to prepare as it is easy to make at home. There are many ways of making the plate and each person adds their own little touch to it. The basic recipe is this:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil 1 medium onion finely chopped 2 garlic clove minced 3 cups cooked white rice 2 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 2-3 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce (regular can be used as well) salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste fresh cilantro (optional) sliced green onion (optional)
(From La Cusinga Lodge)
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